Best buddies Kale Furuya, a cold-pressed juice specialist, and Patrick Sugiyama, a chef who specializes in Japanese-French fusion, have just opened Yield restaurant in Chinatown, cooking things they love to eat.
The menu includes brunch favorites like steak and eggs, eggs Florentine and a Dutch Baby pancake, the best-sellers in the three weeks that Yield has been open.
The restaurant is the latest take on the farm-to-table concept, with 95 percent of its fresh, local ingredients coming from 55 small specialty farms.
The childhood friends and their small staff plan to open for dinner within six months, and by then an outside courtyard should be ready with more seating, said Furuya, former owner of Impressed Juice Hawaii and Nalo Juice Co.
Furuya hadn’t considered opening a restaurant, but “it just made sense” as an expansion of his juice business. His juicing expertise will go into the beverage menu, including cocktails later.
Sugiyama has a rustic style of cooking, heavy on vegetables, light on rich sauces and starches, yet he makes a creamed spinach using tatsoi to go with the steak and eggs, Furuya’s absolute favorite.
Certain dishes include “what both of us want to eat for breakfast every day,” said Furuya. Eggs Florentine, for example, is something Sugiyama has made for him at his house many times.
Admittedly, though, the chef is not the average home cook, as he used to work at Restaurant Wada and Teppanyaki Ginza Onodera.
“What’s on our menu is determined by what our purveyors yield that day, week or month,” said Furuya, whose father always championed farms and ordered produce by asking farmers, “What do you have?”
His father is master sommelier — and Crave columnist — Chuck Furuya of Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar, who used to take his young son along to Nalo Farms and food product fairs. As a result — “I love working with produce!” Kale Furuya said.
Yield is at 1110 Nuuanu Ave.; open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily except Sundays; call 400-5788.
— Pat Gee, Star-Advertiser
WANTED: FAVORITE FAMILY RECIPES
If your family harbors a great home cook, grab that person some recognition.
First Insurance Company of Hawaii is seeking entries to its “Family Favorites Recipe Contest.” Enter a dish from a parent or grandparent that kindles memories of childhood and meals taken in the company of ohana.
The winner will collect a $100 gift card from Foodland and the recipe will be printed in Crave. In addition, First Insurance will donate $100 on the winner’s behalf to Hawaii Meals on Wheels.
Judging will be done by the staff of Crave.
Enter by Aug. 20 through First Insurance’s Facebook page, or go here.
Also on the Facebook page, look for the post #Malama OurKupuna and add a comment relating a food memory involving a senior — First Insurance will donate $10 to Meals on Wheels for each comment. Since April this little fundraiser has raised $2,140 for the charity.
— Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Advertiser