We just secured famous chocolatier, Jacques Torres as a celebrity judge for the Inaugural Big Island Chocolate Festival on June 8, which I am busily promoting throughout the island.  Jacques’s participation will encourage the 20 chefs creating sweet and savory treats for the guests to really step up their game. He will be greeting guests after judging all the entries, so if you are a foodie..get your tickets and come have your picture taken with a Food Network star!

Meet Food Network star Jacques “Mr.Chocolate” Torres at the Inaugural Big Island Chocolate Festival at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Friday, June 8, 2012  6 pm-10 pm. 

Over 20 top chefs, chocolatiers and candy makers from around the islands are competing to win the “Best Savory” or “Best Sweet” awards as judged by Jacques Torres. Come enjoy these treats and cast your own vote for the “People’s Choice Award”.

Enjoy live entertainment by Grammy award winning slack key guitarist Cyril Pahinui and dancing to Salsa Latinos. The live and silent auctions are hosted by the “Equip the Kitchens Campaign” for the new Palamanui College and Kona Pacific Public Charter School’s capital campaign to build a new community amphitheater.

Tickets are $75 in advance and $85 at the door. Limited tickets available. There are three educational sessions about growing cacao, and processing chocolate from bean to bar, creating and tasting authentic Aztec chocolate drinks and more.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai has prepared a special prix fixe dinner for only $49 from 4-9 pm at the beachfront Pahau’i restaurant.  To purchase tickets for the symposium and Gala and for more information about the chocolate and wine tasting with Jacques Torres, educational symposium, cacao tours, prix fixe chocolate dinner, and gala event, go to BigIslandChocolateFestival.com

I am saying “Yellow Flags” because I don’t want to use the word AVOID due to people thinking I am trying to dissuade tourists altogether from doing any of these things, however forewarned is for armed. Get it?

1. Lodging on All’i Drive: Jeff stayed right on All’i across from White Sands. The view was great, but the road noise and the boom boxes from the young people hanging at the beach were annoying. The pictures from the condo web site told a different story to what he actually experienced and he ended up leaving and staying at a hotel up the coast where it’s more quiet. We stayed at the Kona Bali Kai when we first got here and we, too, were surprised by the road noise from All’i. I just want to let you know ahead of time.

2. Snagging waves from the locals: There are very few really good surf spots in Kona. The training beach is at Kaaluhu and the experts and enthusiasts have ceded control over that area unless its just an awesome wave day. Boarders and surfers who are local do not like it when tourists snag their waves. Don’t surf off of Banyan’s (near the Kona Bali Kai) if there are a group of locals there. That’s kind of known as a local beach. Enough said. Sometimes people get a bit testy at White Sands..they will let you know if you need to be aware of this.

3. Hanging on the beach at night: Some people have romantic notions of watching the moon rise over the ocean at night on a beach while on vacation here in Hawaii. Or, like we did, start a BBQ at 5:30 and think you can just stay there drinking some wine with your friends until after sunset. There ARE some beaches you can do this like Kiholo Beach while you are camping, but for the most part, the Park Rangers close the public beaches at 6:30 or 7 pm. We tried to do a group beach BBQ at Holoholokai Beach near the Fairmont, but it closed at 6:30..and YES, they really do kick you out and lock the gate. We moved our party to 69 Beach and we were asked to leave by 7:30. And yes, he escorted us out and locked the gate. This keeps crazy things from happening on the beaches, I am sure, but wanted you to know. Also, the beaches near downtown Kona are not places you want to sit with your honey after 8, either. Just sayin’.

4. White Sand and Kua Bay waves. Here’s one from my body surfing husband: Be careful of the waves at these two popular beaches. The waves can be bigger than you think and they can crush you right into the sand. There are rocks near the wavebreak at White Sands that are buried deep and make for a terrible surprise when you find yourself going face first into them. A man who was body surfing at White Sands a few weeks ago, hit his head here and almost drowned. Another hint: Don’t go in without fins on big wave days. The lifeguards are pretty tough on ANYONE trying to get in without fins, but the lifeguards are not always there. If you are not too sure how to deal with the waves, watch others for awhile. Most of us RUN towards the waves and duck into them before they crash. Standing there, facing the wave, right when the wave breaks on you is a recipe for disaster. DUCK!   On a calm day, both White Sands and Kua are such beautiful and idyllic beaches..but I have now seen three ambulances come and get unlucky tourists off the beach.

