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Zero Waste School Lunch Pilot Launches in Lahaina

December 26, 2019December 28, 2019 Kirk Surry Leave a comment

When Gretchen Losano, co-founder of West Maui Green Cycle, approached Grow Some Good about a garden coordinator position, inspiration for a new pilot program with Lahaina Intermediate School was born. In her letter, she proposed a different option for the position via mentorship with the Windward Zero Waste School Hui, a school food waste composting program started by Mindy Jaffe on O‘ahu.

“I am bringing the method to Maui and I can envision the most perfect partnership with your incredible program,” said Gretchen.

That was mid-September. The school garden at Lahaina Intermediate School had totally overgrown during the summer, and Grow Some Good’s budget for hiring a school garden coordinator for one day a week was a tough match for a space that needed lots of work to make it safe for classes to begin.

“On Gretchen’s first visit to the school campus our focus quickly shifted from rebuilding a garden to zero waste and soil building.”
Kathy Becklin, Grow Some Good Executive Director

In mid-November, Gretchen ran an audit to see how much waste the cafeteria was producing. “What I saw was so extensive, I couldn’t stand to see it go to the landfill,” Gretchen said. So she built her first compost piles that day.

Working closely with the school’s principal and food service manager, Gretchen was hired to manage the Zero Waste Program pilot in the cafeteria. She collected buckets and bought equipment to set up the first phase of the compost system, located just outside the cafeteria in a large, sunny open land area adjacent to the school garden. The space was already equipped with a large pile of wood chips perfect for composting and easy access for future drop offs from local tree trimmers.

More than 730 sixth- to eighth-grade students attend Lahaina Intermediate School.

During the school’s three lunch periods, Gretchen and student helpers are collecting and diverting 150 to 200 pounds of food waste per day.

Instead of throwing everything away in trash bins, they sort drinks, food, plastics, cardboard trays, unused/unopened items, and non-recyclable trash. Food waste is then carried in buckets to the Zero Waste station where it is converted into compost. Grow Some Good’s program manager, Scott Lacasse, filmed a sneak peek video on the process during a recent visit.

“When students are first-hand witnesses and participate in diverting massive amounts of waste from the landfill, they understand that they are part of something much bigger.”
Gretchen Losano

After school, Gretchen and her daughter, Kaliko, separate and measure single-use plastic waste, such as plastic utensils, and fruit cups, filling a 13-gallon bag every day. She’s saving the overstuffed plastic bags to give students, parents, and community leaders a visual demonstration of the importance of reducing single-use plastics on Maui.

While several islands have passed bans on some of the highest volume waste products – on Maui (styrofoam), Big Island (styrofoam) and Oahu (single use plastic) – reducing product use is slow.

“When you look at the scope of this issue on Maui and the system that needs to be built to divert waste islandwide, it can seem overwhelming.” Kathy said. “Students at Lahaina Intermediate are starting by addressing what’s right in front of them and modeling a path to better solutions for waste reduction on Maui.”
Kathy Becklin

Since 2008, Gretchen has been involved in statewide advocacy initiatives to help Hawai‘i legislators and students to understand the consequences of using styrofoam and plastic on the environment.

“The products are still out there, and single use plastics are out of control. None of it is being recycled,” Gretchen said. “Diverting waste from the landfill isn’t just a good thing to do. It’s the only way we’re going to survive.”

Support Zero Waste Programs on Maui

Several other schools have expressed interest in the Zero Waste Program; however, growing outreach at this stage requires additional funding to cover basic supplies, such as hand carts, buckets, tarps, gloves, and other compositing equipment. Funding also supports staff training and labor. On average, it takes three to four hours a day to oversee collection and processing of food waste from the cafeteria.

Grow Some Good is just $10,000 short of its funding goal to complete the 2019/20 Zero Waste Program pilot. Please consider making a donation toward the continuation of this important pilot through the end of the school year. Stay tuned as this program develops. Leave your comments, ideas, and questions below and subscribe to our email newsletter.

2019 School Garden Survey

August 1, 2019August 1, 2019 Kathy Becklin Leave a comment

Each year, we do a School Garden Survey of teachers and principals to check in with our schools and determine if we are meeting their needs, and how we can do better. The results shown are from 149 teachers and administrators at 11 Maui County DOE schools.

Differences in the Program This Year

Grow Some Good introduced new curriculum this year with approximately 16 lessons per grade level that are mapped to Next Generation Science Standards. It was designed to be used as appropriate, not necessarily in order, and it provided a great framework for garden coordinators to use to align garden lessons with classroom learning.

