Mississippi Trip

This is the famous natchez eola hotel...we own the whole joint for the night...every room is different, a true gem!

This is the famous natchez eola hotel...we own the whole joint for the night...every room is different, a true gem!

Mississippi Prawns

Really cool that we are 'growing our own' and becoming less dependent upon foreign seafood....cant wait to eat some!

Wow, these prawns are awesome! Very clean flavor, much more like lobster than shrimp...

Viking Factory Tour

Just finished a great tour of the Viking Factory in Greenwood, Miss. What a great company!

They make cooktops, ranges, stoves, etc...The people are super-friendly and very dedicated...less than 1% employee turnover! Wow!

Fred Carl is the president, didn't meet him, but hope to connect with their marketing department to discuss Meet Me in the Kitchen collaboration...

The Crown in Downtown Indianola, Mississippi

I just had lunch at The Crown.

The owner, evelyn, walked us through an amazing meal in her quaint little store. The salad had an amazing sweet/sour dressing with diced cantelope, romaine, crispy fresh bacon bits.

The place to find great authentic Southern Quisine in Indianola.


Their shop is called Taste of Gourmet.

April Culinary Journey

We are at heartland catfish in mississippi right now - they process 300,000 lbs a day here...from alive to frozen filets in an hr...

Alan Wong's in Honolulu Rocks!

Wow, I am just returning from one of the best meals I have had...possibly in the top ten best ever for me! Alan Wong's (or this site) on South King Street in Honolulu, Hawaii was incredible! I can easily see why Gourmet Magazine rated it #8 in the country's best 50 places to eat last year. Here's a few quick pics until I get elaborate on the exceptional food and service...

Nalo Farms and Hawaii Regional Cuisine - This is Fresh!

While in Hawaii visiting my sister and her family, I always check in with my dear Hawaiian friend (and fellow International Caterers Association member and catering colleague), Michael Rabe. He owns Creations in Catering in Honolulu and uses the Dole Cannery's ballrooms as his venue and commissary base for the island of Oahu. What a great guy...and always a wonderful host, providing much aloha spirit and congeniality - along with plenty of inside contacts. He knows everyone, including the best chefs of the island.

Before I arrived in Hawaii, I had asked Mike if he could take me to see the farm where all the island's top chefs get their lettuces, herbs, greens, etc...As the story goes, in 1991 a dozen of these celebrated and talented chef's gathered together to form Hawaii Regional Cuisine, in an effort to support local growing and put Hawaii on the map in terms of cuisine. I can attest to the fact, as thousands of other culinarians can, it's been a huge success!

I had heard about this farm and because we are in the process of going Green as a catering company, my curiosity about local growing has really been piqued. As many of you know, my mom also grows organically for me from her 140-acre farm in Graysville, PA - in Greene County. Anyway, a few days ago, Mike took me to visit Dean Okimoto, owner of Nalo Farms in Waimanalo on the eastern (windward) side of Oahu. Back in 1991 Dean's good friend Roy Yamaguchi told him "if you grow lettuce for me, I will buy it and serve it in my restaurants"... The rest is history - Dean's Nalo Farms greens appear across many of the top restaurant's menus.

Owner Dean Okimoto & author Jason Capps

Outside the Nalo Farm gates

The fields in full cover of lettuces, herbs and greens...

Dean was gracious enough to show us around his farm and we walked the fields tasting just about everything - including Peppercress (a soft green herb - similiar to parsely in appearance), which presented a very interesting flavor. It had a subtle flatleaf parsley beginning, but finished with a hearty splash of heat, then quickly disappated on the palate). Some of the other items Dean pointed out were his Corn Sprouts, Snap Pea Sprouts, Japanese Spinach (much more robust and buttery than American types) and a host of other Asian herbs like Tat Soi and Mezuna, even Swiss Chard and much more...

Corn Sprouts...grown by using store bought popcorn, germinated, covered and grown for 8-9 days in complete darkness. A single shoot tastes like a whole bite of corn on the cob!

North Shore dining at it's best (local style)...

Often in life the simple things have the biggest impact on us. Each year we travel to Hawaii and find ourselves scrambling to get right to this little local eatery.

It's in Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu - called Haleiwa Eats. This place rocks!

This is one of my all-time favorites, pad thai with shrimp - spicy please!

The Bangkok Platter - a fine appetizer indeed - chicken satay, fried tofu, shrimp and spring rolls.

This is a pan-seared (scallops, sole and shrimp) seafood dish with yellow curry and noodles

John, my brother-in-law, loves the pumpkin curry!

Time to blog once again...

So, it's been an awful long time since my last entry, and I am not proud of my procrastination - Trust me! Life gets so hectic, but it's no excuse, I just need to get back into this...It's kinda like working out at the gym - hard to get back into, but when you do it feels really good!

Right now I am in Hawaii chilling on vacation with my family, visiting my sister and her family who live here on Oahu. What a beautiful place. This is our fourth winter trip here and it always provides us with relaxation and excitement - something we all can use to escape from the daily grind (and cold weather in Pittsburgh right now)...

Here's some photos from today at the beach. Me surfing (totally a novice), my girls (Lily and Lauren) and a beautiful sunset...Check back soon for more food related content, I promise!