From Kau Kau to Cuisine: An Island Cookbook, Then and Now
Born and raised in the sugar plantation town of Papaikou on the Island of Hawaii, authorArnold Hiurais an independent writer, editor and media consultant. He spent several years researching Hawaii's culinary traditions to compileKau Kau: Cuisine and Culture in the Hawaiian Islands(Watermark Publishing, 2009), which received the Hawaii Book Publishers Association's Ka Palapala Pookela Award of Excellence in Cookbooks. Hiura also co-wrote James Beard Award-winning chef Alan Wong's cookbook,The Blue Tomato: The Inspirations Behind the Cuisine of Alan Wong(Watermark Publishing, 2010), which received the Ka Palapala Pookela Award of Excellence in Cookbooks and was named the International Association of Culinary Professionals' Book Awards "Chefs & Restaurants" category winner.Like Hiura,Derek Kurisugrew up in a plantation town north of Hilo, where his father worked for the Wailea and Hakalau sugar mills. In addition to serving on numerous boards and committees promoting local business and agriculture, he is the on-air host for the television showLiving in Paradiseand co-host ofSeniors Living in Paradise.Chef Jason Takemuraworked at several leading California restaurants—including Roy's at Pebble Beach, Montrio Bistro, Seven Hands on Higuera and the Inn at Spanish Bay—before returning to Hawaii and serving four years at Chai's Island Bistro under the tutelage of Chef Chai Chaowasaree. He joined the new Honolulu Hukilau in 2007 and now also oversees all food service operations at the Pagoda Hotel & Floating Restaurant.