Key Findings from the 2019 School Garden Survey

This annual School Garden Survey report shows that we had some gains in many areas, and there are still pockets where teachers and schools want more from Grow Some Good and our partner, Maui School Garden Network.

With regard to attributes that teachers observed among students, 88% of teachers reported seeing an increased interest in eating fruits and vegetables; up from 84% last year; 58% of teachers reported seeing an improved attitude towards school; up from 53% last year.

With regard to garden benefits in academics, we continue to excel in the areas of science, and health and nutrition, with 98% of teachers saying the garden benefits students in these areas. 79% of teachers said the garden benefits lessons in math, up from 56% last year; 87% of teachers said the garden benefits lessons in English/language arts, up from 69% last year; and 85% of teachers said the garden benefits lessons in Hawaiian Studies, up from 61% last year

Following is a report on the percentage of teachers who indicated on the School Garden Survey that they saw a benefit or change in students in the described areas.

Attributes Observed of School Garden Participants

87%	Increased environmental attitude/attitudes
49%	Increased community spirit and interest in volunteerism
52%	Improved social skills/behaviors
88%	Increased interest in eating fruits and vegetables
29%	Improved motor skills
31%	Academic gains
58%	Improved attitude towards school

Comments about observed attributes:

The garden has been a great space to encourage mindfulness. It provides a silent spot for students to sit and observe the garden, and has been a huge benefit for students who need to learn how to self-regulate.
Their ability to work cooperatively has improved as well as more awareness of things/people around them. They are less egocentric after working in the garden.
Students work together to solve problems. I think they make more connections between nature and their academics.
Increased interest in agricultural careers.
Students are smiling and engaging with each other in a more positive, different way.

Student Behavior Benefits:

94%	Students are learning new gardening skills
61%	Students are more focused in classroom activities after being in the garden
35%	Students/parents are starting home gardens as result of school garden program
39%	Students have better attendance on garden class days
73%	Students have improved attitudes with respect for others, and demonstrate caring and nurturing behaviors

Comments about observed benefits:

Garden class gets my students outside with a purpose. Also, many live in condos so they may not have experience with growing food or caring for nature. The garden coordinator and the outdoor classroom were exciting and the students learned about life cycles. Later in the year we were able to gather, care for and observe the life cycle of 11 butterflies! The kids were so excited. The garden coordinator got the students, even my picky eaters, to try new foods!
Students are learning to try new things as well as gaining a respect for nature and how things are grown.
Students LOVE garden class; learning how to be gardeners and appreciate nature more!
I have noticed that students know more about plants, gardening, etc when reading stories about such topics.
They have more respect for where their food comes from and a better understanding of Hawaiian culture in relation to specific foods in Hawaii.
Students are introduced to healthy foods they have never had before.
I love having the garden not only because of the beauty it brings to our campus, but the learning is tremendous!
Students make a connection that outdoors in the garden is another learning environment… not just inside the classroom.
Kids enjoy the hands-on aspect and they learn how to synergize with each other.
Students discover that trying new things (even when muddy or ‘yucky’ or buggy) isn’t as scary as they originally thought. Now students are more interested in giving things a try whereas before – they were very hesitant.
They (students) are kinder to bugs, because they know they help the plants.

Core Curriculum Benefits

Topic	Extremely Beneficial	Beneficial	Somewhat Beneficial	Total Benefit
Math	15%	35%	29%	79%
Science	60%	31%	7%	98%
English/ Language Arts	19%	37%	31%	87%
Hawaiian Studies	37%	31%	17%	85%
History/Social Studies	23%	35%	23%	81%
Health and Nutrition	69%	27%	3%	98%

Comments about Core Curriculum

Target a couple science standards for each grade level.
Perhaps assign some take home papers or readings to extend the learning and work on addressing ELA CCSS.
Students would enjoy having more tasting sessions.
Gardening can be related to nearly all core curriculum classes in varied presentation aspects.
Encourage more core teachers to get involved.
The collaboration and communication time with certain grade levels will help with the execution of lessons and garden integration with the curriculum and place/project-based learning.
Implement more math and reading or writing into the garden.
Having time for the students to visit the garden to do other content area skills. Writing stories and connecting math to the garden.
Keep building lessons that support NGSS.

