Fruits, Vegetables and Jams

By Jennifer S. Meyers

Photography by Laurie LaRoque and Bruna Stude

Everybody wants freshly grown fruits and vegetables right in their own backyard.  But being that we may not all be natural born farmers, there is a place that Kaua‘i residents can stop by to get the finest fruits, vegetables, spices, coffee, tropical flowers and freshly made jam made by the best ingredients by the farmers.

The Kaua‘i Culinary Market at Kukui‘ula Village in Poipu, Kaua‘i started on June 30, 2010, has about 17 to 20 vendors with an estimated 300 to 400 visitors each week.  The market was founded by Veronica Lovesy, senior marketing manager for Kukui‘ula Village, along with the Kaua‘i Country Farm Bureau to have a place where local Kaua‘i farmers can showcase their freshly grown produce to share with its public and visitors.

Some farmers and vendors include Ohana Farm Acres by Judith Emmett, Tropical Flowers Express by John and Theresa Gordines, Monkeypod Jam by Aletha Thomas, Salty Wahine by Laura Cristobal, Moloaa Bay Coffee by John and Daphne McClure and many more.

One of the most notable produce that the market offers is breadfruit which has been grown all over the country to help third world countries and starving children.

Aletha Thomas shows her varieties of Monkeypod Jam.

The market is held every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and each week offers a chef demonstration on how to cook the perfect meal with a real “Food Network” experience. Past chefs include Peter Merriman and Kevin Ives of Merriman’s and Jim Moffat of Living Foods Market and Café.

This all takes place at the wine and beer garden inside the village along with live Hawaiian music with a breathtaking view of Mauka mountainside with an ocean drop off.

Lovesy, the farmers, and the chefs all wish to inform its public of Hawaii’s locally grown produce to help the island’s sustainability and give its residents the ultimate Hawaii experience.

“We want everything to be authentic and from Kaua‘i” she says. “Kukui‘ula Village is really very excited to be partnering with Kaua‘i farmers and growers because our merchants very much believe in Kaua‘i sustainability…Kukui‘ula Village gives us a place for our farmers to actually meet our visitors and understand what we’re doing here and how much we care about the ‘Aina.”