Sonia's note: My son Anthony and I owned and operated a B&B, cooking school, gift shop, deli and sustainable garden for several years. The Akaka Falls Inn was named after the waterfalls which are a landmark and tourist destination just a couple of miles up from the village. The Inn was housed in an old plantation building which burned in July 2000.
Except for the one of the Inn all lit up, all photos were taken on Christmas Day afternoon 1996 by our friend Janet Carol, who used to attend our Christmas Day open house every year. She recently shared the photos with us.
A TALE OF CHRISTMAS PAST
One of the occasions I miss the most during the Christmas Holidays is our annual Christmas Day Potluck at the Inn on Christmas Day late afternoon.
This tradition started in 1996 and continued every year until the Christmas before the Inn was destroyed by fire.
Akaka Falls Inn all ready for Christmas - 1998
The planning for the first one started during a conversation between friends as to how we all worked so hard to prepare for Christmas Dinner, sat at the table and then in less than an hour you ate and then lounged around noshing on leftovers all afternoon.
Someone said that we should invite friends and neighbors to bring their leftovers to the Inn and get them all together for a large potluck. Anthony started talking it up to anyone that would listen
and everyone thought it was a great idea.
Christmas tree decorated with live anthuriums and a spray of yellow popcorn orchids on top in the family breakfast room next to the kitchen.
The afternoon of that first Christmas Day we had no idea of what to expect. The Inn's façade was all lit up since we always entered the village's Christmas light contest. We decorated the dining room, and set the table buffet style. Our Christmas tree was all decked in little white lights and fresh red anthuriums. I made gallons and gallons of mango punch, set out our food contributions and waited to see what was to happen.
Starting to make the mango punch - family breakfast room at the Inn
Soon people started dropping by; some with leftovers and some with dishes specially made for the occasion… Before we knew it, we had people from as far as Hilo dropping by and even some tourists that Anthony had talked to a couple of days before and were at loose ends for the Holiday!
This table centerpiece is made using a wire tomato cage sitting on a large aluminum catering tray. The tomato cage is then filled with a stack of several blocks of soaked florist's oasis.
The greeney is an assortment of little branches from mock orange, small round eucalyptus, Portuguese cedar, short needle pine and the foliage from small bamboo orchids, which grow wild by the side of our roads. I then inserted a few small red anthuriums.
Since then, the Christmas Day "Christmas Dinner Leftover Potluck Open House" became a tradition at the Akaka Falls Inn.
LEWIS MOORE'S APPLE WONTONS
We always looked forward to this contribution to the Christmas Day potlucks. Lewis, his wife Lina and son Trevor, from Papaikou were yearly regulars at this event. I recently twisted Lewis' arm for his recipe.
1 package Wonton Pi (wrappers or skins)
1 can organic apple pie filling
Cinnamon powder, to taste
Brown sugar (optional)
Macadamia nut or Canola oil for frying
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Lewis says there are usually several brands of wonton pi on the same shelf at the supermarket, but he prefers and buys the wrappers made locally in Hilo. There are 25 wrappers to the package.
He suggests chopping up the canned apple filling a bit since they are usually processed in larger slices than you want for the wontons. Add the cinnamon and brown sugar, if needed. We like raisins, so for us, I would add raisins to the filling.
Add a dab of the filling to one side of the wonton wrapper, brush with a little bit of water on the inside edges and then bring the other half over. Press to seal. Give the edges a little twist with
fingers to make a little ruffle. Fry lightly in about one inch of oil, turning once, until evenly golden.
Put some confectioners' sugar in a plastic Ziploc bag. Add a few wontons at a time and shake to cover. Arrange on a platter and keep them warm until ready to serve.
MANGO PUNCH
A staple at the Inn for any occasion! Unfortunately, the base was Mango Tang powder, which Kraft has discontinued selling in the States. Last year when I was visiting the mainland I found some in a
small Mexican market being sold under a Spanish name, but still made by Kraft. Needless to say, I stocked up on it.
Mango flavor powder
1 gallon of water
I large can unsweetened pineapple juice
Sprite or Ginger Ale, to taste
Mix the mango powder with water a little bit stronger than directed on the package. Add the pineapple juice. Taste to make sure the flavors are well balanced. Add the Sprite or Ginger Ale just before serving.