Non-Core Subjects

To the best of your knowledge and observation, which of the following non-core subjects are taught in the garden?

93% Health and Nutrition
86% Environmental Studies
77% General Learner Outcomes (GLO)
71% Agricultural Studies
61% Home Ec/Cooking
55% Service Learning / Community Service
52% Art
20% Physical Education
12% Special Education

General Comments to the School Garden Survey

We are very happy with GSG & MSGN in our school. Thank you very much.
I’m not sure (how to improve), this program is fantastic! Keep up the great work!
I’ve only been once (to the garden) and from that one time, I’ve realized how beneficial it is for the students. I would like to design lessons around it to connect it with my content.
Every time a student goes to garden, they bring veggies or cooked food back. They really enjoy eating and sharing the food with their teachers (even their core teachers).
Our teachers’ involvement with the garden and value for the ‘aina has greatly increased in the last few years. Our teachers are starting their own beds with their students and prioritizing project and placed based learning through doing in the garden.
My students are all eager to participate in garden. We go at the end of the day, and my students perk right up. They are engaged in the content and ready to dive into the dirt, even the ones who said they don’t like getting dirty!
We need to have our garden coordinator continue his/her work in the garden and deliver the relevant and important lessons to our students.
Our garden time is the highlight of our week.

Improvement Suggestions

It would be nice if students could go out to the garden more often.
Could we allot more time per class? Or could we include discussion/lesson time in the classroom, so they are more prepared for the hands-on experience?
Create a small activity book (on recycled paper).
Provide a regular lawn maintenance person
Provide extension activities to classroom teachers.
We are very happy with GSG & MSGN in our school. Thank you very much.
Introduce local produce. Helping to minimize food waste from the cafeteria is a concern for me. Students often don’t eat much of what is served.
Help us to build more gardens at our school :).
Provide PD for how teachers can utilize the garden outside of their dedicated garden class time.

Taste of School Gardens 2019 Recap

March 22, 2019March 24, 2019 Kathy Becklin Leave a comment

On the evening of March 9, about 375 people came together at the beautiful Maui Tropical Plantation, to celebrate 10 years of building school gardens with Grow Some Good at the Taste of School Gardens 2019. Mahalo to the chefs, vendors, sponsors, volunteers, auction donors and guests who made this event come together. It truly takes a community! We raised over $46,000 to support school gardens and engaged many old and new friends.

Taste of School Gardens Opening Ceremony

Taste of School Gardens 2019 started with an opening that featuring hula and song by the 4th graders from Pōmaikaʻi Elementary School. Throughout the evening, our videos featured songs from Songs For Change where all songs were written and performed by students and teachers from Pōmaikaʻi.

Kathy Becklin, current Grow Some Good Executive Director, and Dr. Phyllis Robinson, started the program. Phyllis was a founding member of South Maui Sustainability, where Grow Some Good got started 10 years ago. She is now the Program Director for FAM — the Farm Apprentice Mentoring Program so we like to think that our students may someday join her program. Phyllis interviewed Kathy about how Grow Some Good has grown over 10 years. Kathy shared that we have provided over 250,000 class hours in our gardens. The program all started 10 years ago with just one teacher and her science classes; and that teacher, Ms. Alana Kaopuiki-Pellegrino was one of our guests!

Founding Teachers at Taste of School Gardens 2019 — Alana Kaopuiki-Pellegrino (right) was the infamous teacher who first asked us to build some garden beds. Sandee Rivas (left) was also one of first teachers at Kihei Elementary School and was instrumental in starting a garden program at our newest school, King Kamehameha III Elementary School, where she is now the technology coordinator.

The Food, Entertainment and Silent Auction

Maui’s most conscious instrumental funk ensemble – Three to 5! provided great music as a backdrop to the social part of the event. Food is always the #1 feature at Taste of School Gardens and once again our ten chefs blew everyone away with their fabulous creations. Guests enjoyed friends, food and drinks and the silent auction. Make sure to take a look at the detailed photos below of the delicious food, beautiful setting and look for yourself and friends.

Program – 10 Years and Progress

The program was kicked off by co-founder and first official garden coordinator, Kirk Surry with a short video about the Day in the Life of a Garden Coordinator.

The Live Auction followed. Next, Grow Some Good co-founder, Nio Kindla, engaged the audience talking about progress that is being made in our school lunch programs through the ‘Aina Pono program. School gardens are an important part of the success of the program by connecting kids with the food they are eating. A focus on nutrition and waste reduction is improving the quality of lunches served in our schools.

