June SF Underground Market

In May, I went home to Maui to meet my new nephew, Raidin. I call him Raidin Button, as in Benjamin Button because he sometimes wrinkles his face up like a wise old man in a baby's body.



I ate this for breakfast everyday:


And I spent the entire ten days eating my way through my favorite island eats that I had missed so much. For example, Da Kitchen takes island classics like loco moco and SPAM musubi to a whole new level of insanity - they coat their SPAM musubi in panko breadcrumbs, deep fry it and glaze it with a sweet teriyaki sauce! BAM!

Simply put, I'm in love with the food of the islands. It renewed my interest in and love of cooking dishes that are popular in Hawaii to share with the San Francisco community. I make everything from scratch, including making my own "SPAM" from a special blend of pork, duck and chicken.

For all of you who came to the March market asking where you could get more homemade "spam" and those who didn't get to try it before we sold out, I have good news! I will be selling more Maui Eats at the June SF Underground Market this Saturday, June 11 from 6pm -midnight.

Hawaiian Punch
Passion-Orange-Guava with a Hibiscus Twist

Homemade “SPAM” Musubi
Special blend of pork, duck and chicken! That's right--I made the "SPAM" myself. It might be my one and only proprietary secret (I've learned how to finally make this weird "mystery meat" in a respectable manner that takes away the mystery and puts Hormel to shame).

Soy-Glazed Tofu-Takuan Musubi
VEGAN musubi with glazed tofu, pickled daikon radish and seaweed seasoning.


Kalua Pig Tostadas
Slow-roasted pork cooked in banana leaves, cabbage slaw, smoky chipotle crema, and Maui onion* salsa.

* Note: Sweet Maui onions are a prized commodity. They are small, delicate and so sweet and mild that they are best enjoyed raw. I grew up with these bad boys, so I definitely notice when supermarket onions are bitter and sharp. I even used to help my friend, Lauren, peel and bag onions in the garage on her dad's Maui onion farm after school.

I am very excited to make Maui onion salsa with only the best onions around. What, you didn't think I would stuff fifteen pounds of raw onions in my suitcase bound for SFO?


You bet your sweet onions I did.

See you there!

March 2011 SF Underground Market

There have been a few milestones going on around here. In March 2010, Elianna and I decided to take part in the local foodie community by making some pickled grapes to sell at the SF Underground Market. Since then, Elianna has branched out to become the Executive Director for New Taste Marketplace and I have continued to share some food from the islands with the local community. I have even got a couple of reviews!

Come visit me at the SF Underground Market tomorrow. You will be so excited you did. There will be lots of food vendors with local goodies to share, music (maybe even a violinist?) and a full bar to extend shenanigans until 2 am.

If you come by, I will be slinging the best "ono kine grindz" (read: most delicious food) you can find in the bay area. Just don't ask me to "talk pidgin". I have enlisted the generous help of my friend Neil of Mission Gastroclub to help me create some impressive dishes:

Homemade “SPAM” Musubi
Special blend of pork, duck and chicken! That's right. Neil and I have figured out how to make homemade spam so we know exactly what went it in and it is De-LISH! I am really excited about learning how to finally make this in a respectable manner that puts Hormel to shame.


Soy-Glazed Tofu-Takuan Musubi
VEGAN musubi with glazed tofu, pickled radish and seaweed seasoning.

Loco-Moco
Homemade Beef Patty, Fried Egg & Miso Gravy served on a bed of Nori-Scallion Rice

Hibiscus Tea
Sweet-sour hibiscus steeped with a hint of cinnamon and island love.

I'd love to see you. Come on, pretend you're an islander, even if only for a day.

Underground Market: The March Results

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for coming out to support our foodie community at the underground market! It was a total success. We sold out of the fresh home brewed ginger beer, the hawaiian coconut mochi and about 75% of the pickled grapes and green garlic that we had made.

