Valor Bar recently soft opened at Pearlridge Center in the third level Wai Makai food court, and it’s grand opening is June 1.
The biz offers elegant, handcrafted cocktails that source ingredients from local businesses, including the Valor old fashioned, made with locally produced bourbon from Koolau Distillery smoked with kiawe wood, or the Sunshine cocktail, crafted with fresh calamansi sugar cane juice sourced from neighboring Pearlridge Center tenant Sugah Daddeh’s Kane Juice.
“We plan to offer unforgettable experiences that embody our community,” states Valor Bar founding partner Chris Dingley. “We hope to be a gathering place for people to enjoy great cocktails, beers, music and everything Pearlridge has to offer.”
Valor Bar is open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 10 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays.
Stay up to date and follow its Instagram (@valorhi).
Cultural food festival
To celebrate Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Tidepools Marketplace at Central Pacific Bank is hosting a lunchtime food festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, May 23.
The community is welcome to join the event and experience different cuisines of AANHPI cultures. Vendors include Aloha Bento, UBAE, Beyond Pastry Studio, Sweet Inspirations Hawaii, Kane’s Laulau and more.
Tidepools Marketplace, adjacent to CPB’s main branch, hosts a series of curated pop-ups featuring baked goods, flowers and more.
Visit cpb.bank/tidepools for more info.
Sweets create a buzz
Throughout May, Big Island Candies partners with the Adopt-a-Beehive with Alan Wong program and will donate a portion of the proceeds from all sales of its Bee Sunny Box. Funds garnered will benefit University of Hawaii at Hilo’s beekeeping program, which supports students through scholarships, as well as supplies and materials needed to maintain the hives.
The Bee Sunny Box boasts an illustration of a bee and flower on a honey yellow box, and includes one milk chocolate-covered macadamia nut brownie, one dark chocolate-covered macadamia nut brownie, two Mika honey confections, three milk chocolate-dipped macadamia nut shortbreads, three dark chocolate-dipped macadamia nut shortbreads, four Kona mocha shortbreads and four lemon shortbreads.
“We wanted to do something to help protect Hawaii’s honey bees and do our part by bringing more awareness to the importance of this program so that we have a sustainable future for our next generations,” states Big Island Candies president and COO Sherrie Holi.
Visit bigislandcandies.com.
This hour just got happier
Fusion Café + Wine (3457 Waialae Ave.) announces the expansion of its evening service menu, and has now extended its happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays.
The revamped happy hour menu includes baked brie tartlets with fig jam and marcona almonds ($10); bao sliders with char siu sausage with hoisin ($15); crispy grilled octopus with a salad of watercress, Kamuela tomatoes and pickled onions ($25); and fresh pappardelle pasta with jamon serrano, wild mushrooms and white wine verjus ($25), among others.
To complement the delectable shareable plates, the café’s wine bar boasts a cruvinet-style system offering a selection of red, white and rose wines starting at $11 per glass.
Visit fusion-cafe.com.