5. Lava, Lava Everywhere: They having a saying here, “Lava bites”. This is what you get when you are not paying attention and slip and fall on the lava. It digs in and tears up your skin. Since we have so much fresh lava here, it’s used in landscaping, as paving and wall material, and it’s on every path in every park and going down to almost every beach. We had a 10 year old friend running behind our truck coming back from Makalewena recently and we told her to be careful..she slipped on the dust covering the rocks, tripped and landed on the lava. Her leg was a mess. So when I saw my friend, Jeff, bounding over the exact same area last Sunday, I kept yelling to be careful and wincing about either him tripping and cutting himself or the next thing that gets you here, is Kaewi tree thorns, that are so sharp and long they puncture your thongs and shoes. Lava bites are also found on the back bumpers of many vehicles here, as the lava walls are built EXACTLY to the height you can not see them when you are backing up and they literally tear a hole in your bumper. Advice: Wear good shoes, never run over lava, and watch your shorts when you sit on it, too. I spent a small fortune on Tommy Bahama linen shorts a few weeks ago, sat down on a lava wall and tore my pants. Goes right with my torn bumper. Damn that lava!

“Maui, Kauai, Oahu or the Big Island?” potential visitors ask themselves before scrolling through the web trying to get a feeling for each island. Let me tell you, they are all completely different from one another. Honeymooners flock to Maui for romance and to sit on a beach. Young people and those who enjoy a vibe in the air like Oahu. Kauai is for people who love the mountains, rain and a slow pace for their vacations. The Big Island? We have adventure, culture and funkiness.

I may offend some of my Big Island neighbors when I say this, but people oftentimes murmur among themselves that the Big Island is not really part of the USA. Where else can you ride your motorcycle without a helmet? Ride in the back of a pick up truck with your friends?  Sell whatever you want to on the side of the road?  Understand what the words “Kapu” , “Kuleana” and “Ponopono” mean and give each other the shaka sign when driving down the road?

In general, Hawaii is just a funky place to live. ( My neighbors on the Kohala Coast where all the swanky resorts are located and Waimea, where there is a flavor of the upper class, can exclude themselves here.)  When you stroll in downtown Kona, and see the funky shops and buildings, or drive through South Kona and see the tin roof shacks and coffee farms, you know that people actually live here and the place has not been “all dolled up” for the tourists.

We may not have big expensive shopping malls, in fact, we don’t have two story malls like they have in Maui or Oahu, at all. We have open air farmers markets, road side stands where they sell bananas, tacos, huli huli chicken, homemade sausages and fresh cut coconuts.

We also have what would appear to be “run down ruins” to many tourists. I saw some disapproving tourists the other day looking at the church in ruins near Snorkel Beach. I remember when I first arrived, I thought to myself, “When are they going to clean that up and put something decent there?” It’s such a perfect place for a bikini shop or a beach side bar. But, nope, nothing will probably ever be built there, because that church sits on the site of an ancient heaiu, a Hawaiian place of worship.

In fact, many “choice” pieces of property still hold ancient foundations, which is another thing that gives Kona its cultural flavor.  There are many places along the coast that have been restored to pay homage to the Hawaiian culture and new signs have gone up to explain a lot of the history to interested tourists. After traveling to Maui a few weeks ago, I’d pretty much say that the culture got mowed down on that island. (Unless you see the largest heaiu near Hana)

Another funky part of the island is that the local radio DJ’s have wonderful Hawaiian accents with a touch of pidgin. Turn on KAPA and hear the local dialect, providing another sense of the unique culture on this island. People also use “Mahalo” “Aloha” and “Pau” authentically, while they also greet you by kissing your cheek when they first meet you. Coming from Silicon Valley, where no one touches each other unless they know you pretty well, it’s still pretty new to me when I stick my hand out to shake someone else’s and they look at me strange and go for the cheek kiss instead. Hawaiians greet each other by pressing their foreheads together and then hug each other. It’s such a beautiful thing to see and you can feel the true sense of the word “Aloha” when they do it.

