Hawaii Agricultural Foundation Mahalo Reception and Localicious Hawaii Kickoff

Last night I attended a Hawaii Agricultural Foundation Mahalo Reception and Localicious Hawaii Kickoff.

The Hawaii Agricultural Foundation is a non-profit organization created to promote agriculture and farming, and offers a variety of community programs, including outreach/public awareness, educational, and farmer assistance.

Today marks the start of the 5th annual Localicious Hawaii. A record 262 restaurants are participating in this annual campaign. 

During the campaign, participating restaurants designate one or more menu items that incorporate local ingredients in a Localicious dish. For every Localicious dish ordered throughout March, restaurants will donate $1 to the Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation to support ag education programs such as Where Would Be Without Seeds, Veggie U, AquaPono Aquaponics, In The Fields, and Kids Cooking Local. According to a press release, since the program’s launch in 2014, Localicious has raised more than $170,000 to provide approximately 70 public schools and 200 classrooms statewide with garden kits and structured ag-related curriculums. This year’s goal is to raise $50,000.

To kickoff the campaign, last night's event featured:

Grilled Hawaiian Kampachi (Piggy Smalls)

Creole Red Beans and Rice (Scratch Kitchen & Meatery)

Deconstructed Pork Tofu (Kaka`ako Kitchen)

Braised Pork Belly (Maile's Thai)

Fierce Chocolate Gelato (Via Gelato)

To view participating restaurants and Localicious Hawai‘i dishes, visit www.localicioushawaii.com.

You can download the Kynbo app to easily find participating restaurants, as well as find out which menu items are being offered as part of the campaign!