My husband and I attended the Sooper Secret Izakaya dinner at Hana Kitchens. This was our first…read moretime attending the dinner and going to Hana Kitchens. We learned from Chef Ricky that Hana Kitchens is a commercial kitchen that is used for different classes and dinners. The Hana Kitchens website lists out their events and they get booked up very quickly. Sooper Secret Izakaya was a culinary experience I cannot stop thinking about, writing this review several days later and I already want to go to another dinner cooked by Chef Ricky. His attention to detail and the thought he gives in what he's pairing on his plate made each and every single dish so amazing. His personal experiences on island and around the area of Chinatown to procure his ingredients really shone through each dish. The staff that assisted Chef Ricky also deserve their kudos for their attentive service throughout the entire meal. I cannot stop recommending to friends that they should also experience Chef Ricky's food as soon as possible. Thank you Chef Ricky for all the passion in your food and a great evening.

A lot was learned from the Falafel class taught by Chef Askar who is from Egypt. His passion to…read moreteach and share his culture made the class informative. Besides receiving the recipe, you will learn the techniques on how to make falafels and hummus, why not to use the canned chickpeas, and explanations about the spices. The finale was being served the complete meal, with the fafale made in class, hummus, baba ganoush, green salad, slices of flat bread, dessert, and a glass of wine. Much enjoyed.

Discovered them in 2020 or 2021…read more Good food at reasonable prices from a great non-profit organization. Meals are yummy & help train people for a new start & future employment. Look for their bakery pop ups! IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/CQq3bG3MYXw/

Baker's Heart is a subsidiary of Touch A Heart Catering which is a non-profit organization. I love…read moreto support local and especially it's for a good cause. You can order the Baker's Heart cookies and desserts through the Touch A Heart website and can even order their Kapuna & Family Meal Program. Their weekly three meals pack for $25.50-$30.00 provides you meals especially during this COVID19 Pandemic. Every week there's new menu and it can be picked up on Wednesday between 11am -1pm at Kalihi Union Church. Sometimes they offer the meals and bake goods on a Saturday too. I've ordered once for my parents and I but a lot of my church friends who are Kapunas, have been buying every week and been enjoying the separately packed meals and one large salad for three meals. For the present time the pick up is at Kalihi Union Church on N King St near King/Umi Street since they use the Church's commercial kitchen. You can pay by Pay pal on line or by cash at the time of pick up. Pick up location is at the Kalihi Union Church Gym area in the back. No need to get off your car. Enter from the entrance near the First Hawaiian bank side and drive all the way in the back and as you turn right along the building is where the pick up spot. You can exit by the other entrance/exit by the traffic light near Jack in the box. You can read more about the organization through their article featured on Hawaii Business. Baker's Heart which I mainly doing the review for is only $5 for the cookie pack or 2-pack scones, loaf or individual dessert! The cookies especially is unique and not sold in stores so it makes people happy to receive them as gifts. I haven't tried them all but Baker's Heart have many variety of cookies made of quinoa and flax seeds and they even have a pack of individual desserts such as brownies, lemon bars, scones, Okinawan sweet potato, haupia, tiramisu and more. They make perfect gifts, omiyage, favors, office gifts and for events. It's only $5! Right now the hotels are closed and they are usually do business with them! You won't be disappointed with their bake goods! You will feel great supporting them knowing you are helping a good cause. Their mission is "to transform the lives of those who is facing barriers to employment by providing vocational training in a healing and nurturing environment creating pathways to job placements. " Proceeds will help expand their culinary training & apprenticeship program. I just love the espresso with white chocolate chips. The cookies are uniform in size and is pretty crispy since they are on the thinner side but the quinoa and flax seeds makes it so different and crunchy. The cranberry one is good and one with the ulu flour is great since it's gluten free. The peanut butter one was okay in my opinion. Scones was good and comes in a pair in a nice container. One day I need to try the individual desserts like tiramisu and brownies! Cookies make great gifts because of the shelf life. Cookies taste yummy cold when I keep them in the refrigerator :) They are still working out the catering side Touch A Heart but wanted to share mainly on the Baker's Heart side. See their website Or can email with questions to info@touchahearthawaii.org. Thanks for reading my review ! :)

As much as I like to eat, learning the techniques, tips and tricks of a real chef is a priceless…read moregift. Dear friends of mine planned a day for us with Lisa, who made everything look effortless! From the incredible setting in Lisa's spacious kitchen to the actual sit down meal served with a stunning view of Diamond Head, ocean and sky --- it was flawless! Our custom plant-based menu began with making dessert. Why you ask? A chef knows you start with the item that takes the longest to make. Everyone got to help make the strawberry peach fruit crisp, from slicing the fruit to making the crumble topping. The forbidden black rice with herbs, cashews and coconut was next, followed by green beans with a toasted sesame "dressing" and the ubiquitous miso soup with wakame, shimeji mushrooms and silken tofu. Meanwhile, Lisa also whipped up pan fried tofu with a scallion chili ponzu. Deeelicious!! Lisa patiently and eloquently explained the ingredients and where she sourced them. We tasted an amazing sesame seed found only in Kyoto and a flavorful soy sauce with a round mouthful that made all others pale in comparison. Needless to say we were awestruck and enlightened. Every bite was savored and every flavor stamped in memory! I'll not soon forget this amazing experience with a trained nutritionist who turned cooking into a culinary adventure! Even the pictures may not tell the whole story as all the ingredients held their own and shined in a way that turned the ordinary into extraordinary. Thank you to Lisa and my dear friends Tracy, Cheri, Laura, Susan and Velvet for the Best. Birthday. Surprise. Ever! Highly recommend!