Did you know that “Haole” the word they call white/foreign people here, actually mean’s “Without ‘Ha.” Without the breath of spirit, basically. Because when Hawaiians press their foreheads together, they can feel each other’s breath. White folks did not have that custom and therefore, we were without the breath.

So, when I say “funky” in this post, I guess I mean “that of which I am not accustomed to coming from the Mainland”.  However, in the funk, I see culture, a sense of freedom and beauty and most of all, “Aloha”.  Can I get a shaka for that?

Also on tap are celebrity chef demonstrations and an educational cacao presentation from 10 a.m-3 p.m. above the resort’s Pahu i’a oceanfront restaurant. Tours of cacao farms will be available that day in Keauhou to showcase how cacao is grown, processed and made into chocolate.

The evening gala will be held from 6 p.m-10 p.m.  Enjoy a silent auction, gourmet savory and sweet appetizers, Kona Brewery beer, sparkling wine, music by Cyril Pahanui and Salsa Latinos, plus dancing.

The gala includes a fun competition for Best Savory and Best Sweet culinary stations, which will be determined by a team of local and celebrity chefs. Attendees will vote for The People’s Choice Award. Culinarians wishing to participate can download entry guidelines and an application on the Big Island Chocolate Festival website after March 21 or contact Farsheed Bonakdar at 808-937-4736.

Attendance to the delectable gala is limited to 400 and ticket prices are $75 per person.

Tickets go on sale April 15 online through EventBrite, and are available at the Kona Public Pacific Charter School and Kona Wine Market.  Symposium tickets and chocolate tours are separate ticketed events from the gala and can be purchased at www.BigIslandChocolateFestival.com after April 15.

Another opportunity to enjoy even more gourmet chocolate is with the prix fixe chocolate-themed dinner prior to the gala that Chef Jim Babian will create at Pahu i‘a. More information about reservations for this specialty dinner can be found on the event website.

(I am one of the key organizers on this event this year, so I had a chance to work with the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai to make it happen – that’s me at the resort lagoon!) Kona Pacific Public Charter School and the “Equip the Kitchen” campaign, (Culinary Arts Program benefit of the soon-to-be-built Palamanui Community College) are both running the silent auction to benefit both organizations)

Big Island Chocolate Festival: The 2012 Big Island Chocolate Festival is presented by the newly formed Kona Cacao Association, Inc. The mission and goal of this association is to promote the cacao industry on the Big Island of Hawaii by presenting the BICF as an educational and outreach opportunity for local cacao farmers, the hospitality industry and cacao enthusiasts. www.BigIslandChocolateFestival.com

See examples of Kona businesses using Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc, learn specifically how you can show up in search, and get some individual ideas and advice,too!

A portion of all proceeds and 100% of all donations from this seminar will go towards supporting Project Hawaii’s Summer Program for Homeless Keiki.

Seminar is March 22nd from 12:30-1:30 at the West Hawaii Association of Realtors, 74-5620 Palani Court #106. Seminar fee is $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Please RSVP by March 20th to Julie Ziemelis, Ziemelis Communications at julie@ziemelis.com or contact her for more info. Learn about the Summer Camp at www.projecthawaii.org.

I attended the Mayor’s Focus Luncheon hosted by the Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce this week. As a member of the Marketing Committee, I volunteered to attend the meeting and write an article for the Chamber newsletter. My editor friend, Fern Gavelek, will be copiously editing this down, but I wanted to put it  here in its entirety for those wishing to get a view into what was discussed at the luncheon and what our government is doing in Kona.

Hawai‘i County Mayor Billy Kenoi discussed his successes and priorities for supporting the local economy and moving projects forward efficiently while sharing his commitment to small business at the recent Chamber Focus Lunch. The sold-out event on February 28 at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa included representatives from all 17 county departments.

