Support North Shore Agriculture and Help Keep it Country! Experience the 2011 - Fourth Annual Taste of Waialua

HALEIWA, HI, April 15, 2011

On Saturday, April 23, 2011 from 8:30 am - 5 pm, Island X Hawaii / Old Sugar Mill Brand Coffee & Chocolate will host a celebration of North Shore grown coffee, cacao, produce, food, art, film, music, and surf industry manufacturing at an open house exhibition in the Old Sugar Mill, Waialua. The North Shore town of Waialua was once a bustling sugar mill town producing what locals said was the "World's Best Sugar" but in 1996 the Waialua Sugar Mill stopped production and closed its gates after over a 100 years of operation. In recent years, however, there has been a quiet resurgence of shops, businesses, and local product manufacturing that has helped transform the Old Waialua Sugar Mill into one of Oahu's newest visitor destinations. The mill is also the processing site of Waialua Coffee and Cacao / Dole. Free mini tours of the coffee and chocolate mill as well as free Waialua Coffee samples are offered daily at Island X Hawaii. Come join us on Saturday, April 23rd, for a gathering of local art, food, music, and community groups and to celebrate the rebirth of the Old Historic Waialua Sugar Mill town.

Event Schedule and Highlights

8:30 am Waialua Farmers Co-op Market opens featuring Waialua grown fruits and veggies. The Co-op is made up of former sugar workers, growing their produce on what was previously sugar land. To see a complete listing of Co op members, please go to http://www.tasteofwaialua.com.

9:30 am At Island X Hawaii, the Hawaii Coffee Association and Dr. Shawn Steiman of Coffea Consulting will present a history of coffee in Hawaii and the emergence of Waialua Coffee and Cacao. Afterwards Shawn will demonstrate several different brewing methods using Waialua Coffees. Shawn Steiman, a.k.a. Dr. Coffee, will also be available to sign copies of his book, "The Hawai'i Coffee Book: A Gourmet's Guide from Kona to Kaua'i". Coffees brewed for the seminar will be available for sampling for the remainder of the event. Free, behind the scenes Coffee & Cacao Mill Tours will be offered by "the founder of Waialua Coffee and Cacao" Mike Conway from Dole. Space for this mill tour is limited so please call Bill Martin at 779-7439 to reserve. Be sure to taste the Natural Shave Ice made from Waialua Coffee and Waialua Chocolate and other real fruits at Island X Hawaii. The North Shore Chamber of Commerce will present a short history of the North Shore area and provide information about the Chamber's ongoing historical North Shore tours. For more information please call (808) 637-4558 http://www.gonorthshore.org.

10:00 am The music starts with a performance of Makua's (Coco Leong) Sunset Beach Elementary School Ukulele Class. This will kick off a special day of North Shore Hawaiian music, hula, and the open market exhibition of Waialua arts, crafts, food, and community groups informational booths. A new addition to the Taste Of Waialua this year, is an all day concert stage funded by Friends For Waialua Town through a grant from the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the City & County of Honolulu. Featured will be North Shore and Waialua based artists: Bla Pahinui and Friends, The Abrigo Ohana, Kalei Gamiao, Ke Kani Nahe, Halau Hula Makana a ke Aloha and Roshan & Shivani / Clear Sky.

Members of the Waialua Sugar Mill Surf industry will open their doors to visitors with Third Stone offering free tours of their surfboard factory and Sugar Mill Films hosting showings of their films Finding Aloha, North Shore Experience and Hawaii Shark Encounters. North Shore Bath and Body offers daily tours of their soap factory and demonstrations of their soap making process.

For more information about Taste of Waialua, please contact event coordinator Bill Martin at (808) 779-7439 islandxhawaii@msn.com, http://www.tasteofwaialua.com, http://www.islandxhawaii.com For information about the concert contact Kathleen Pahinui with Friends for Waialua Town at (808) 637-8545 pahinuik001@hawaii.rr.com, http://www.waialuatown.info Mahalo Nui Loa to: Castle and Cooke Waialua, LLC. Friends for Waialua Town, City & County of Honoulu, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Dole's Coffee / Cacao, Waialua Farmer's Market Co Op, Community Kitchen, Hawaii Coffee Association, North Shore Chamber of Commerce, Hawaii Department of Agriculture Seals of Quality Program, and the people of the North Shore.

Some of the participants / products
In no particular order
:

Waialua Soda Works
Oils of Aloha
Hawaii's Special Papaya Seed Salad Dressing
Waialua Estate Chocolate
Waialua Coffee
Old Sugar Mill Brand Coffee and Chocolate
Twin Bridges Farm (asparagus)
Kahuku Farms (papaya)
Poamoho Farms (organics)
Waialua Farmer's Co-op (25 different farmers/members)
Sugoi sauce
Pelekunu's Molokai Style Sauces
Hawaiian Chip Company
Sugar Mill Natural Shave Ice
Dan Moore Film Maker (Finding Aloha) will be showing his films.
Auntie Edith's Pickled Okra
Mohala Farms (organics)
Sammy's Sugar Cane Juice
Something Special Cookies and Baked Goods
North Shore Baker Dude's Baked Goods
Waialua Community Kitchen
It's Soap Soap Company
Four J's Sugars and Spices
Third Stone Surfboard Factory
38 Print Printing
North Shore Country Store
Wayne's Homemade Jam's
Hawaiian Earth Products
Boolie's Fish Tacos
Bon Viviant Salts
Kamala Threading Traditional Hair Removal
Pump It Up Inflatable Jumpers
North Shore Sunrise Shells
North Shore Eco Tours, Off Road Cultural Adventures
Legends Glassworks Glass Art
J&W Woodworking and Custom Bowls
Joan' Shell Jewelry
North Shore Farms (Fried Green Tomato Lady)
Kettle Corn Folks
Maya Bly Hawaiian Wood Products
Margo Goodwill Artist
Bill Braden Artist
Kara Mascara Jewelry
North Shore Organics
Kona's Lauhala Weaving
Doggie Style Dog Biscuits
Minnie Prill Artist
Haleiwa Surfboards
Owl Chapman Surfboards
Minnie Prill Artist
North Shore Naturals (organic snacks)
North Shore Soap Factory
M.S.Designs
D&L Hawaiian Fashions
Hawaii Coffee Book Author and
Coffee Expert Dr. Shawn Steiman
Mike Tuten Designs (Wooden Surboards)
Keala's Legacy Jewelry
Ag Tech Pacific
Nui's Thai Lunch Wagon
Krispy Grinds Lunch Wagon
Kono's Grill
Happy's Hawaii Green Catering
Zaries' Medeteranian Cuisine
Brazilian Corner Cuisine
Herbs and Things from Hau'ula
Chef Peter's Pea Proteen-Surfer Power



Other Participants / Supporters

North Shore Chamber of Commerce
Wahiawa / Waialua Rotary Club
Defend Oahu Coalition "Keep the Country Country"
Friends for Waialua Town
Kokua Foundation
Wild Bird Haven Rehab
Friends of Kaena Point
Friends of the Waialua Bandstand
Friends of the Waialua Library
Waialua High School Boosters
Waialua High School Robotics
Surfrider Foundation
Waialua Community Association
Waialua Budhist Hongwangi Mission
Dept. of Agriculture Seal of Quality Program
Hawaii Coffee Association
City and County of Honolulu
Hawaii Tourism Authority
Waialua Elementary School

whew.......Plus over 20 different food stalls hosted by Empower Oahu's Waialua Community Kitchen.
and more.

Contact: Bill Martin, (808) 779-7439, e-mail: islandxhawaii@msn.com