A high school photography project morphed into a food challenge for three recent Kamehameha Schools graduates who committed themselves to eating kalo, or taro, for 90 days at every meal. The diet was the means to explore how the food is tied to Hawaiian identity, and that cultural journey will be chronicled in the documentary film "I Am Haloa," scheduled for release in October.

Lahela Paresa, 17, decided to turn her senior project, themed "You are what you eat," into a dietary challenge that would allow her and her classmates — La’ahia Kekahuna and Tayler Fitzsimmons — to learn how the Hawaiian staple would affect them physically as well as spiritually.

Kalo is at the core of the Hawaiian creation story that ties the human race to the plant. The nurturing relationship between the first Hawaiian, Haloa, and kalo reflects the ancient Hawaiians’ sustainable approach to the land.

Beyond cultivating, harvesting, pounding and eating kalo, the teens, who graduated in May, came to understand the values of Haloa as they traveled across the state to visit farming communities.

"You have a personal connection with your food when you know how it’s prepared," said Paresa, of Waianae. "During the 90 days I knew my kalo came from Kauai. I knew who the farmer was, that it was of good quality. I knew who touched my food and what was put into it."

The girls’ original plan was to prepare dishes using kalo, as well as breadfruit and sweet potato, since the challenge, which started in February, dictated that they replace all starches with traditional Hawaiian foods. They also tried to base half their diet on locally raised food.

But as boarders at Kamehameha, the realities of dorm life limited their ability to control what they ate. Most meals came from the school cafeteria, except a quick breakfast prepared in their dorm kitchen.

So the students relied primarily on poi, paiai (pounded kalo undiluted with water) and kalapaa (kalo fried in coconut oil), which they carried around campus in their backpacks.

Though their dorm adviser sometimes helped out with starch-free dishes of barbecue chicken, laulau or steak, the girls regularly picked off breading from their cafeteria meals. On days when dishes such as macaroni and cheese were served, dinner was restricted to salad and poi.

Despite the trials, the benefits of the diet became evident.

Fitzsimmons, 17, an athlete from Waialua, joined the challenge to see the effect of kalo on her performance. During the 90 days she started the track and field season where she competed in discus. The previous year, Fitzsimmons had struggled to break into the top 20 in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state championship, but this year she made the finals on her second day, ranking eighth.

"I felt stronger and healthier, even though I didn’t lift weights because of an injury from wrestling," she said. "I just ate kalo."

The girls finished the diet May 19, but its effects have continued to resonate.

Paresa gained a cultural awareness that translated into a sense of well-being.

"Every time you feed your naau (soul) ai pono — righteous food — you’re making a statement. If I feed myself Hawaiian food, I’m consuming good energy from Hawaii, and I feel better and closer to my culture."

Kekahuna, 17, who grew up on Molokai, saw her family’s rural lifestyle with new eyes.

"I grew up fishing and hunting, and my grandma grew fruits and vegetables," she said. "I like the idea of being in Hawaii and being able to produce food for ourselves."

Paresa came up with the challenge when she was president of Kamehameha’s Ku’i Club, where students learn to pound kalo. The club is run by English teacher Alohi Ae’a and kalo advocate Daniel Anthony.

"Nobody knows how to make poi today, like how everybody goes to Zippy’s because they don’t know how to cook. But we noticed how much youth have gravitated to poi making, so we’re investing in the kids," said Anthony.

The idea for the movie germinated when Paresa sought the help of filmmaker Torry Tukuafu in September to raise money for the cost of the kalo she and her friends would consume. Paresa asked him to make a one-minute Kickstarter video to raise $1,000.

"I thought her challenge was really interesting, and it seemed like more than a Kickstarter movie," he said.

"We wanted to know how they felt as Hawaiian women," he said. "Now we’re filming what happens next. We’re following them for the next 90 days to see how the diet has changed their lives."

One of the things the trio is doing is spending time in the kitchen to learn contemporary preparations of kalo. Their teachers: chefs Ed Kenney and Lee Anne Wong.

Kenney gave the trio a paiai recipe around Day 60 of the challenge, "when they were just up in arms craving rice, pasta and bread," he recalled.

It was a basic preparation created by his daughter: paiai cooked in a waffle iron and topped with local honey and whipped cream.

Wong works regularly with koena, a soft, sweet part of the kalo that cannot be pounded, and paiai at her Kokohead Cafe.

"You can bake it, fry it, roast it, steam it, add flour and sugar to it and make a dough. When you grate it, it becomes cheeselike in texture," Wong said of preparing paiai.