Photo courtesy of Jesse of beerandnosh

I handed out samples of pickled grapes to many people who were excited to try something new and I convinced quite a few people to venture out into the unfamiliar and try the Hawaiian adaptation of mochi. Some may have wiggled their noses in doubt, but, wouldn't you know, you all had such nice things to say and I'm so proud of you for having a go.

I won't lie--it was still crowded (over 1,200 people came!) and there were still lines, but people came out with smiling faces and generally seemed pretty happy and interested in trying what everyone had to offer. And, boy, was there plenty to choose from! Gluten-free items, raw food, laotian Nam Khao, granola, jams and jellies, fermented and pickled goodies, local honey, foraged mushrooms, all sorts of baked goods, sasparilla, fresh homemade salsas, dips, cheeses and charcuterie, kombucha, spices, breads and drinks...But I have to admit that it was, above all, the sense of community that made it all worthwhile. Let's face it, most of these vendors are not in it for the money as they operate on a small scale and have small profits margins of maybe $75 - $300 -- and that's only if you just consider the material costs and assume free labor and time. Instead, they do it for the love of food and for the love of sharing their work, passion and talent with you. So, thank YOU, for making it possible by supporting all of their hard work! It really means a lot.

It was my first time as a vendor and I had a great time. I even got to meet some of my readers, including the founder of Foodgawker.

I believe these markets will continue in monthly installments so look out for the next one!

Underground Market: March 6

Last month's underground market hosted by ForageSF was such a success that all of the vendors sold out of their items! It was so crowded you could barely move through to even see the vendors. I did, however, manage to purchase the most unique brownie I had ever had! We met a man who milled his own acorn flour and then roasted the flour until it developed a rich, nutty roasted flavor and then used that flour to make these pitch black brownies that had a unique, almost savory flavor. I loved them!

Anyway, the next market is on Saturday, March 6 from 5-11pm at 9 Langton Street in San Francisco. And I am so excited to tell you that I will be a vendor, along with my amazingly talented friend, Elianna.


Elianna and I are going to make a couple of homemade kegs of fresh ginger beer, lots and lots of jars of spiced pickled grapes and possibly even some hawaiian baked goodies like coconut mochi!!! These pickled grapes (an idea inspired by Seattle's Boat Street Cafe) are a k-n-o-c-k-o-u-t. They are just a tad sweet and warmly spiced with mustard, cloves, black peppercorns and freshly smashed cinnamon (which makes a huge difference, I swear). They really pop with flavor and would be the perfect addition to salads and cheese plates. I've even heard through the grapevine that Fish & Farm serves pickled grapes as a garnish for cauliflower soup, along with toasted almonds, olive oil and chives. What an idea!


Inspired by our pickling madness, my friend Jesse even made some pickled green garlic, which would really complement a nice charcuterie plate.

And, have you ever had fresh ginger beer?! Yes, its non-alcoholic, but it is packed with flavor. Jesse is the mastermind behind this one. We juiced up an enormous amount of fresh ginger (even the lady at the farmer's market asked me what I was going to do with that much ginger!). Then we added some freshly squeezed lemon juice to knock down the spicyness of the ginger and added just a little bit of sugar to please the palate. We put it all in a keg and pressurized it until it carbonates. Also, on Saturday morning we will spike it with some more fresh ginger juice to really jazz up the flavor and bring it to the front just before we serve it up over ice. Believe me, you're gonna want to try some!

We're pretty darned excited about these things and we would love for you to come check out the market!!! See you then!

SF Underground Farmers Market: Tonight!

Whew! It has been a crazy busy week for me. It's been practically raining for ten days straight. We've had house guests. And on Friday, I am heading to Santa Barbara for a wedding! How are you holdin up?! Thursdays can get kinda hairy, I understand. Just hold on tight for just a little bit and soon the weekend will have you scooped up in its warm, cozy arms.

I just wanted to stop by to to tell you that if you are in SF, be sure to check out the Underground Farmer’s Market this evening from 5-11 pm in the Mission…I will certainly be there scouting out what people are making in our foodie community!

(Also, there is a Vegan Bakesale on February 13...could it be your baking debut?!)