I always made an "ice ring" using the mango and pineapple juice combined. This way as the ring starts melting; the punch does not get watery like it would if using ice.
Wishing all of you a very Happy Holiday. Mele Kalikimaka!
Sonia
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Comments: 34
Wonderful, and Colorful wish I was around there for the festivities, you are quite the host :)
The most creative way I have ever seen a tomato cage being used...Truely talented and crafty :) Totally Beautiful !!!!! : ))
Joanne, I love using the stuff around me..........thanks for your comments!
Sarina, the apple wontons are delicious! We used to enter the Inn every year for the decoration competition and won 4 firsts and tied for 1st our 5th year! It was so much fun to come up with different themes every year!
Barbra, we loved that building. It had a lot of history to it. The family breakfast room was also a favorite of mine.
Yes, there is a mango slicer made by Oxo in their Good Grips series and they just call it Mango splitter.. If you get one and use it, be sure to get all the good pulp still left around the seed!!!
Thank you, Nicole!!
thank you, Jenna, it was a wonderful place...but of course, I'm prejudiced....;-) - No one would believe me when I told them it was a tomato cage turned upside down!!!
Donna, wouldn't that be a hoot!!! if you find out for sure let me know, please! The wontons are every bit as good as they sound!
Marsha, we go to the farmer's market in Hilo on the last day market day just before Christmas - big market days are Wednesday and Saturday and that is when all the best produce and flowers can be found - and that is when we buy our anthuriums......the tree is set up with lights and we don't put the flowers on until the day last big market day before Christmas, so they can stay fresher longer.......We mist them at night, just enough...
Mele Kalikimaka to you also!
We just recently reconnected with Janet, who took and shared the photos with us. She goes to the same pool for aqua therapy where we go. When she told me she had photos of one of the events I jumped at it! She was also a guest this year at our Thanksgiving potluck picnic.
Thanks for the 10!
Hope your holidays now are just as wonderful.
I enjoyed this piece and it made me feel strangely attached to something I haven't experienced. My only critique is that from the beginning of the article I wanted to know where Akaka Falls is located and what "village" you were referencing. I know I've been there (near Hilo you say eventually) but I wanted a visual from the beginning. It helps the reader to really step into your shoes -- that's if the reader knows where on the map those shoes travel. :0) Thank you for the recipes!
Thank you KM. I never forget the reason for the celebration and my Nativy set is always brought out as part of my celebrating.
Thank you, Thomas. Your comment meant a lot to me.
There is something about this place that grabs you.....my first visit to this island and Hilo area was back in the late 70's, never dreaming I would eventually live here.
My son moved here in 92 and I came to visit him for 3 weeks in 93.....he twisted my arm and conveinced me this was the place for me. I agreed. Gave myself a year to take care of things back on the mailand and get rid of my kitchen shop there.................and a year and a week later I moved, kit and cabbodle and have been here ever since.
Except for family living so far away, this was the best decision I have ever made to relocate!!!
Others come with unreasonable expectations and are not willing to compromise. I would not say that the rich have cornered the place.... We are not rich or even considered well to do. We are like the majority of the people of our age who "live" here.....my son is on disability and I'm on SS which we try to increase a bit by other small means - I write food columns and wrote a cookbook - and will never become rich by any means, but I can't say we live poorly.
You learn how and where to shop pretty quickly. You don't need to keep up with the Joneses and nobody cares what kind of car you drive, jewelry you wear or even how you dress. A native seed or shell necklace is admired more than expensive jewelry. You don't need winter clothing and there are definitely no winter heating bills......
Tourism is big, yes, but it is not the only way to make it here....and there are rich and poor people here just like anywhere else.
I love living here and cannot imagine living anywhere else.....I have lived in large cities and in small towns, both in Cuba and in the States....and I can say in all honesty that this is the best place to live of all of them in my opinion.... I can live better with much less money here than if I was living back in Miami or in NC.....
If I ever have to leave the islands it will not be by choice.
;-)))
If it's for you to ever live here, it will come to pass. As I said, being away from family is the only hard part.
I have enjoyed our chat.....