Food activist to discuss diversity
Sustainable farming activist Vandana Shiva will discuss "the importance of biological diversity and intellectual democracy in agricultural policy" at four talks on Oahu and Kauai Tuesday through Jan. 17.
The "Seed Freedom Is Food Freedom" talk program is based on experiences of farmers in India who lost their farms in the face of industrial agriculture and biotechnology. Shiva is visiting Hawaii because the state is a major site of biotechnology seed experiments, according to Hawai‘i Seed, a nonprofit organization that offers education about genetically engineered organisms and promotes diverse, local and ecological food and farming.
Shiva’s free lectures:
» 6 p.m. Tuesday, Campus Center Ballroom, University of Hawaii at Manoa
» 9:30 a.m. Jan. 16, state Capitol rotunda
» 7 p.m. Jan. 16, Kroc Center, 91-3257 Kualakai Parkway (registration required at hawaiiseed.org)
» 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17, Kauai Memorial Convention Hall, 4191 Hardy St.
Visit www.hawaiiseed.org or call 652-5286 or 808-651-9603 on Kauai.
Celebs to cook for Beard benefit
Celebrity chefs Jonathan Waxman, Aaron Sanchez, Nancy Silverton and Bruce Bromberg will join Hawaii’s Sam Choy and Mauna Lani Bay executive chef Clayton Arakawa for the Third Annual Celebrity Chef Tour, a benefit for the James Beard Foundation on Jan. 18 and 19 at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on Hawaii island. On Jan. 18, the Grey Goose Oceanfront Soiree will feature Choy’s canapes and drinks by mixologist Manny Hinojosa. Tickets to the 5-to-7:30 p.m. event are $100.
The next evening, Waxman, Sanchez, Silverton, Bromberg and Arakawa will serve six courses paired with wines by Rodney Strong and cocktails by Hinojosa. The dinner starts at 6 p.m. at the CanoeHouse. Tickets at $250, or $300 for both events, are available at www.celebritycheftour.com.
Diners to get up close to food sources
Enjoy a meal of locally produced food on the land where it was grown at two Outstanding in the Field dinners on Kauai and Oahu.
At 3 p.m. Jan. 24, visit Olana Organic Farm in Kilauea on Kauai with host farmer Tim O’Connor. Guest chef is Ron Miller of the Hukilau Lanai. Tickets: $190.
On Jan. 27 at 3 p.m., Ed Kenney of town restaurant will prepare the bounty grown at MA‘O Organic Farms in Waianae. Host farmers are Gary and Kukui Maunakea-Forth. Tickets: $220.
Outstanding in the Field travels the globe to organize outdoor dining events at farms, ranches, urban gardens, mountaintops and beaches, all with the intent of reconnecting diners to the land and origins of their food.
Reservations: www.outstandinginthefield.com.
Lunalilo luau celebrates king’s birthday
Enjoy a Hawaiian feast at a luau Jan. 26 that celebrates the birthday of King Lunalilo and benefits Lunalilo Home, a care home for seniors.
Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., or make a drive-thru pickup. Tickets are $50; deadline to purchase is Jan. 24.
To order visit www.lunalilo.org or call 395-1000.
Lunalilo Home is at 501 Kekauluohi St. in Hawaii Kai.
