Ryan Conching jokes that Aloha Food Tours got its start because of his lack of skills in the kitchen. "I’m not a great cook; that’s why you won’t find me by the stove very often," he said. "But even though I don’t have much culinary expertise, I’ve got a lot of experience eating out, which is why leading food tours is a perfect fit for me."

Formerly a computer programmer, Con­ching started doing Saturday food tours in the Ala Moana area in 2012. When he got laid off from his corporate job in August 2013, he decided to turn that side business into a full-time venture.

"I was born and raised in Hawaii, and my goal is to introduce guests to creative local cuisine, not just Hawaiian food, which many of them have at luaus," Con­ching said. "At each stop on my tours, they enjoy generous portions, not just a few bites. Afterward, most of them say they’re so full, they need a nap."

Aloha Food Tours’ thrice-weekly Ala Moana Area Hawaii Local Eats Food Tour includes six to 10 tastings at five or six eateries. He chose the Ala Moana area because he wanted to lure visitors out of Wai­kiki to try locally owned establishments rather than sticking to chain restaurants that they can find just about anywhere.

"Ala Moana is just a 10-minute drive from Wai­kiki; it’s convenient," Con­ching said. "I used to work in that area, so I know it has many awesome places to eat that are usually overlooked because they’re off the beaten path, they don’t advertise and they’re not high-profile."

Guests might sample Spam musubi, barbecue baby back ribs, steak roll with garlic chips and shave ice topped with homemade syrups, including mango, hau­pia, papaya, guava, jasmine tea and peanut butter caramel.

Among the most unusual items is ube pancakes. "‘Ube’ is the Fili­pino word for a purple variety of yam," Con­ching said. "The restaurant we visit uses ube in the pancake batter and the sauce for the pancakes. They taste like coconut; they’re not too sweet."

As guests sip taro latte, he pulls up a picture of the plant on his iPad and explains its importance in Hawaiian culture, including being a staple in ancient times.

The Best of Chinatown Hono­lulu Food Tour, which is also offered three times a week, makes four or five stops with six or seven tastings. Con­ching describes Chinatown as "a fascinating snapshot of Hawaii’s melting pot." On just about every block are small, modest eateries that serve ono meals at reasonable prices.

Samplings reflect the cosmopolitan mix of the area — for instance, Chinese garlic chicken, Vietnamese pho, crispy Thai fried chicken with sweet-and-sour sauce and made-to-order brick-oven pizza. Named one of the "100 best dishes and drinks in Hawaii" in the August 2013 issue of Hono­lulu magazine, the Pho French Dip Banh Mi always receives raves.

"My mother is Malaysian, and my dad’s side of the family is Hawaiian and Chinese, so I was lucky: I grew up eating a wide variety of foods," Con­ching said. "My mom makes the best curry and roti (unleavened bread similar to pita). One of my grandmother’s specialties was pipi­kaula (beef jerky). She would marinate slices of meat, then dry them in the sun. Her pipi­kaula was moist and tasty, not like the tough, dry jerky you usually find in stores."

Conching points out the many ethnic groups who immigrated to Hawaii brought their food traditions and cooking styles with them. When they intermarried they blended ingredients, seasonings and preparations to create wonderful new "fusion" dishes.

"When I go on vacation, I make it a point to go where the locals go — to restaurants I can’t find in Hawaii — and I order things I haven’t tried before or that were recommended to me by people who live there," Con­ching said. "All of the restaurants on my tours are locally owned; they’re places my friends and I go to regularly. If they’re not busy, the cooks or owners will come out and meet my groups. That’s great because my guests learn about the food they’re tasting from the horse’s mouth."

Even kamaaina who have lived in Hawaii all their lives have discovered dishes and restaurants they didn’t know about on Con­ching’s tours. "The benefit of my tours is you can try multiple spots and go back to the ones you enjoyed the most," he said. "Whether you live in Hono­lulu or not, I’ll show you a whole new world of culinary adventures."

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Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.