radical sabbatical

ever dream of starting a new life on your very own artisan farm? before you ditch your 401(k), consider testing the waters and signing up for an internship at hawaii island goat dairy which is looking for volunteers to assist in whipping up their award winning goat & feta cheeses.

if you are willing to exchange some sweat equity (i.e. tending to the herd, milking duties, farm maintenance) for room & board, you will be immersed in the age old craft of cheesemaking so long as you can commit to farm living for 2-3 months.

the honoka'a dairy specializes in mouth watering goat cheeses with flavors like smoked guava, dill & garlic, and basil macadamia pesto, and counts hawaii's top chefs like alan wong & daniel thiebaut as some of their biggest fans. big island goat cheese is plated at many of the islands' best restaurants (merriman's, café pesto, as well as many luxe resort eateries), however foodies on a budget can find fresh batches of cheese not already spoken for at the waimea farmers market and a few big island food shops.

check out the full stockist list (and learn even more about life on a farm) via hawaii island journal's visit to the dairy earlier this year.

original hawaiian chocolate factory

if you consider yourself a chocolate connoisseur then chances are you already know about the big island's original hawaiian chocolate factory. the fertile land may be better known to most folks for kona's world famous coffee, however it is also just right for growing chocolate and, in fact, is the only spot in the states where cacao beans are grown, harvested, processed & made into luscious chocolate bars.

the journey from the orchard to the marketplace is what makes this estate grown chocolate and so while you will have to trade a hamilton for a single chocolate bar you can comfort yourself knowing that this is truly a made in hawaii product which is just one of the reasons it is a favorite of many island chefs.

curious to try some? ohcf confections can be found at select stockists around the islands & on the mainland and, of course, online (free shipping on orders over $100 $125). and, yes, ohcf does offer the occasional farm tour so you can discover just how that artisanal chocolate bar was transformed from the humble cacao bean (fyi - tours are only available if time permits so do call ahead to avoid disappointment).

click here to read more about the boutique chocolate revolution.

lava roy's ocean adventure

lava meets sea

my fella is totally fascinated with lava especially after we paid a visit to volcanoes national park on our honeymoon. since then he has talked about trekking into the park to camp and explore the lava fields (which is why i made him watch man vs. wild's survival guide to kilauea).

i know i am off the hook for that little adventure however i also know that he would dig watching the lava flow into the sea. a helicopter tour is out and, for safety reasons, you cannot get too close by land, however it is now possible to gaze at the plumes of smoke as the lava hits the pacific with lava roy's ocean adventure which operates a unique sizzling sunset tour.

the owner is a coast guard captain who pilots a ship aptly named the protector. tours take guests down the kalapana coast to a viewing point of the active lava flow where you can be mesmerized by the work of pele from the relative safety of the boat. tours are only available when weather permits so be sure to contact captain roy in advance to find out when the next sailing is scheduled.

{photo credit: hawaii tourism authority}

kicks/hi x sig zane = (red)

the most anticipated island collaboration of the year is finally making its debut tomorrow. yep, after all the waiting kicks/hi + sig zane release their spin for the (converse) red collection on saturday. it's so cool to see local designers getting involved in the (product) red campaign and getting some well deserved exposure and a little media love.

in case you didn't catch bono kicking off the campaign on oprah last year, red is all about raising funds to help fight the aids epidemic in africa by giving you, the consumer, a painless way to shop a tad more consciously.

basically, whenever you choose to snap up limited edition red chuck taylors/ipods/razrs/etc over the standard issue, the participating company donates a portion of sales from that product to the global fund which is fighting the good fight by purchasing life saving medication that our fellow world citizens would otherwise not be able to afford.

the kicks/sz converse design features a handprinted 'uluwehi keaukaha print (in honor of the tree planted on son kuhao's first birthday) and is only available in men's sizes 5-13 (including half sizes; fyi - for the uninitiated, chucks are a unisex style so refer to the size chart to determine the corresponding w's size). there will also be a baseball cap in the same colorway.

no doubt these are going to be very popular considering there will be competition between sneaker collectors, converse fans, and folks who want to support local designers so remember that they will only be stocked at the following locations (in addition to the sz online shop):

• hilo: sz shop & the cutlery | honolulu: kicks/hi - makaloa shop | wailuku: sz shop
• chicago: saint alfred

a tardy kung hee fat choy

even though i didn't have a chance to revel in the chinese new year festivities while home, it seemed that everywhere we went last weekend we crossed paths with a troupe preparing to perform the celebratory dragon dance. that kind of thing just doesn't happen in my mainland neighborhood which is one more reason you are lucky you live hawaii.

anyhoo, if this is your year to shine (1911, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995 - double check if your birthday falls on the jan/feb cusp), you just may want to sport a sig zane tee featuring the pua'a'ehu'ehu print to honor the year of the pig/boar.

tees are available in both adult and keiki sizes.