Taste of School Gardens -- a look at the changing face of school lunches.

In celebration of Grow Some Good’s 10 year anniversary, volunteer Peter Liu compiled a video that tells our mission and garden stories, using footage collected over 10 years. This video is technically just over three minutes long, but during the 10 year’s worth of rolling credits, precious kids quotes take up another 3 minutes! Best to watch on a big screen!

The Closing : ‘Ohana

We closed with a final paddle raiser fundraiser, and then everyone joined hands in singing ‘ohana, from Songs for Change.

Growing a strong community – ‘Ohana
Means I’ll take care of you, you take care of me – ‘Ohana

Here’s the karaoke-style video of the kids singing, which was the led at the event by Ms. Melinda Carroll and the band. Melinda was the teaching artist who helped the students compose and perform the songs on Songs for Change.

Mahalo to all who participated in the Taste of School Gardens 2019!

If you missed the event and would love to contribute to this amazing cause that is changing the way kids think about their food, connecting them with the earth and building strong minds and bodies for our future generations, we would be very grateful. Join our ‘ohana!

Donate Now!

A Message from Kathy Becklin, Executive Director

September 23, 2018September 23, 2018 Malia Bohlin 1 Comment

Kathy Becklin, Grow Some Good’s first Executive Director, has done a tremendous job managing the organization and helping it move forward in critical areas of fundraising, curriculum development, and garden management. Now, as Grow Some Good enters its tenth year of providing school gardens, she shares why she’s stepping down.

As Kathy explains, she’s not going anywhere! She will still be active as a volunteer and serve as Treasurer on the Grow Some Good Board of Directors.

View on YouTube here.

Taste of School Gardens Menu Announced!

February 22, 2017February 23, 2017 Malia Bohlin Leave a comment

Announcing the Taste of School Gardens Menu!

This week Chefs unveiled their special garden-inspired dishes for the Taste of School Gardens event on March 4th. Feast your eyes on these mouth-watering gourmet items!

Chef Peleg Miron of Spago (at left) will serve Fresh Catch Sashimi with fragrant Thai Herbs and Green Papaya Salad.

Chef Zach Sato of The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea, will serve Shrimp Poisson Cru on a Rice Cracker and Slow Cooked Baby Carrots with Tempura Watercress and Lemongrass.

Chef Craig Dryhurst of DUO at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, will prepare Aquerello Risotto cooked in Tomato Consommé with Chives, Walnut and Beet Lace and for dessert, Orange & Vanilla Poached Carrot “eclair,” with a Grand Marnier Cloud.

Chefs Jaron Blosser, Cody Christopher and Travis Morrin of Three’s Bar & Grill and Fork & Salad, are serving Peas n Carrots made with roasted Oko’a farms organic carrots, pea shoots, macadamia nut pesto, wasabi peas, goat cheese, culinary garden soil and Ni’ihau Lamb and Vegetable Chili made with ground local lamb, kabocha squash, corn, keiki grown vegetables, tomato, cheddar cheese, and sourdough focaccia.

Nicol Bradley of Ono Gelato Creamery and Shack Café will share Cruncher Ruebens made with Pastrami and Swiss with Green-Apple Horseradish Slaw on a Fresh Baked Rye Kaiser Roll with House-made Mustard and 1000-Island Dressing, Rata-tat Garlic-Chive Goat Cheese with Macadamia Nut Pesto Grilled Veggies, Tomato Salad and Kale Slaw on a Fresh Baked Mustard Hoagie Roll with House-made Mustard and Meyer Lemon Aioli, and a Banana Split made with Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry Swirled Gelato with Sliced Bananas, topped with Strawberry, Pineapple and Chocolate Fudge Sauces, finished with Whipped Cream, Macadamia Nuts & a House-Baked Cherry Topped Coconut Macaroon.

Chef John Cadman, owner of Maui Breadfuit Company and maker of Pono Pies will serve an assortment of delicious ulu (breadfruit) pies, in a variety of flavors, including chocolate, mango and lilikoi.

Chef Roger Stettler with Cow Pig Bun, will serve the House Burger: made with a Grilled Beef Patty, Focaccia bread, Roasted Garlic Bacon Aioli, Gruyere Cheese, Arugula, Balsamic Syrup and Brussel Sprouts, made with Fried Brussels, Sweet Soy, Pickled Carrots.

