Ryan's Table

RYAN'S TABLE BY Ryan Tatsumoto “Time to light a fire . . .” That’s what celebrity chef Roger Mooking proclaims on every episode of “Man, Fire, Food” as he is about to light the coals. Although nature’s thermostat has moved several degrees higher these past few months, that is the only proclamation I need to....

RYAN'S TABLE By Ryan Tatsumoto As Andy Warhol said in 1968, “In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes.” Well, my time in the spotlight lasted a little more than 15 minutes. Actually, it lasted for two 30-minute sessions at the eighth annual Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival. If you didn’t....

RYAN'S TABLE BY Ryan Tatsumoto No, this column isn’t about trekking deep into the rainforest to pick pohole, those succulent fiddlehead fern shoots on a Saturday. Nor does it involve hiking the Jackass Ginger trail in Nu‘uanu for fresh pepeau (wood ear mushrooms) and takenoko (bamboo) shoots. It does, however, involve that dreaded drive over....

RYAN'S TABLE BY Ryan Tatsumoto The end of April marked the beginning of a new story — a story about the realization of a dream that took root more than two decades ago. Long before his career took him on a triangular journey between the 50th; Seattle, Wash., and the Bay Area, Chef Kelly Degala....

RYAN'S TABLE BY Ryan Tatsumoto What condiment do you find on dining room tables in Hawai‘i almost as often as shoyu? A good guess would be home-concocted chili pepper water — you know, that suspension of ground Hawaiian chili peppers mashed with salt or sometimes fresh garlic or vinegar and usually stored in either a....

RYAN'S TABLE BY Ryan Tatsumoto When I look in the mirror every morning and spot another white hair in my goatee, or notice that the hair atop my head looks a bit thinner, or when I wake up with body aches from unknown causes, I always chalk it up to the unwanted consequences of aging.....

RYAN'S TABLE BY Ryan Tatsumoto The 1920 to 1933 nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages — the period commonly known as Prohibition — was intended to reduce family violence, political corruption and alcoholism. It also, however, reduced tax revenues and spurred gang violence, as organized crime took over the....

RYAN'S TABLE BY Ryan Tatsumoto For the past several years, I have been making a concerted effort to purchase my food ingredients from local purveyors so that more of my hard-earned dollars remain in the 50th. I realize that some of my money stays in Hawai‘i even if the produce I purchased was grown on....

RYAN'S TABLE BY Ryan Tatsumoto Now that we are officially into the holiday season, I decided to highlight some beverages that are sure to add to your holiday merriment. For starters, nothing says cheer like champagne or sparkling wine. After winning their second championship in three years, the Golden State Warriors are said to have....

RYAN'S TABLE BY Ryan Tatsumoto I sampled the cuisine of Chef Ed Kenney for the first time about 12 years ago, just after he had opened his first restaurant, Town, at Wai‘alae and 9th avenues in the heart of Kaimukï. The occasion was a wine dinner for about a dozen diners. Chef Kenney had graciously allowed....