Specialty food products from four islands were named winners of the Good Food Awards last week.
The ninth-annual program honors food producers in 16 categories, recognizing quality as well commitment to social and environmental standards.
Hawaii’s winners:
>> Passion Fruit Hawaiian Pepper Smoked Pineapple from Steve’s Akaka Falls Farm in Honomu on the Big Island; in the category of preserves
>> POG Soda Syrup & Cocktail Mixer from Gida’s Kitchen Pantry in Kapaa, Kauai; under elixers
>> Coconut Milk and Caramelized Ginger bars from Madre Chocolate in Honolulu; under chocolate
>> Lilikoi-Ginger-Turmeric Fruit Roll from Maui Fruit Rolls in Haiku, Maui; under snacks
Finalists were chosen from among 2,035 entries in a blind tasting with 262 judges held in September. Winners were announced in a ceremony Friday in San Francisco.
For the full list of 2019 Good Food Award Winners go to goodfoodfdn.org (click on “awards”).
AIRPLANE FOOD WITH PANACHE
Turns out airline food doesn’t have to come in a snack-sized bag and doesn’t have to stay on the plane.
Now folks can re-create some business-class meals with the new United “Polaris Cookbook.”
The $29.99 cookbook features more than 40 recipes by chefs from the airline and The Trotter Project — a nonprofit set up to honor the late chef Charlie Trotter — which provides education and mentorship to young chefs. A portion of cookbook sales goes to the nonprofit.
United partners with Trotter Project chefs to provide meals for Polaris business-class passengers, premium transcontinental flyers and economy flyers traveling internationally.
According to Travel + Leisure, other airlines have previously ventured into cookbooks: Southwest Airlines published “Feel the Spirit, Savor the Fare” in 2006 and Hawaiian Airlines (in 2001) and Delta (in 1987) have both put out books of recipes compiled by their flight attendants.
Purchase through unitedshop.com (search for “cookbook”).
— Tribune News Service