After introducing his administration’s directors, Kenoi told the 176 attendees numerous stories of how his staff has been managed in a cost effective way and they have worked hard to bring in projects in under budget, as was the recent case for a waste water treatment plant.

Downsizing Government

Kenoi stated, “We know that this is a challenging economic environment that we are in. We did not know how long the economic downturn was going to last, but we know we needed to manage county government in a cost effective way by reducing the size and cost of the government”, Kenoi said “In our first year, we cut 55 vacant positions from county government, in our second year, we cut 70 positions, and last year we cut 97 positions for a savings of over $7 million over the last three years for a total cut vacant positions of 222 and that’s just reducing the size of government.”  The Mayor then noted that when he took office, the county of Hawaii took in $225 million dollars in taxes. Last year, the county took in $207 million, and the budget that he will be presenting this week, takes in less than $200 million in property taxes. “Our commitment is not to increase the size of government, so that we do not put an additional burden on businesses. By fostering a vibrant business community we help the entire community by providing employment for our working families, who then can provide a safe, healthy environment for our children”. He stated that he is not “pro-business”, but pro-family.

Kenoi said his administration supports the local economy in basically four areas: hospitality, construction, agriculture and government.

Tourism

Kenoi said the he is committed not to cut a single dollar for hospitality or tourism, because “our commitment to that industry is critical”. He noted that his administration’s focus is on “airlift”; getting more people here to support the tourism industry on the island.  To a loud round of applause from the audience, the Mayor stated, “We want to be the gateway to the Pacific. In the last three years, thanks to Alaska Airlines, we have direct flights from Oakland, San Jose and Portland and direct flights from SFO and other markets into Hilo on Continental”.  The Mayor explained that keeping the international designation for the airport is paramount. The HTA, Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau, resorts and other agencies are incentivizing bringing tourists in from Japan on direct charter flights, which helps to keep the designation until the County can lure another daily flight from an international market. The federal designation is important to grow Hawaii’s capacity in the future.

Construction

For construction, Kenoi discussed the county’s team effort of making the permit process more efficient. “Everyone says it takes too long to get the permits through the application process.” They now have weekly reviews of the permits. It used to take months to get an approval. Now all the departments sit in one room, once a week and review the permits at one time. “It used to take a year, now it takes as little as 30 days”, the Mayor proudly stated.

Renewable Energy

Kenoi said he wants Hawaii County to be using 100% renewable energy by 2015. “The entire Middle East is causing a precarious position to our access of foreign oil. We need to get sustainable with the energy that we already have here on our island.” Kenoi said he meets every week to discuss this issue with his staff that oversees renewable energy. The Senator’s office is working on helping to make this gosl a reality, as many local Hawaii Island leaders sit on the energy committees in top state government. “We don’t have 10 years, we don’t have 5 years. We sit on the hottest spot for thermal energy in the country. Geo technical surveys say that Puna is the best producing spot in the world for thermal energy”. Kenoi stressed that by getting off of foreign oil, we can save our quality of life for the island. He then went on to give an example of a Phillipine island that powers the whole island with geo thermal and then sells their energy to other islands to help support local education.

In terms of using renewable energy, Kenoi pointed out that the new County government building is running on a power surplus due to the photo-voltaic panels on the building, saving the county thousands of dollars each year in electricity costs. In fact, the County is selling extra energy back to the grid.

During the open Q & A session that followed Kenoi’s speech, someone asked about the new Palamanui Community College.

“Education is the great equalizer”, Kenoi said. “How can we make this project move quickly? We are committed to expediting and fast tracking the permits.” He stressed that students in Kona deserve access to quality higher education, just as the students in Hilo do. The county is using a team approach to “get it done”.

An audience question dealt with the need for a local amphitheater. The County representative for the Parks and Recreation Department said that the Kealekehe Regional Advisory Committee meets the first Tuesday of every month to expand culture and arts and is working to make room for an amphitheater. He encouraged interested members of the community to get involved.

Debbie Baker, President of the Kona – Kohala Chamber of Commerce, wrapped up the meeting by noting that the economy seems to be improving and she complimented the County directors and the Mayor about the collaboration between the business community and government.

