DOWN TO EARTH OPENS IN KAILUA

It’s been an intense 16 months for Down to Earth. The natural foods grocer started a growth spurt in April 2018, opening a store in Kakaako, followed a few months later with one in Pearlridge Center.

Saturday completes the trifecta: A new store in Kailua, a 15,000-square-foot space that will be the largest in the chain.

The Kailua location is in the Lau Hala Shops, the former Macy’s, 573 Kailua Road. Like the Pearlridge store, the Kailua Down to Earth is a relocation. The original store on Hamakua Drive was less than half the size.

Key to the new Kailua store is an expanded deli, offering items new to the chain. These include latte drinks boosted with superfoods; smoothie bowls such as the Mauka Bowl with blue spirulina sorbet, pineapple, passion fruit and mango juice, topped with hemp seeds, sliced bananas and shredded coconut; and vegetarian sub sandwiches that mimic chicken patties and meatballs, both with marinara sauce.

The store will have Down to Earth’s usual hot and cold bars, pizzas, baked goods and Asian-style bowls made to order. Grocery aisles will be stocked with organic vegetarian foods, natural beauty products, supplements and household items.

Hours at the new store are 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily (the deli closes one hour earlier). Call 262-3838.

KIM CHEE AND BEYOND

The 17th Annual Korean Festival, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, brings kim chee and more to Victoria Ward Park.

Admission is free to enjoy a day full of music, dance and cultural activities. Purchase scrip to buy traditional Korean foods.

For a schedule of events go to koreanfesthawaii.com.

ISLE GOAT CHEESE WINS NATIONAL HONOR

A Waialua-produced goat milk cheese won a bronze medal last week at the American Cheese Society’s 2019 Judging and Competition.

Emma Bello’s Sweet Land Farm was the sole Hawaii entrant, one of among 1,742 cheesemakers from across the Americas. Her winning entry is a tomme cheese, possessing a nutty, roasted pineapple character with brown buttery notes.

The contest, held in Richmond, Va., comprised 117 categories, including cheddar, blue cheese, ethnic cheeses, ripened and unripened cheeses, yogurt, kefir, butter and even milk.

Bello’s category was Goat Milk Cheese Aged Over 60 Days.

The society, with more than 2,400 members, supports artisan, farmstead and specialty cheeses in the Americas.

The competition was part of the 2019 American Cheese Society Conference, held July 31 to Aug 3. The annual event features workshops, networking, a bookstore and food events held all day. Participants can meet cheesemakers and taste their products.

Awards were given out Friday evening, followed by the Festival of Cheeses and Cheese Sale. Open to the public, the event showcased the winners of the competition, along with gourmet foods.