Ryan Tatsumoto
Hawai‘i Herald Columnist
Ryan Tatsumoto is a clinical pharmacist by day. In his off-hours, however, he and his wife enjoy seeking out perfect marriages of food and wine. Ryan is a certified sommelier and a certified specialist of wine. The Windward O‘ahu resident also writes a column for San Francisco’s Nichi Bei Weekly called “The Gochiso Gourmet.”
The Good Table
For the past several years, Lanakila Pacific has sponsored an annual fundraising event called “The Good Table.” On the first Thursday in October, restaurants on O‘ahu sell a table, or several tables, with a preset multi-course meal and then donate half of the proceeds to Lanakila’s Meals on Wheels program. Because our informal wine group loves all things food and wine, I usually try to purchase a table for this event. For the first few years, the table I purchased was from none other than the haute dog king of the 50th, Hank Adaniya of Hank’s Haute Dogs. Last year was an anomaly, as Hank had four tables for sale, although several had already been purchased by diners who offered more for the table than the listed price. Fortunately, the first Thursday in October also happened to be the same day that Vino was reopening, so I didn’t feel like I had really missed The Good Table.
Last month, we got back into the groove with a table at The Pig and the Lady.
Purchasing Logistics
Purchasing tables for The Good Table takes quite a bit of effort. In some years, Lanakila actually lists the date the table will go on sale . . . of course, if you don’t visit their website regularly the week before the listed date, you invariably find that the actual sale started before said date and that the only remaining tables are at Zippy’s. That’s why I now visit the Lanakila website daily from August onward, just to make sure I’m not the victim of a “flash” sale.
On the morning of Sept. 7, I checked the website before leaving for work — nothing was for sale. Just by chance, I decided to take another look at the site after finishing lunch. “ALREADY ON SALE!” it read — with several tables already purchased. Of course, purchasing anything with your cell phone is an adventure in itself with fat fingers that continually hit unintended links. By the end of lunch, however, I had purchased a table for four at The Pig and the Lady.
Lanakila Pacific
First, some FYI on Lanakila Pacific. The nonprofit provides three branches of service: Lanakila TLC (the teaching and learning center), which promotes independence and inclusion for adults with disabilities; Workforce Resources, which provides training and job placement for these individuals; and Lanakila Meals on Wheels, which provides O‘ahu-wide meal services for seniors so that they can remain at home rather than being institutionalized at overwhelming costs.
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