---

MAUI ONION FESTIVAL PHOTOS Scenes from the Maui Onion Festival: the kids' onion-eating contest.

---

Celebrating the onion

If onions make you cry, it's time to tear up.

Maui's tribute to its homegrown aromatic, the Maui Onion Festival, takes place Aug. 6 and 7 at Whalers Village.

Events run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days and include onion-eating contests ($100 cash prize), produce booths, cooking demonstrations, tastings, music and entertainment. The Maui Onion Growers Association will be frying up onion rings.

Jo McGarry, editor of the Star-Bulletin's Food for Thought advertising supplement, will emcee.

Day 1 of the festival is for families, with children getting the chance to serve as chef's assistants, go on an onion hunt and play games such as onion-putting. The onion-eating contest on Saturday will be for kids only.

Day 2 features adult onion eating and a Maui onion cooking contest for professionals.

Call 808-661-4567 or visit www.whalersvillage.com.

MAUI ONION FESTIVAL PHOTOS The festival specialty, fried onion rings.

---

Tofu recipes wanted

Aloha Tofu Factory is sponsoring a tofu recipe contest, with the winner to appear on "Sam Choy's Kitchen."

Prizes also include a gift certificate from Ashley Furniture, gift basket from Compleat Kitchen, cooking classes from Kapiolani Community College and a $250 grocery gift card.

The recipe may be for a main dish or snack.

Think about it for a few days, then submit entries through the Web site, www.alohatofu.com, between Monday and the contest deadline of Aug. 14. Contest rules and entry information will not be available at the site until Monday.

---

[ DA KINE ]

'Homegrown Stars' feature more Emme, more guests,

EMME Tomimbang's 11th season of TV specials continues with "Emme's Island Moments -- Hawaii's Homegrown Stars." The program will air from 9 to 10 p.m. tomorrow on KHON2/Fox, and rebroadcast from 3 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Tomimbang's guests include performers Yvonne Elliman and Jasmine Trias, actor Jason Scott Lee and PGA golfer Dean Wilson.

Viewers will also see the winning clip from this year's Hawaii Student Film Festival, which is putting young Hawaii filmmakers on the map.

---