Chef Kevin Laut of Outrigger Pizza Company is featuring crowd-favorite Lilikoi Pork Pizza, made with a garlic aioli base, kalua pork, Maui sweet onions, sweet bell peppers, mozzarella cheese, and topped with lilikoi syrup, and Margherita Pizza, with homemade red sauce, fresh mozzarella, Romano cheese, Parmesan, Italian basil and cherry tomatoes. and White Cheddar Mushroom Pizza with a garlic aioli base, mozzarella cheese, white cheddar cheese, mushrooms, topped with truffle salt.

Wine selections are provided by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Chambers & Chambers Wine Merchants, Johnson Brothers, and Paradise Beverages. Local beers made by Maui Brewing Company.

Bon appetit!

Besides these wonderful treats, guests will enjoy live music from Maui’s Shea Derrick and Full Flavor, and beautiful ocean sunset views. Fun, unique dinner events will be featured in the live auction.

When: 5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Saturday, March 4th, 2017
Where: Hotel Wailea, 555 Kaukahi Street, Wailea, Maui
Tickets: $150 per person | $1,500 VIP Table of 10
(RSVP by February 25th for Table Reservations)

Visit our website for tickets.

Mahalo Nui Loa to Our Sponsors!

October – Farm to School Month

October 31, 2015October 31, 2015 Kathy Becklin Leave a comment

Leah Belmonte, Governor’s Representative, Maui at State of Hawaii joined Grow Some Good and MSGN at the Lipoa Farmer’s Market today to offer this official proclamation.

“… proclaim October 2015 as Farm to School Month in Hawai’i and ask all the citizens of the Aloha State to support activities that heighten the awareness of farm to school and school garden programs as successful means for improving the health and well-being of our keiki, communities and the ‘aina.”

Grow Some Good also gave away about 25 ‘ulu trees, basil, tomatoes, chard and eggplant and received generous donations to support our program.

Hawaii Governor proclaims October as "Farm to School" Month — Hawaii Governor proclaims October as “Farm to School” Month

Mahalo to Governor David Y. Ige and Lt. Governor Shan S. Tsutusi for your support and seeing the importance of our programs.

Plant a Tree of Life – Grow ‘Ulu (breadfruit)

September 21, 2015September 21, 2015 Kathy Becklin 1 Comment

Grow Some Good, in partnership with the Breadfruit Institute, National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hana, and the Plant a Tree of Life – Grow ‘Ulu Project, is providing ‘ulu tree (breadfruit) saplings to the Maui community this month in recognition of statewide and global efforts to increase the number of ‘ulu trees growing in our communities.

photo credit: Breadfruit Institute, National Tropical Botanical Garden — Photo Credit: Breadfruit Institute, National Tropical Botanical Garden

These trees are about 2.5 feet tall in gallon pots and are ready to find new, suitable homes. This popular variety of ‘ulu originated in Samoa and Tonga and has been grown in Hawaii for decades. These Ma’afala (variety) trees are fast growing, more compact shape, highly productive trees that can begin bearing fruit in as little a 2½ to 3 years. It is still a large tree though, and should be planted at least 30 feet from the nearest structure or at least 20-25 feet from other large trees or tree canopies.

ulu tree & fruit — Photo Credit: Breadfruit Institute, National Tropical Botanical Garden

Trees are available for pickup at Grow Some Good Work & Learn Days across Maui over the next month. To RESERVE your ‘ulu tree contact Nio Kindla below. Keep in touch on our Facebook page or subscribe to our newsletter for latest dates and locations of these school garden workdays.

Only one ‘ulu tree per household or location will be given away at this time. Please let us know in your email if you would like additional trees, how many, and how multiple trees at your location will support community food resilience. Additional trees will be distributed late October, as available.

First ‘ulu distribution date is this coming Saturday, September 26th at the Wailuku Elementary School Work & Learn Day from 8:30AM-11:30AM. A tree is yours in return for an hour or two of your kōkua for this workday. The trees are free of charge but if you can support local propagation of more ‘ulu trees by Grow Some Good, please consider a $5 or $10 donation.

The next distribution will be held at Kihei Elementary school’s regular second Saturday Work & Learn Day on October 10th.

For more information on the trees and this ‘ulu project see Plant a Tree of Life – Grow ‘Ulu.

There are multiple articles and images that can help in understanding the proper planting, care and maintenance of these trees. A great resource provided by National Tropical Botanical Garden!