She recently made paiai dumplings with the students, using the pounded kalo in the dough and as part of the filling along with cheese and luau leaf.

In the first few days after the challenge, the girls each tried eating food that had been restricted.

Fitzsimmons’ old favorite, chicken katsu curry, left her feeling nauseous, and Kekahuna said she felt unwell after eating a burger.

"My stomach has been so sore, I feel sick and I’m breaking out," lamented Paresa, who had eaten rice, bread and sushi. "I feel better on kalo. I need to get a job so I can buy my own taro and pound it myself."

But there were even bigger changes. Each girl decided to study in Hawaii and gave up plans for mainland college.

Paresa got an internship with Ma’o Organic Farms and will attend Leeward Community College. Kekahuna is headed for Hawaii Community College in Hilo, where she hopes to continue to work with kalo in some way. Fitzsimmons will go to nursing school at Hawaii Pacific University.

Their involvement in the challenge has affected their families as well.

Paresa’s brother ate kalo with the girls and lost 35 pounds. Kekahuna said her family hopes to start a dryland taro patch this summer on their land on Molokai. Fitzsimmons’ family ate kalo along with her, and they will begin tending a loi they have in Haleiwa. They’re also prepping a family board for pounding.

"When students pound kalo, they take it home and feed their families, and we’re seeing the family impact," said Ae’a. "Parents like what’s happening with their kids. So there’s generational impact from the youth on up."

For information on kalo pounding, visit ainamomona.org. Paiai is sold at Whole Foods Market and online at manaai.com.

Koena ono in savory, sweet dishes  

The following recipes are made with koena, the soft, sticky, overripe part of the kalo that must be scraped off to get to the starchy core that is pounded to make paiai. Koena is considered "leftovers" because it cannot be pounded, but it can be cooked in a variety of ways to make delicious dishes. 

These recipes are courtesy of Alohi Ae’a, a Kamehameha Schools teacher and member  of Hui Aloha Aina Momona, an organization that promotes the cultivation, production, sale and consumption of kalo food products.  

Auntie Ohi’s Koena Meatloaf

3/4 pound koena or cooked, cleaned kalo
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
1 tablespoon thyme
1-1/2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 pound ground beef
2 eggs
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If using kalo, mash before cooking and then gently crumble. If using koena, gently crumble. Add onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, and mix gently by hand. Add beef, eggs and Worcestershire; continue to mix by hand until all ingredients are incorporated.  

Form into a loaf and place in an oiled 9-by-13-inch pan. Cover with foil and bake about 40 minutes. Uncover for final 10 minutes to brown top. Serves 3.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 500 calories, 19 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 220 mg cholesterol, 3,000 mg sodium, 46 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 36 g protein

Uncle Daniel’s Sour Poi Gravy

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 cup butter
2-1/2 cups beef broth
1-1/2 cups sour poi
Salt and pepper, to taste

Saute mushrooms and garlic in butter. Add beef broth and simmer gently until mushrooms are soft. Thicken gravy to desired consistency using sour poi. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Koena Meatloaf. Makes about 3 cups. 

Approximate nutritional information, per 1/4 cup serving (not including salt to taste): 45 calories, 2.5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein, no fiber or sugar

Kumu Maka’s Koena Apple Crisp

3 apples, cored and sliced
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, divided
3 cups koena
1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine apples, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt and 3 tablespoons brown sugar. 

Heat pan, preferably cast iron, and add 2 tablespoons butter; saute apple mixture until cooked but firm. 

Mix koena, remaining brown sugar, vanilla and remaining cinnamon. Add remaining butter and cut it into koena as if making pie crust.  

Add apples to koena mixture and stir gently, then return to frying pan and cook on medium-high. Stir to prevent burning. Cook until butter and sugar have melted and bottom begins to get crisp.  

Serve warm or cooled with vanilla ice cream. Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 400 calories, 16 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 65 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 54 g sugar, 2 g protein

The story of Haloa

The Hawaiian creation story of Haloa tells of two brothers. The older, Haloanakalaukapilili, died at birth, and at his grave a heart-shaped leaf grew, marking his transformation into a kalo plant. His younger brother, also named Haloa, tended the plant, which in turn nourished him. Their relationship governs Hawaiian values about tending the aina. 

‘I am Haloa’

Producer Torry Tukuafu says the film, set for release in October, will be screened privately for donors, then submitted to the Berlin International Film Festival, taking place in February, and the Sundance Film Festival, held in January. The film also will be submitted to the Honolulu International Film Festival for fall 2015.