Hawaii's Ohana Cookbook

Food and family in Hawai'i go hand-in-hand as there is seldom a gathering large or small without an array of favorite recipes being served. Everyone looks forward to 'ohana get-togethers and reunions where all the favorite dishes from the grandmas, aunties, and cousins are savored and enjoyed. And the grandpas and uncles too. Hawai'i is unique in that all household members participate in the culinary process the men as well as the women, the kids as well as the grownups. Not surprisingly, most of our local chefs attribute their start to an early introduction to cooking either watching their mom, dad, grandmother, or grandfather cook, or helping in the kitchen, or going along to do the food shopping and visiting local markets. And Hawai'i is also famous for its family restaurants, where time-tested recipes handed down from generation to generation are served to the public. To celebrate family cooking in the Islands, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser has gathered 105 of Hawai'i's 'ohana recipes that cover our Islands' multicultural heritage. Here are our cooking treasures, secrets, and traditions shared and enjoyed either daily or during holidays, or on special occasions.