"The Choy of Seafood," by Sam Choy
Sam Choy combines ahi, coconut milk and
mango in his Tropical Island Poke.
Choy's annual Poke Festival will be Sept. 19 at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel in Kona. But for those who desire to compete, the time to qualify is now.
Preliminary heats will take place at the Maui Prince Hotel Aug. 7 and on Oahu at the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki Aug. 14. Deadline to enter is Monday for the Maui event and Aug. 9 for Oahu's.
Categories are: traditional and cooked poke, and recipes using hot sauce, ogo, surimi, hokkigai, macadamia nuts, soy sauce or tofu.
Entry fee is $40 for professionals; $11 for amateur cooks. For entry forms call Scott Ingwers at the Maui Prince, 874-1111, or Benson Lau at the Hawaii Prince, 956-1111.
"Bartender Mania Challenge": The Cove Bar will host a bartender competition from 6-9 p.m. tomorrow. Twenty bartenders from the Honolulu area will compete for honors and prizes. Five bartenders will be selected to compete at the finals taking place 7-10 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Row Bar, Restaurant Row.
Learn to prepare your favorite dishes: Join Executive Sous Chef Steve Neuman from Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki on Tuesday as he prepares customers' favorite dishes.
Also learn how to prepare Sam Choy's specialties with Sous Chef David Hamada and Cook Jarrin Otake on Aug. 7 as they prepare favorite dishes from Sam Choy's Breakfast Lunch & Crab.
Printed recipes will be available and tasting sessions will be conducted.
Classes are 9:30-11:45 a.m. at the Lyon Arboretum. Enrollment is limited to 20 people. Fee: $22; senior citizens, $12. Call 988-0456 for more information.
Time for tempura: The Halekulani celebrates "The Art of Tempura" in a cooking demonstration tomorrow, featuring chefs from Yamazato Restaurant in Tokyo. The 6:30 p.m. event in the Halekulani Ballroom is part of the hotel's Connoisseur Series. Cost is $60.
Chefs Katsumi Fukuchi and Keiichiro Fujino will prepare tempura made of shrimp and squid, as well as scallop wrapped in nori and shrimp pate in shiso leaves.
To complement the meal, Chris Pearce of Joy of Sake will provide samplings.
Call 923-2311, Ext. 5300.
For a one-time fee of $40, program registrants receive a stainless steel identification bracelet, clothing labels and wallet cards inscribed with the Safe Return 24-hour crisis number. The first 30 people who register on site will pay a reduced fee of $25.
The Safe Return program provides a national system to enable others to locate, identify and return missing persons with Alzheimer's who wander from home and become lost.
Nearly 60 percent of 4 million Americans with Alzheimer's may wander off and get lost. Wandering behavior can be triggered by several variables, including medication, stress level, fear and lack of recognition of surroundings.
To date, 50,000 people have registered with the national program, with 291 in Hawaii.
For more information, call the Alzheimer's Association Honolulu Chapter at 591-2771.
The non-profit organization supplies at-home care for the terminally ill. Volunteers must complete a free 20-hour, three-day training program Aug. 11, 14 and 21 at Hospice Hawaii's office.
Students in the social sciences and medical fields have the opportunity to earn practicum credits through this program. Volunteers may also choose to work in the Hospice Hawaii office, to help with mailings, or with special events. Registration is required. Call the volunteer department at 924-9255.