We had the best time with Wellness Hawaii! We booked this as part of a Christmas gift for our kids,…read more17 & 14. Lisa was accommodating with a family member's allergies and helped us pick the perfect menu for my picky eaters. The kids had the best time making gyoza! They even were surprised at how much they liked the dessert (made with tofu)! We learned so much and plan to make the dishes at home. I cannot recommend this experience enough! If you are visiting Oahu - this is one of the best experiences you can book. If you live here, the view alone is worth it! I will definitely be back with some friends to celebrate their retirements.

My husband surprised me with a cooking class with Linda and it was one of the best experiences thus…read morefar! The class is at Linda's house and it is BEAUTIFUL. Upon walking in, we were greeted by her pig and her little fur babies which we LOVED!! Her house is beautiful and so welcoming- you feel like home when you're there and when she's talking to us and teaching us, it feels like you and your friends are chatting and catching up. She has this personality that draws you in and has so many stories about her adventures! Our class consisted of 5 people including my husband and I, so fairly small and we made 3 different types of poke, deluxe spam musubi, coconut shrimp and coconut butter mochi. All of them are drool worthy and what I think was amazing is that she shares little tips and tricks about what she puts in her food to make it even better! Honestly, the ahi poke that we made was the best I've ever had and it cuts and melts in your mouth like butter!!! Along with all of Linda's wisdom about cooking, she also teaches you about local Hawaiian culture, words and history about how each food became what it is today. All in all, we are going to come back to take another class! We loved the atmosphere, the delicious food, and the rich history that makes Hawaii Hawaii. If anyone is local or visiting the island and cooking classes interest you and it aligns with your schedule, take her class! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!

The class is informative and Linda is such a cool and genuine person you will wish she adopts you…read more Had a blast learning new cooking techniques and history of the dishes. Also many little dogs and a lovely sassy pig. We felt so welcomed in her home and would highly recommend these classes are a fun time for any food lover.

a brilliant private dining experience. worth the trip to hawaii just for this night!!!!!read more

We had That Girl Cooks cater dinner for our family one night when we were on Oahu. Everything was…read morefabulous from start to finish. Communication was great and the food was phenomenal. There wasn't one thing that we didn't like. Angela is FANTASTIC, highly recommend it!

Unbelievable magic and even more sendsational food-- absolutely the very best dining that I have…read moreever experience. Thank you for a time of my life. Ethan is a chef that is the very best but he also adds super personality that other lack. I highly recommend you call him Mahalo gary

Amazing service & food from Chef Ethan! A four-course meal that left us all wanting more! Be sure…read moreto hire Chef Ethan for your next special lunch or dinner to ensure a truly spectacular experience. A magic show with dessert - what more can you ask for. We look forward to our next trip out to Oahu from the mainland to experience a different menu from Chef Ethan.

My latest K-Drama watching binge has made me hungry for Korean food so when I read about Korean…read morecooking classes at the Culinary Institute, I signed up. There were 2 sessions and each class was limited to 16 participants and I was told the class books up quickly. The August class "Cooking Local Favorites: Korean" was taught by Chef Grant Sato, winner of the 2015 Global Taste of Korean International Cooking Competition. In the 4 hour class we cooked 3 recipes: Soondubu Jjigae (soft tofu stew) with tofu made from scratch!, Miyeokguk (Korean seaweed soup with beef), and Dakjjim (braised chicken with noodles and vegetables) Chef Sato's competition winning dish. Classes are held at the Culinary Institute of the Pacific's beautiful new kitchens on 4500 Diamond Head Road. Parking is right in front of the building and you are advised to wear close toed shoes and long pants. You can bring an apron if you want (I did not). All ingredients and cooking equipment are provided. Masks are required for participants. Upon arrival you are given the recipes and assigned to a station, 2 students to a station. My son took the class with me and we got the station right in front of the demo area which was nice. The stations each have two sinks, a stove, knives, pans, and the assistants bring you the ingredients for each dish. Chef Sato gives a demonstration at the front of the kitchen and everyone watches, then goes back to their stations to replicate what he just showed. The 4 hours pass quickly, there is much to do. I even learned how to cut up a whole chicken (my son would not touch it.) One of the things I really liked about this was finding out what exact ingredients Chef uses in his cooking so I took lots of pictures of the products. The resulting dishes were all delicious and we packed them up and took them home. There was a lot of food, enough for several dinners. I will definitely take more classes here! HINT: Since you are sharing a station, its fun to sign up with a buddy.

