WHAT WE LOVE NOW

Hawaiian Vanilla

Established in 1998 and still owned by the Reddekopp family, the Hawaiian Vanilla Co. welcomes guests to visit their sprawling farm and tour their vanilla vines after enjoying an intimate, gourmet lunch featuring their vanilla products. The two-hour experience is o ered Monday through Friday beginning at 12:30 p.m. and begins with guests selecting a beverage of their choice. Whether enjoying their vanilla lemonade, vanilla iced tea or a blend of the two called the “Jimmy Boy,” guests are refreshed before embarking on their vanillainfused adventure. The coursed lunch continues with highlights including their fresh greens tossed in vanilla raspberry balsamic dressing and a vanilla-bourbon marinated chicken breast served atop vanilla sweet bread buns and garnished with caramelized onions and their vanilla mango chutney. After lunch concludes, attendees are taken to tour the grounds while they learn about the history of the company and the cultivation of vanilla beans. As the afternoon winds down, guests can explore the Hawaiian Vanilla Co. store to purchase their pure vanilla extract or whole vanilla beans as well as products that incorporate their vanilla like the Island Pineapple Chutney or Vanilla Garam Masala Spice Rub.

Hawaiian Vanilla Co.; 43-2007 Pa‘auilo Mauka Road, Pa‘auilo, HI 96727; (808) 776-1771; www.hawaiianvanilla.com; Lunch and tour available Monday to Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Tour only available Monday to Saturday from 1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Stay Cool

Cool down after a hot day at the original shave ice spot on the island and delight in some of the most inventive flavor combinations around. inventive flavor combinations around. The Original Big Island Shave Ice Co., or OBISIC for short, dates to 1957 when Lorraine Kaono began to drive her mobile store, called Waimea Home to Home Market, through neighborhoods to sell vegetables, meats, candy, cold soda and shave ice. In 1976, she renamed her business Lorraine’s Snack Mobile and continued to sell sweets to locals for decades becoming affectionately known as “The Shave Ice Lady.” The company grew and in 2013, her son Reginald Ignacio opened their Waikoloa store which is now in their fourth generation of family operation. When visiting their store, guests have three routes to take to place an order. They can either select one of their tried-and-true, pre-made flavor combinations like the Lava Flow or Rainbow Cream, indulge in a specialty flavor combination like the Almond Joy or Root Beer Float or make their own original creation. To do this, guests start by choosing the size of their shave ice followed by ice cream options that sit below the fluffy shaved ice. Syrup options follow ranging from sweet cotton candy to extravagant strawberry cream, or flavors made from real fruit juice like guava and liliko‘i. Once the first three steps are complete, the final choice is to select which toppings they would like to decorate their mountain-high masterpiece.

Original Big Island Shave Ice Co. in the Waikoloa Kings Shops; 250 Waikoloa Beach Drive, Waikoloa, HI 96738; (808) 865-6069; www.obisic.squarespace.com; Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.