Ward Courtyard Brunch returns

Nadine Kam photos
Brunch at Ward returns Sunday morning.

Ward Village Shops monthly Courtyard Brunch returns for the second time from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 17 at the Ward Village Information Center Courtyard (former IBM Building at 1240 Ala Moana Boulevard).

The festive monthly event features farm-to-table dishes served up local chefs, with produce and value-added edibles offered up by farmers, as well as live entertainment. This month’s theme is “Green,” and vendors—including Morimoto, Pig & The Lady, Whole Foods Market, EAT Honolulu and Poke Stop—will be highlighting anything from green ingredients to sustainable farming.

A $25 ticket entitles you to three bite-size dishes and a drink. It’s not a lot of food, but additional food and drink tickets are available for $7 each. And you have to remember that all proceeds benefit the Ward Village Foundation, which supports local non-profits and programs focusing on culture, community and environment.

Free parking will be available in the T.J. Maxx parking garage on Auahi Street. Reserve tickets online by visiting www.wardvillageshops.com.

To set the scene, here’s a recap of the inaugural April 12 event, themed “Women Working for Ward,” and featuring local female chefs and farmers, including pastry chefs Michelle Karr-Ueoka from MW Restaurant, and Jayme Vaniew from Morimoto Waikiki, Jill Nordby and Jamie Sexton of Holoholo General Store, chef Gida Snyder from Naked Cow Dairy, and food from MW, The Pig & The Lady, Whole Foods Market and Morimoto:


Non-flash video

Fresh fruit is a beautiful, eye-opening delight in the morning, and citrus lined the bar, where two barmen were not enough. As long lines formed, two more troops were called in.

Brunch goers caught on camera and video at April’s event.

Naked Cow Dairy’s Sabrina St. Martin shared her company’s specialty cheeses.

MW husband and wife team Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka posed at their menu board listing dishes including housemade S.P.A.M. and seafood chawanmushi, below:

MW’s housemade, crispy mochi-crusted S.P.A.M. was my favorite dish of the morning, served with tamago and nori jam. All the right flavors in a tidy bundle.

Also from MW, a duck pastrami Reuben with Ma’o Farms kohlrabi sauerkraut. Yummers!

Everyone gravitated toward the familiarity of steak and potatoes from MW, with bacon chimichurri, first, but with only three food tickets in hand, I was after something more unique.

Whole Foods Market addressed the greens in the crowd, offering up veggie poke of taro and breadfruit, and below, an avocado “carpaccio” salad with tomatoes and mixed greens.

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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.