Slow Food Maui Taste Education Presents Maui Preserved
July 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In partnership with the Maui Culinary Academy and Whole Foods Market Kahului, Slow Food Maui presents its next Taste Education session featuring Maleta Van Loan and Anthony LaBua of Maui Preserved on Wednesday, July 25, 6–7:30 pm.
Founded in June 2010, the Haiku-based company offers a variety of preserved products including its popular pickled beets in green tea and Maui Gold Pineapple wedges in Hawaiian chili pepper syrup. Van Loan and LaBua work with local farmers to source Grown on Maui fruits and vegetables to create their one-of-a-kind products bursting with island flavor and freshness.
Van Loan graduated from The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, New York in 2005. Starting as a line chef at Pure Food and Wine, she evolved to manage not only restaurant finances but One Lucky Duck, the company’s premier raw food snack line. Excelling in restaurant and food management, she continued her education at Baruch College, New York in 2008 pursuing professional studies in finance.
LaBua worked throughout New York City from Smith Street in Brooklyn to Olives in the W Hotel New York in Union Square before becoming the Executive Sous Chef at Pure Food and Wine in 2006. While working, Anthony also volunteered at the James Beard House in the West Village, and attended the Institute of Culinary Education while moonlighting there as a stagiare. He graduated with a degree in Culinary Management in 2008.
Van Loan and LaBua hold Certificates of Food Protection from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of New York. Considered one of the most stringent courses on Food Safety in the Nation, the certification enables them to manage their kitchen and food production to the highest of standards.
Taste Education is held on the last Wednesday of each month from February through October at the Maui Culinary Academy located in the Pāʻina Building of UH Maui at 310 West Kaʻahumanu Avenue. There is free and ample parking. Each session is $15 for Slow Food Maui members and $20 for non-members. Advance reservations and payment are required.
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Slow Food Maui Taste Education Series features Barbara Mooradian of SoMoor
June 21, 2012 By 1 Comment
In partnership with the Maui Culinary Academy and Whole Foods Market Kahului, Slow Food Maui is pleased to present Barbara Mooradian of SoMoor, a producer of Maui tropical jams, jellies and “Moor”, as its featured speaker for the next Taste Education session scheduled from 6 pm – 7:30 pm on Wednesday, June 27.
This month’s session will take attendees into the kitchen at Maui Culinary Academy for a demonstration by Mooradian. She will walk through the steps to make Kula Strawberry Jam from fresh fruit to jar. Following the demonstration, Mooradian will give an overview of her retail line which features more than a dozen products ranging from Wild Lilikoʻi Butter and Mom’s Mango Chutney to Pineapple Passion Preserves and Guava-Q Barbecue Sauce. Finally, Mooradian will discuss product development and offer product tastings.
Mooradian (“Moor”) started SoMoor in 2003 with her business partner, Cris South (“So”). She brings 14 years of experience as a fine dining pastry chef to her craft and she takes pride in working with local, fresh ingredients and is uncompromising when it comes to quality, freshness and taste. “I make all natural, locally sourced jams, jellies, chutney, chocolate sauces and more,” said Mooradian. “Each batch is hand processed from the fresh fruit to the finished jar.”
Mooradian started in the food business by taking classes in French chocolate desserts in 1984, and ended up apprenticing with the teacher. She went on to work in such places as Cocolate, Trader Vic’s, Ernie’s, Santa Fe Bar and Grill, Wente Winery, and more over the years. She currently volunteers at Kaunoa Center teaching cooking and pastry-making. SoMoor products are sold at Mana Foods, Whole Foods Market Kahului, Tutu’s Pantry, Wailea Wine, Sweet Paradise Chocolates, Hula Cookies, and the Upcountry Farmers’ Market. SoMoor is also available online at www.somoor.com.
Taste Education is held on the last Wednesday of each month from February through October at the Maui Culinary Academy located in the Pāʻina Building at 310 West Kaʻahumanu Avenue at the UH-Maui Campus. There is free and ample parking. Each session cost $15 for Slow Food Maui members and $20 for non-members. Advance reservations and payment are required. Register online at www.slowfoodmaui.org and pay using Paypal. For additional information, contact co-education committee chairs Chris Speere or Charlene Ka’uhane at [email protected]
About Taste Education: Taste Education is a nine-part “food focused” educational series presented by Slow Food Maui in partnership with the Maui Culinary Academy and Whole Foods Market Maui. Organized to honor people who grow and produce the food we eat, the series brings local food producers in our community to the forefront so others may learn about their work, how their product is made and where to find it. Held on the last Wednesday of the month form February – October.
About the Maui Culinary Academy: Maui Culinary Academy offers Maui’s award-winning Culinary Arts Program in the 38,000 square-feet Pā’ina Culinary Arts Center at Maui Community College in Kahului. Hours: Pāʻina dining room: M-TR 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, Friday 7:30 am to 2:00 pm.
About Whole Foods Market Kahului: When Whole Foods Market Kahului first opened its doors as a small natural and organic retailer in 1980, local producers were the lifeblood of our business. More than 30 years later, that fact still rings true. We know what it feels like to be a small business with a big vision and understand that local businesses (even those with the highest quality products and a strong business plan) sometimes need a hand to turn their dreams into reality—that’s why Whole Foods Market continues to strive to find and work with the best farmers and producers in Maui and throughout the state of Hawaiiʻi.