HANALEI — You have to stir it a lot, said Kauahoa Hermosura, Sunday. That is the youngster’s key to a succesful chicken hekka as he waved his sign along the highway fronting the Waioli Mission in Hanalei. “You get chicken,
HANALEI — You have to stir it a lot, said Kauahoa Hermosura, Sunday.
That is the youngster’s key to a succesful chicken hekka as he waved his sign along the highway fronting the Waioli Mission in Hanalei.
“You get chicken, corn, ginger, some salt and just a little bit of water,” he said. “Then, you stir it a lot.”
The Wai‘oli Mission, in conjunction with its 175th anniversary celebration, hosted the “Taste of Hanalei” event that featured several of the old-time chicken hekka chefs and several of the younger generation chefs, labelled the “Chicken Hekka Hui” in its Web site.
“I like mushrooms, so I thought the guy with the red shirt had the best chicken,” said Jack Miyake of Colorado who came to the event after seeing the signs posted on utility poles entering Hanalei town. “It’s kind of like chow mein where you put everything in and stir it up.”
The red-shirted chef Miyake referred to was James “Brudda” Paik, one of four chicken hekka chefs offering their version of the old-style dish.
“In the old days, everything had gravy because you had to stretch everything,” Paik said. “I grew up in ‘Anini where we had fish from the ocean, turtle and mountain pig for meat. We never needed to go to the store.”
Paik was the first of the four chefs to sell out.
“Bobo Ham Young has his son Makana in training,” said Cathy Ham Young, one of the ladies distributing bowls of rice for those who donated to the chicken hekka and dessert menu. “Everybody helped put this together because it helps the church.”
Cathy said on Saturday there was a similar event hosted by the Anahola Center people where Mrs. Amanda Kaleiohi swept all the categories of the Best Stew competition in Anahola.
“She won on the poi,” Cathy said. “There was no lomi salmon or rice, but poi.”
On the other side of the building, Mits Yokotake and Hanalei Hermosura worked their magic, slipping in a “secret ingredient” while their camp argued about whether it was “Chef Yokosura,” or “Chef Hermotake.”
“You gotta put the green onions last,” Mits said. “You don’t want it to get overcooked and mushy.”
Annie and Tommy Hashimoto was the last of the four chefs offering the hekka main dish, their wok half covered with a sheet of tin foil to keep everything warm.
Throughout the event, Gary Smith and the Kilauea Social
Club provided a variety of lively music while Kalehua Yokotake seemed to make endless trips to refill the dessert table.
“This all started with the American Cancer Relay for Life,” Paik said. “I was cooking poi stew, and people wanted to give money. But I just was the cook and if ran out, that was it.”
The Wai‘oli Mission was established by American Christian Missionaries in 1834 when a pole and thatch meeting house was constructed by Hawaiians in anticipation of the arrival of the missionaries.
In August, the North Shore Fishing Tournament launched the 175th anniversary year that will culminate with a “Grande Celebration” on Oct. 16, 2010.
For more information, visit www.hanaleichurch.org.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
