COME CELEBRATE RICE! AT THE SECOND ANNUAL RICE FESTIVAL AT MAGIC ISLAND AT ALA MOANA BEACH PARK

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COME CELEBRATE RICE! AT THE SECOND ANNUAL RICE FESTIVAL AT MAGIC ISLAND AT ALA MOANA BEACH PARK

HONOLULU (August 8, 2011) – Come celebrate the rich heritage of rice at the 2011 Rice Festival, presented by HPELive, being held at Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach park on Sunday, September 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

September is officially designated National Rice Month by the USA Rice Federation, so come celebrate a day full of family-fun activities. The focus will, of course, be on rice, from eating rice to cooking it to learning about its history. The day will be filled with cook-offs, celebrity and chef cooking demonstrations, a Spam® Musubi eating contest, a competition to build the Guinness World Record™ for the largest Spam® Musubi, and so much more.

Attendees will also get the chance to meet Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi, the author of The Hawai`i Book of Rice: Tales, Trivia and 101 Great Recipes. The Festival’s cook-offs and demonstrations will feature professional and amateur chefs preparing the recipes they contributed to the book. The Hawai`i Book of Rice celebrates rice and the many ways that it touches our lives in Hawai`i. “For me, the smell of steaming rice is a panacea,” says Tsutsumi.  “No matter how bad a day I might have had, when I’m home and I inhale that familiar comforting scent, the sadness, worry or disappointment I’m feeling dissipates. One whiff reminds me I’m in a safe place. I’m loved. Life is again in balance.”

Tsutsumi is an award-winning travel journalist who has covered Hawai`i, Asia and the South Pacific for numerous local and Mainland publications. She has authored 12 books about Hawai`i; The Hawai`i Book of Rice is her third title for Watermark Publishing. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi whose passion for Hawai`i’s beloved grain runs deep. In her words, “Rice nourishes us; draws us together; and binds us as a community, culture and `ohana.” The Hawai`i Book of Rice will be available for purchase at the Festival; a portion of the proceeds from all copies of the book sold benefits the Hawai`i Food Bank, and a portion of the book sales at the Festival will go to Lanakila Meals on Wheels.

HPELive is also partnering with Hawai`i credit unions, The Hawai`i Food Bank and Lanakila Meals on Wheels to help the needy. The Hawai`i Food Bank and Hawai`i credit unions are asking everyone to “Have a Rice Day!” Starting Friday, September 9 until Thursday, November 10 at participating credit unions, anyone can help feed the hungry in Hawai’i by donating a 20-pound bag of rice or a monetary gift of $12. Lanakila Meals on Wheels program, which feeds needy seniors, will also be taking donations of brown rice at this year’s Rice Fest.

Participating vendors include Leonard’s Bakery, Snow Factory, Island Fruits, Kat’s Sushi, Soul Patrol, Oishi Genmai, Hawaii’s Fried Musubi, Raised on Rice, Project Grad and more.

Don’t forget your chopsticks and come celebrate a piece of Hawai`i at the Second Annual Rice Fest Sunday, September 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park.  For more information please visit www.ricefest.com. You can also follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/ricefest, or Facebook atwww.facebook.com/ricefesthawaii.
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