Food. We all need it. But some of us actually love it, and more importantly, we love its differences, its subtleties, its colors and presentation, even the surrounding atmosphere in which we take that first bite. Holidays are a great time to relax – even our taste buds -- and truly take notice of what we are eating. On a well-planned holiday, the word “fast” should not precede the word “food”, and what better destination to start practising this healthy fact of life than the ever-popular Hawaiian Islands?

Citing Oahu as the culinary epicentre of the Pacific Asian world, MSNBC recently selected it as one of the eight best food islands in the entire world [August 28, 2007]. Undoubtedly, Hawaii is a rich melting pot of cultures and ethnic groups all living and mixing together, but many have chosen to maintain a distinctive ethnic heritage through their food. The MSNBC article recognizes Hawaii Food Tours’ Hole-in-the-Wall Tour as “the best chance to taste the treats that local chefs seek on their day off. You might try a Hawaiian plate lunch, Chinese dumplings, pastries, Thai noodles, [Indian] barbecued meat satay, Vietnamese summer rolls, Bento Boxes or crack seed.”

Let’s check out some of the culinary possibilities, including the flavorful traditional dishes of the native Hawaiians, thanks to our food-focused insiders, Matthew Gray and Keira Nagai.

As a professional chef in Los Angeles, it was a natural progression to become a food journalist and restaurant reviewer when I moved to Honolulu in 1993. While writing for Hawaii's largest daily newspaper, The Honolulu Advertiser, I was fortunate to become known as one of Hawaii's foremost experts on food and wine. The Love Life Radio Show I started there naturally included a focus on food as well as relationships, communication and travel.

During my years as a food writer and restaurant reviewer in Hawaii, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit hundreds of restaurants. My background as a chef allowed me to see things that most people would overlook. Meanwhile, my born-and-bred Hawaiian girl friend, Keira Nagai, had previously worked in a nice restaurant in Waikiki where she would often see travel agents evaluating her hotel and restaurant as a potential destination for their mainland-based clients. She quickly discovered what mattered to them.

It seemed pretty much a no-brainer that our collective experience should be put to use, so in 2004 Keira and I started Hawaii Food Tours, offering guided restaurant tours in and around Honolulu. Hawaii Food Tours now had a solid direction. We were featured on the Food Channel in the Summer of 2007, and MSNBC's recommendation of Hawaii Food Tours’ Hole-in-the-Wall Tour was a huge honor.

We think we have the best job ever! We get to meet great people from all over the world every day, and show off our beautiful city of Honolulu while introducing them to delicious food. Can you think of anything better than being paid to eat and socialize? We can't.

So what do we do for encores? We are taking our tour model to Las Vegas in early 2008. After that, look out Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Maui!

Offered year round, Hawaii Food Tours, www.HawaiiFoodTours.com, does free pick-up from the Waikiki area for any of its three tours. Guests staying outside that area meet at a designated hotel in Waikiki. For information and reservations, tel: 808-926-3663 or toll free from the mainland US or Canada, 1-800-715-2468; email: MGray@HawaiiFoodTours.com. All tours are jointly hosted by Matthew and Keira.

The most popular is the Hole-in-the-Wall Tour, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, during which you will visit four deliciously different food gems and ethnic restaurants, including some kitchen tours, that reflect Honolulu’s ethnic melting pot. You will also learn a lot about the cultural heritage of Hawaii and interesting things to see and do while visiting the islands. US$99 per person.

The Hawaiian Feast in Paradise Tour is offered Monday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m., starting at a famous Hawaiian restaurant specializing in contemporary and ancient Hawaiian fare. This is followed by a “crack seed” introduction at a local retail store, sampling a genre of snacks brought to Hawaii by the Chinese in the mid 1880s. Last stop is a rich dessert course at an upscale restaurant, wine or alcohol not included. US$149 per person.

The Gourmet Trilogy Tour for Food and Wine Lovers is offered Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6 to 10 p.m. The mission is to visit a different award-winning restaurant for each of the three courses – appetizers, entrée and dessert – each paired with an outstanding wine. This one requires dressing up a little for an elegant evening of fun and seriously tickled tastebuds.
US$199 per person.