Lokelani Waverider Pride Blooms

November 7, 2014November 7, 2014 Kirk Surry Leave a comment

This week, students at Lokelani Intermediate School continued their campus wide beautification and sustainable agriculture program with more than 100 students, teachers and volunteers gathering to Mālama ‘Āina as ohana. Garden terraces, classrooms and entries were weeded, mulched and planted with incredible enthusiasm from students.

Mahalo nui loa to the Cooke Foundation for funding and inspiring the continuation of this incredible transformation. The entire campus is filled with new life, tremendous pride, honor and laulima – many hands working together – to create a kinder, more prosperous future.

It’s happening in a school garden near you. Dig in. https://growsomegood.org/volunteer/

To see more photos by ‘Āina Angels Laura Van Wagner and Nio Kindla, VISIT OUR FACEBOOK ALBUM

RSVP: Bokashi Composting Workshop This Saturday, Sept. 13

September 9, 2014September 20, 2014 Kirk Surry Leave a comment

Grow Some Good is offering a 1 hour, hands-on workshop that will lead you through the steps to making your own Bokashi mix, as well as exploring how you can use this highly effective composting system.

For a $20 donation participants leave with one 5-gallon bucket of Bokashi mix made during the workshop! Bring you own bucket with a tight fitting lid, or for a $30 donation, Grow Some Good provides the bucket and lid. Regular market value is approx. $45/bucket.

*Special $10 donation per 5-gallon bucket for school garden programs.

The Bokashi workshop is excellent opportunity to learn about this wonderful composting additive..and great fun to boot! Nio Kindla will lead participants in a demonstration of creating the mix, which includes hand stirring batches of bran, molasses, water and the magic ingredient ‘EM’ (stands for Effective Microorganisms) together in a large tub (in the right order!) and then packing it in an airtight bucket.

Please email your RSVP by noon Friday, Sept. 12, so we order supplies in advance and reserve a bucket of Bokashi for your home or school garden.

WHEN:
Saturday, September 13
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
– Immediately following the Kihei Charter Middle School Work & Learn Day which begins at 8:30 a.m. You’re welcome to join us for all or part of the day.

WHERE:
Kihei Charter Middle School
41 E Lipoa St, Kihei, HI 96753
Notes: Located at Lipoa Center in rear of building.

RSVP (by Noon Friday):
Nio@GrowSomeGood.org

1st West Side Fundraiser with Chef Nabavi

July 9, 2014July 9, 2014 Kathy Becklin Leave a comment

Saturday, June 28, seventeen guests joined Chef Paris Nabavi at his home in Ka’anapali for a scrumptious meal, good wine and a little insight into the amazing Persian dishes he makes.

The evening started with everyone enjoying from a nice selection of wine as old friends reconnected and new friends met. Some people had been to many of Chef Nabavi’s private dinners while this was a first time for many. We gathered in his outdoor kitchen area which is right next to his garden.

We were invited inside for the unveiling of the meatballs which came out of the oven in cheesecloth packages that each looked big enough to feed a family. Chef Nabavi explained how this was a revision of a typical Persian meatball recipe and did admit that these were the largest ones he’d made. The time in preparation and care for each step to the final product shows the passion that Chef Nabavi puts into his creations.

The appetizers were served and everyone filled their plates with variety of sauces, condiments, crudités and bread that were both beautiful and tasty.

The Mega Meatball!

When the main meal was served, the meatballs suddenly seemed even bigger! Although everyone could have one, many people shared. I shared mine and still took half of it home. Chef Nabavi explained how to eat the meatball by breaking it up, letting the meats soak in the delightful saffron sauce and enjoy the fruit surprise in the middle of the meatball! This surprise was a delightful mix of fruits that perfectly complemented the meat.

Dessert was a rosewater and saffron ice cream with crispy cookies. I didn’t think I could possibly finish it but the ice cream was so light and refreshing that large bowls were emptied quickly. If you haven’t tasted this ice cream, you are missing an amazing treat.

The evening went by quickly and soon it was time to go. It was great to meet new friends and share plans for Grow Some Good.

Mahalo to Chef Nabavi and his family and staff for a wonderful meal and opening his home for this event. All money collected went straight to Grow Some Good to help fund a West Side School Garden Coordinator.

If you’d like to enjoy more of Chef Nabavi’s cooking watch for future events like this and visit him at one of his two restaurants – the new Sangrita Grill and Pizza Paradiso.

Category: Front Page Articles