KCC Culinary School RULES!…read more The newest addition to KCC is The Culinary institute of the pacific located at the old Canon Club on Diamond Head Road. There is a gorgeous kitchen with state of the art preparation stations for each student, KCC has done a remarkable job to propel their Culinary program forward and upward. This first time, I had the privilege of visiting the kitchen facilities as well as sample food prepared by the students at the Culinary Institute for a contest sponsored by 7/11 Stores in an effort to expand on their 2019 take out bento menu. The contest will garner 2 winners with purse of $1000 and $750 respectively for the 1st and 2nd place winners. There were eight contenders. Each entry had to contain local ingredients, healthy with conscience to nutritional value and the preparation cost price point had to be something reasonable for 7-Eleven to be able to resell the lunch meal. The meal had to also withstand the heat as it sits under the heating element waiting to be purchased. I enjoyed their sampling process. We got to try each entry served in something more than bite sized portions, chat with each contestant about their creation, chat with the educating staff at the Culinary Institute and always with Yelp Events we got to visit and chat with fellow Yelpers old and new. Congrats to all 8 entrants and kudos to both 1st and 2nd place winners! Be sure to stop in and visit a 7/11 store next year to try these great creations

I would 100% recommend Course Hawaii for a catering experience. My family was just on Oahu and…read moreCourse provided two wonderful meals for a family of 12. Everyone I worked with, from Louise to Chef Marceau, and servers Genevieve and Lauren were wonderful.

We were looking for someone who would cater our wedding at a secluded beach on Labor day weekend…read moreand found Course on IG as they have done some great work and they had great reviews on yelp as well. They have even worked for celebrities such as the Rock. The reason why is that Chef Andrew and his team are absolutely fantastic! We had a party of about 70 guests, and the Course team helped serve all the food and drinks. Everyone praised their professionalism and great attitude throughout the night and to this day. Best of all, everyone is still raving about the food. Some people have told me that "it was the best wedding food they have ever had." The appetizers were sliders and garlic shrimp. The short rib and fresh white fish were showstopper entrees and all the sides garlic noodles, rice, potatoes and veggies really completed the meal! Chef Andrew also offers a oyster bar and that was a huge hit! FYI order more than less as folks were destroying these oysters and Chef was putting in work shucking them to order. We really wanted to thank Course for making our special day extremely successful and would definitely recommend them to anyone hosting an event in Oahu!

Friends and I had dinner and then lunch a few days later at the KCC Culinary Arts restaurant in the…read moreŌh'ia building at Kapi'olani Community College. They had such a wonderful selection of appetizers and entrees covering all parts of the world from Mediterranean to Asian dishes with local ingredients! I had paté, beef Wellington, kanpachi and ahi and seafood in white dashi. And their desserts (no pics as I got mine to go) - you must not miss selecting something from their cakes, tarts, pies and cookies! Prices are very reasonable as the students are learning in this live restaurant environment to serve and cook (I did something similar in San Francisco, it's not easy!). My meals averaged $48 (there is no tipping but there is a donation box at the door - don't forget!). Mahalo nui loa, KCC Culinary Arts! We enjoyed our meals!

Had early dinner (5pm) reservations and second time to this great dinner. We kind of compared it to…read morelast years fare which was just as delicious. The menu was basically the same because they are training the culinary students and front of the house service staff. Micah and Mario was great, answered all our questions of the ingredients used. I had beef Wellington last year so I tried the Branzino this year. Great meal, great service!!!

Uniquely Kawaii…read more.. That's what CAS Crafts & Collectibles is, located in Pearlridge Center this little kiosk cart is filled to the brim top to bottom with all thinks kawaii not just stationaries and accessories but plushies and decor. Pearlridge Center is filled with many places anime and Kpop though here they just seem to find items that aren't found anywhere else and at such great prices what a find to see items that are so special and makes my gift giving a breeze! What a find including some Line Friends items which is just the most difficult ones to find and they have it here yay!! My bestie have apparently discovered this place which I have known for quite some time but haven't had the chance to write a review but they certainly deserve the five stars for the selection and friendly staff who points out the matching item to pair with whatever direction I'm going and that's a ten star team! Thank you!

Super cute merchandise at a kiosk in Aiea, O'ahu, Hawaii…read more.. Strolling through Pearlridge Mall, I didn't expect to see Brown and Cony, but there they were... As angels together! How can I resist? Located between TJ Maxx and Macy's, this section of Pearlridge used to be called Downtown, but now, it's Wai Makai. I wasn't going to buy anything... Really... We had just finished breakfast and had time before lunch... CAS Crafts & Collectables has so many cute items - pens, stationary, keychains, plushies, etc. I actually found Brown and Choco pillows from Line Friends (the Korean version of Sanrio). I had to get the Brown plushie for my friend's birthday next month! She'll luv it!!! I don't want to show her the Brown and Cony angel plushies... There was only one... and it was priced lower than an online store (plus - avoid paying shipping)!!! It's also better to get items from this kiosk - rather than going to Korea to buy them! Haha! Come take a look! There are unique things here! ... and service was very friendly and helpful!