We hope that the Department of Land and Natural Resources keeps it this way. Yep. Because while there were hundreds of people this past President’s Day weekend at Kua Bay to the north, there may have been 30 people at Makalewena. Actually, Kamehemeha Schools owns the land at Maks and they have protected this natural gem even with all the pressures of development that have occurred up and down the coast in the past ten years.

There are four “vignettes” of Maks. A large sandy bay with some pine trees, two little rocky bays, and then the large white sand beach that looks like something out of Tahiti or…Hawaii!

I took a sweeping video of the space so you can see it (hold on for YouTube link)

I am showing this to you, knowing that many of you will never have the gumption to get down here. It’s a 25 minute walk down from the highway and then another 20 minute walk along the coast to get to the beach. Or you can try and get down the road to Kahakai State Park and walk 25 minutes from there across the lava field to get to the Southern part of the beach. It’s a big deal for a big reward.

Our favorite part is that you can camp there for free..but you need a REALLY good 4WD to get in and there are no facilities. We bought a port-a-potty at Sports Authority to make it easier for our family, but even then, our daughter refuses to stay for more than a night! The cool things that we saw included a herd of about 50 goats, who greeted us in the morning as they wandered through the campground and whales breaching in the distance.

The treat though is swimming in nature’s bath tub. 78 degree crystal clear water, powder white sand, and enough room to put your towel down anywhere with space to move. Ahhh, heaven.

The 6th Annual Avocado Festival kicks off on Thursday, February 16 at the Keauhou Beach Resort Kalanikai Beach Bar & Grill from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., with a Silent Auction Fundraiser for Kona Pacific Public Charter School! This will be an exciting evening of music, dancing, tasty avocado pupu’s & a silent auction showcasing local businesses.

Kumu Kahikina and the Kona Pacific students will start things off with their talented ukulele playing, followed by Stephanie Bolton and her belly dance troupe, “Incense” and then the main entertainment: Nahko and Medicine for the People, a band that brings heartfelt joy to their audiences and makes you get up on your feet!

Tickets are now available at the Kona Pacific Public Charter School or online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/225864. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children. The event ticket also includes Kona Brewery lager, avocado pupu’s and fun and memorable entertainment.
I am co-chairing this fundraiser for my children’s school, Kona Pacific Public Charter School and am excited to have the event at the newly opened Kalanikai Beach Bar located at the Keauhou Beach Resort.  Proceeds will benefit both the school and to underwrite the Avocado Festival, a free community event being held on Saturday, February 18th from 10-5 pm at the Keauhou Beach Resort grounds. On Friday night, there will be an avocado themed “Farm to Fork” dinner at the Kealekekua Bed and Breakfast.

More information can be found at www.avocadofestival.org.

The Big Island is prime avocado-growing country.  Some 200 varieties flourish here and many will be available for tasting at the Festival. The avocados being used to create delicious pupu’s for the fundraiser were harvested from event organizer, Randyl Rupar’s own 15 acre organic avocado farm. SO, drink some local brew, eat some local avo’s, hear some inspirational, soul touching music and support a school that teaches the children about Hawaiian culture, how to care for the land and respect the people. Its ALL SO GOOD!

I got on the BiteMe boat at 6:15 am last Thursday and excitedly learned the ropes of hauling in “the big one” from the BiteMe crew. (Of course, I was slightly terrified by the actual prospect of  hooking a 500 pound marlin and reeling it in!) The crew told us that striped marlin and spearfish were prevalent in the winter months. He shared that the steep slope of the ocean bottom places deep sea sportfishing within a short distance from the shoreline. Just three miles straight out of the harbor, it’s over 6000′ deep. Six species of billfish cruise the Kona coast along with six species of tuna, mahi mahi (dorado), ono (wahoo), and  a wide variety of big-game bottom fish. (He also shared with me towards the end of the charter that the best time to fish is during the summer months. Hence, why all the bill fishing tournaments are in July and August. ) We watched him bait the hooks with lures that looked like squid and were slightly amazed at the size of some of those hooks..four inch claws.

