Taste of the Hawaiian Range Partners with HawCC To Present Local Meat Preparation Videos…Demos and Recipes Use Beef, Pork, Lamb, Cheese, Veggies

Taste of the Hawaiian Range Partners with HawCC To Present Local Meat Preparation Videos

Demos and Recipes Use Beef, Pork, Lamb, Cheese, Veggies

HILO, HAWAI‘I ISLAND—Watch how to make mouth-water recipes using local meats and vegetables during three new educational videos produced by Taste of the Hawaiian Range in partnership with Hawai‘i Community College-Hilo.

The project showcases the products of Hawai’i Island ranchers and farmers and the skills and imagination of Hawai‘i CC Culinary Arts and Creative Media students.

Titled “Cooking with Taste of the Hawaiian Range,” the video series is a virtual extension of the popular Cooking 101 guest chef demonstration presented annually at the Taste event. As Taste was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID, event organizers pivoted educational efforts to a virtual format.

“It’s always a pleasure to work with today’s culinary students—tomorrow’s chefs, says Sandy Barr Rivera, Taste of the Hawaiian Range culinary chair and retired chef and culinary instructor. “Their learning to appreciate the quality of our island products, and gain comfort with cooking them, will  continue to increase the demand from island kitchens, add more sustainability to local agriculture and continue the unique cuisine built upon these products.”

Taste committee members provided the project’s ingredients and HCC media students filmed and produced the videos. The college culinarians crafted the recipes and requested ingredients that were sourced from 11 local food producers.

Participating ranchers include Azevedo and Mattos Hog Farms in Hilo, Double “D” Ranch in Hamakua and the University of Hawai‘i’s Mealani Research Station in Waimea. Cheese and veggies were purchased from Big Island Goat Dairy and Hawaiian B Natural Farms in Ahualoa, Tess’ Garden in Honoka‘a, J.A. Farms in Waimea, Hamakua Mushrooms in Lapahoehoe, Mother Nature’s Miracle in Pa‘auilo and the Hamakua Ag Cooperative on the Hamakua Coast.

“I believe we were very successful in introducing local products into the curriculum through this student showcase, while also offering students the opportunity to begin understanding how a local food cycle can work, and the overall benefits it can provide for our local community,” shares Chef Brian Hirata, Hawai‘i CC Hilo culinary arts program coordinator and assistant professor.  “These learning opportunities will hopefully stick with our students into the future, and as they become leaders and decision-makers within our food industry, my hope is that they make the right choices when purchasing ingredients, and always choosing local first and above all.”

Student Christopher Liu of Kuristown participated as a beef team member and used top round to prepare a rolled roast. Liu is no stranger to cooking with pasture-raised beef as he regularly buys a value package with a variety of cuts to feed his family. “We use it to make roasts, stews, kalbi short ribs, brisket, steaks and burgers,” he shared. Liu likes to braise pasture-raised beef to bring out the meat’s tenderness and flavor. Braising is a combination cooking method of first searing the meat at a high temperature and then cooking low and slow in a seasoned liquid.

Cooking demonstrations available for viewing include Rolled Beef Roast Stuffed with Hamakua Mushrooms and Greens in Whiskey Cream Sauce, Ulu Croquettes, Stuffed Big Island Pork Chops with Sherry Sauce, Ulu Cakes with Macadamia Nut Pesto, Braised Big Island Lamb Shanks, Gluten Free Kabocha Squash Gnocchi and more.

Links to recipes and videos can be found at https://tasteofthehawaiianrange.com.

Taste of the Hawaiian Range and Agriculture Festival provides a venue for sustainable agricultural education, plus encouragement and support of locally produced ag products. The quality and growth of this event are rooted in business participation, sponsorship and in-kind donations. For info, visit https://tasteofthehawaiianrange.com. Stay connected via Facebook at TasteoftheHawaiianRange and at @TasteHI on Twitter and Instagram.