punalu'u bake shop

pahala sweetbread box

those who have made the drive from kona to volcano know that somewhere along the way you are going to get hungry. if you can hold out until the halfway point, you can stop by the punalu'u bake shop (which touts itself as the southernmost bakery in the states) and enjoy sandwiches & burgers made on some of the best sweetbread in the islands.

and now that the online bake shop is open you don't have to wait until your next trip to the big island to satisfy your craving for their onolicious taro sweetbread. the online shop also stocks punalu'u's popular shortbread cookies in flavors like mac nut, coffee, guava & coconut which are perfect for sharing with friends during the holidays.

island treats for halloween

yes, this is probably a bit more than you want to pass out to the trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood unless you live in kahala (although think of how popular your house would be), but big island candies has a few yummy halloween surprises to give to those extra special ghosts and goblins in your life.

halloween treats are filled with everything from those onolicious chocolate dipped shortbread cookies that big island candies is known for to macadamia nut brownies. and don't forget to order a grab bag to keep you from raiding the candy bowl.

frank sinatra ate here

another day kicking it at the made in hawaii festival website and it's definitely time for a tasty treat. if you're heading to the blaisdell this weekend, the abundance of samples you'll get to dig into will probably put the sport of grazing at costco to shame, but this photo of a happy cake will have to suffice for those of us far from honolulu.

you simply cannot go wrong with any of these words: chocolate. macadamia nut. fudge brownie. and let's not forget it's all baked into a cake (a happy one, mind you). this is not your mother's duncan hines so if it's moist and delicious it sounds like a winner.

and did you know that hawaiian happy cakes also has a hollywood connection? the cakes are baked at kemo'o farms in wahiawa which just happens to be one of the hawaii location's seen on from here to eternity. once upon a time stars like frank sinatra, ava gardner & lana turner had pineapple happy cakes shipped up to the mainland so make like a movie star and have your favorite flavor sent to your door.

goats make good cheese

there's even more to love about upcountry maui with the award winning goat cheese from surfing goat dairy where owners thomas & eva-marie kafsack have been whipping up a mouth watering variety of cheeses since setting up shop a few years ago.

serious foodies will want to add the shark bite line, which features gourmet ingredients like truffles and gold flakes, to their wish list while cheese lovers on a budget can savor aloha chèvre cheeses enhanced with maui lavender, mangos & more.

if you want to learn more about the cheese making process, check out one of the many tours available where you can try your hand at herding or milking the goats that make all this cheesy goodness possible.

big island candies

chocolate covered cuttlefish? while the thought may have never crossed your mind, someone over at big island candies had the delicious idea to dip all kinds of island snacks into the nectar of the gods. the hawaiian da-kines line is where sweet meets salty and their ono offspring is milk chocolate dipped iso peanuts, li hing mui, rice crackers & more.

and when you're visiting the big island, don't forget to stop by their hilo headquarters where you can nibble on samples while watching everything from shortbread cookies to puffed rice get dipped in chocolate.