The BiteMe crew taught us how to spot jumping fish, circling sea birds and floating marine trash as indicators for the signs of a large fish.We kept a keen eye out for these signs of our possible dinner while driving about 9 miles out to open ocean with four lines of hope dragging behind us. After our “orientation” we were free to just sit and relax and watch the sun come up over the volcanos showcasing the beauty of the island. The guests were from areas of the country experiencing some very cold weather and once again, I silently high-fived myself for living here. 

During the time we were searching we saw something very large jump out of the ocean in a “C” formation..prompting yells of “MARLIN!” from the passengers. I was excited to see what it was and when we steamed over there, we found it was a very ecstatic dolphin. Not a Spinner dolphin, which are the kind I am used to seeing along the coast, but a larger dolphin species. (I heard someone say it was a razor toothed dolphin, but can not back it up with web research!)  We also saw groups of migrating whales and a few Bottle Nosed dolphins, as well.

We started to head back in after about four hours on the water without having a hit on any of the lines. I asked Captain James if it bothered him to go out and have the passengers come back empty handed. What he said was just perfect, “If they were sitting on a couch right now they would not have even had the chance to catch anything. At least you folks got out here, put a hook in the water and had the opportunity for a grander to catch your line.”. Think about that as a metaphor for life, right?  He was right and I knew that even if I did not get the thrill of watching someone haul in a huge catch, I watched whales, dolphins and discussed life with the other passengers. Fish or no fish, I had a beautiful day out on the blue Kona water!

Note: BiteMe Sportsfishing also owns the BiteMe Fish Market and if you catch something, they will actually prepare and serve it to you! “Eat what you catch”, as they say.

The Kailua-Kona housing market showed another year of gains in 2011. After the dismal losses from 2007-2009, the market gained in 2010 and 2011 and seems to be on a slow upswing.

Lance Owens, Aloha Kona Realty, compiled the year-end statistics for Kailua-Kona, which covers Hualalai to Kainaliu. “Single family home sales were up 8.9% for the year and condo sales were up 6.21% for the year. Interesting to note, condo home sales were up 85% in 2010 up from -9.84% in 2009”, Owens noted. “The median price for a single family home in North Kona in December was $371,000, in South Kona it was $315,000, in South Kohala $335,000 and in North Kohala the median price was $497,000”, he stated.

“We have to go back to 2006 to find a better year for single family and condo sales in Kona for number of units sold.” Mr. Owens stated.

In terms of who is buying the homes right now in Kona, Mr. Owens pulled up home sales for November and found that out of 32 homes sold, 15 were Kailua Kona residents, six were from California and the remainder were mixed among the mainland residents.

Overall for 2011, the local housing market performed well, with a healthy market with an 8.9% gain in home sales, compared to national average of 12.2%.

Owens noted that we had a moderate increase in 2011 and projects the market to behave similarly in 2012. “The current affordability is at a very high level in Kona proper. I have seen newly built homes in the $370k range, which is a great deal for families looking to get into the market. This year, look for short sales to continue, so there will be deals to be found, and the foreclosure market is still tied up in the courts due to Act 48.”

Katie Minkus, Broker for Hawaii Life Real Estate and 2012 President of the West Hawaii Association of Realtors, said, “I know for certain we’ve passed the bottom of the market in places such as the resorts, especially in projects with limited inventory such as Hali’i Kai, the Villages at Mauna Lani, etc.”

Speaking on the foreclosure market, Minkus said, “Act 48, which is holding up all the foreclosures in court, has contributed to a huge increase in short sales over the past six months, and an equal decline in REO sales. In the areas with decreased inventory, we have already seen prices rise especially as the distressed property is being sold through. Sellers have no need to sell at “distressed property prices.”

Personally, at Hawaii Life, we’ve put 24 transaction sides into escrow since Thanksgiving, which is by far the most I’ve seen this time of year in forever. Last year it was less than 10 in the same time frame”, she stated. Asked about the near future of the local housing market, Minkus said, “I’m feeling VERY bullish about the 1st half of 2012.”

Altos Research, a real estate data company, shows the median price trend of homes in the Kona area declined in July and have trended back up to $556,300 as of January 3, 2012.