For me, nothing signals the start of summer like freshly picked corn on the cob, bright red, vine-ripened tomatoes, and the smell of a BBQ just fi red up, the sound of conversation and laughter close by. School’s out and family & friends come together…summer’s the best season ever. What triggers summer for you?

When I visit restaurants, I always try to get a sneak-peek backstage at the kitchen where the real work happens. Line cooks are the heart and soul of the kitchen. My friend, Chef John Cox, shares his perspective on the subject. Chef John spent several years in Hawaii and now cooks in California. His story resonated with me and I felt compelled to share his perspective. Special thanks to edible Monterey Bay for allowing us to share his story.

It seems that, everywhere I look, I’m seeing octopus on menus. Memories fl ood my mind of my son as a teenager, catching his fi rst octopus in the ocean fronting our family home. But how does one cook this wild looking creature? We were intrigued and went exploring on Hawaii Island where we found an octopus farm and came away with a few special recipes to share.

A reader proposed a question recently that led me on a short journey to seek an answer. In a state that is dominated by GMO grown corn, can you still fi nd organically grown corn for sale? We asked one of our favorite writers, Fern Gavelek, to share her fi ndings.

There’s nothing like a plump, red tomato, ripened on the vine, and warmed by the summer sun. We decided to invite chef and writer David Viviano to talk story about his favorite fruit and share a few recipes from his own kitchen.

And finally, who better than Shannon Wianecki to tell a story about backyard IMU? These underground ovens have been used for hundreds of years in Hawaii, but do you know the cultural signifi cance of selecting the correct imu rocks or why we layer in green banana stumps? Shannon builds an IMU with Hawaiian friends and shares her personal experience.

Dive in to this issue with abandon, just as you would dive into the ocean a hot summer’s day. Let it remind you of the magic of the summer months and all the bounty they off er. And give us a call! We love it when readers share their thoughts and discoveries of the Hawaiian Islands.

With aloha,
Dania Novack Katz
Publisher / Editor