All Aboard for School Gardens! Opulent Lunch Aboard the Golden Princess.

On Friday, Oct. 16th, the Kohala Center held a fundraiser for the Hawaii Island School Garden Network on board the Golden Princess, a luxury cruise ship docked in Hilo Harbor.  It was a glimpse into another world; the cause was good, the company excellent, and the food and service were over the top.

We were served tropical virgin drinks in a theater with "constellations" blinking overhead.  We sipped our drinks and nibbled maraschino cherries while Mayor Billy Kenoi, Senator Russell Kokubun and Senator Dwight Takamine stressed the importance of the school garden program and sustainability in general. Nancy Redfeather, Program Director of the Hawaii Island School Garden Network was a passionate and informative speaker, as always.

We also saw a trailer for the new film Na Kupu Mana’olana: Seeds of Hope about the future of Hawaii agriculture and our food self-sufficiency movement (see below).

Then we were treated to a four course lunch (I am not sure if you are supposed to include dessert when counting courses, but I just did!) Shrimp cocktail to start, followed by a pasta in cream sauce, then the main course- salmon or beef, and then a hot chocolate souffle with some delicious, sweet sauce. Roll me off the ship, please!

Thank you Kona Sea Salt for your generous support.

Excerpts from Andrea Dean's blog Oct 17, 2009