Frolic Foodie Advent Calendar: Local Kine Gifts for Days 1–5
Our team’s ‘onolicious local gift ideas are coming to you in a five-part series, starting right here with Days 1 to 5.
Graphic: James Nakamura
We know you, you’re eating your last stashes of Halloween candy while planning your Thanksgiving dish AND your Christmas gift list. Same here. So we came up with our first-ever Frolic Foodie Advent Calendar, with 25 gift ideas for 25 days of giving.
Some are edible or drinkable, others are foodie-themed. All are made in these Islands or sold at locally owned small businesses. You can find them online or at places on O‘ahu, listed below. We’ll be bringing them to you five gift ideas at a time, every week, in a five-part series that starts here. Happy giving!
SEE ALSO: Frolic Foodie Advent Calendar: Local Kine Gifts for Days 6-10
Guava Li Hing Gummies
Photo: Mari Taketa
What’s to love: The chew on these gummy bears is not too sticky, not too bouncy, but juuust right. Add the guava tang and generous bits of peel, and you can see why this was a hit at our staff meeting. Props for packaging in a jar and not a bag. Note: We were so excited, we started eating before we remembered to take a photo.
How much: $6.99 for a 6-ounce jar with Maika‘i card through Nov. 26, then $8.39
Where to find: Foodland and Foodland Farms stores
Hawaiian Krunch Granola
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
What’s to love: Someone who travels a lot told us this makes good omiyage, so we tried it out. Verdict: Canoe crops do make good granola! Flavors balance coconut, honey, warm seasonings and mac nuts with crunchy niblets of ‘ulu, kalo and ‘uala (our fave because it comes with cacao nibs). Handmade in small batches in Upcountry Maui.
How much: $17.99 for a 10-ounce bag in stores; $34.99 for a sampler pack of three 5-ounce bags or $39.99 for a sampler gift box at hawaiiankrunch.com
Where to find: ChefZone, Farm Link, hawaiiankrunch.com
Info: hawaiiankrunch.com
SEE ALSO: The Snack You Didn’t Know You Needed: Hawaiian Krunch Turns Canoe Crops Into Granola
Kakimochi and Chex Mix Coasters
Photo: Courtesy of Jana Lam Hawai‘i
What’s to love: These two-sided coasters are hand-printed at Jana Lam’s small studio in Kaka‘ako. A third layer sandwiched in between adds stability. We love that these are made from leftover scrap material, meaning less waste. And it’s kakimochi and Chex Mix!
How much: $38
Where to find: janalam.com
Food, Ka Mea ‘Ai
Photo: Mari Taketa
What’s to love: Written in conversational English and ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, this picture book introduces keiki ages 1 to 5 to the names of local foods like mango and noodles. Part of Resi Suehiro’s six-book Little Island Readers series, whose other topics include recycling, shave ice and endangered animals. Maika‘i loa!
How much: $10.95
Where to find: Da Shop, Bess Press
Photo: Mari Taketa
SEE ALSO: Da Shop’s Greatest Hits: Volume 1
Kvasir’s Mead
Photo: Courtesy of Village Bottle Shop
What’s to love: New meads from Hawai‘i Island—Kvasir’s started out in Mountain View in 2021—are made from the family’s generations-old Polish recipes. Ingredients come from Big Island beekeepers and natural farmers, and each mead comes with a story (our current fave: Yeastie Boys. Read it on the website.) In stock at Village Bottle Shop in Kaka‘ako are 500-ml bottles of Yeastie Boys, a banana-longan mead; White Rabbit, a banana-vanilla mead; and Dark Horse, a medieval black or bochet mead.
How much: Dark Horse $25.99, White Rabbit and Yeastie Boys $28.99
Where to find: Village Bottle Shop in Kaka‘ako
Info: kvasirsmead.com
