Going to the source and reconnecting with the people that grow our food also has a deeper significance. They also appreciate chefs and restaurants coming to visit to see what, why, and how they are doing. This picture is of Jimmy Gomes, Operations Mgr for Ulupalakua Ranch and Alex Franco, of Maui Cattle Co. with me up country.
Gone are the days the cowboys yelled, screamed, whipped, and drove cattle to where they wanted them to go. It might take a lot longer but they just call them and believe it or not, they actually do go. Jimmy got out of his truck and called out to them to "come come come" in his own rythmic way, and in time, they got as close to us as thirty yards, and some walked over from over a hundred yards. It is a new way in producing humanely raised cattle. Happy cows are better than angry cows.
We got to see and eat elk. We got to see some parched areas still in severe drought and discovered that the green patches are the results of just one inch of rain from last week. They call themselves grass growers when they are actually cattle ranchers. They used to slaughter about fifty heads a week, now they are down to less than half . The drought has taken its toll and they almost lost their business a while ago. My interest is not only to serve guests local product, but to help others stay in business, to become more self sufficient and sustainable in Hawaii. We had a great time with Jimmy and Alex on the ranch for the whole day, I came away feeling more responsible, my head was filling up with all the many ways we could be serving their grass fed beef.