WildKind Café+Juicery opened its first brick-and-mortar on Sept. 27 at Ward Village, replacing the former Ben & Jerry’s location in Ward Entertainment Center. The biz, founded by Stephanie Allen and her daughter, Abby, features an expansive menu of real food smoothies, cold pressed juice, pitaya and açaí bowls, vegan grab-and-go salads, overnight oats and a full espresso bar that offers plant-based milk options.
“Everyone deserves healthy and delicious food,” states Stephanie. “We are committed to providing our customers with options that help them achieve a more balanced life.”
To celebrate its grand opening, the café will offer free items and special promos, which it will share on social media (@wildkindhawaii). The biz is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. For more info, visit wildkindhawaii.com.
‘Tofu’-riffic dishes
Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya will launch five new seasonal menu items on Oct. 15. The new dishes include a mapo tofu and a vegan mapo tofu — both of which will be available in ramen or over rice — and tempura chikuwa (fried Japanese fishcake).
The seasonal dishes will be available through the end of December at all locations (Pearlridge Center, Ala Moana Center and Kapolei Marketplace).
Visit tanakaramen.com.
Sustainable seafood
Conservation International Hawaii and Chef Hui celebrate the eighth annual Sustainable Seafood Month and this year’s theme is reducing seafood waste by utilizing the whole fish or creating value-added seafood products. The celebration includes three events showcasing three of Hawaii’s acclaimed chefs — Ed Kenney of Mud Hen Water (Oct. 11), Jason Peel of Nami Kaze (Oct. 15) and Sheldon Simeon of Tiffany’s (Oct. 24) — which will be held on Oahu and Maui.
Each event features innovative menus that prepare seafood in delicious ways while focusing on sustainable seafood preparation. Visit each restaurant’s website to make your reservations.
Visit conservation.org/hawaii and chefhui.com for more information.
Vegan cuisine
Hawaii vegan chef Lillian Cumic returns with her third cookbook, Hawaii Washoku, which “unites one of the world’s great cuisines with the spirit of aloha to create harmony and peace at your table.” The cookbook features a collection of more than 175 plant-based and gluten-free Japanese recipes.
It educates readers on the basics of modern Japanese cooking from a plant-based viewpoint with recipes that range from colorful tsukemono “pickled things” and pub-style izakaya sides to traditional simmered dishes and “planted sashimi.”
Cumic, known as the Queen of Green Cuisine, is a cooking instructor, recipe developer and author of cookbooks Hawaii A Vegan Paradise and Tasting Hawaii Vegan Style. Hawaii Washoku will be available in November at mutualpublishing.com, Mutual’s Kaimuki bookstore and local bookstores.
Follow her on Instagram (@lillianvegan_chefhawaii) or visit lillianvegan.com.
