The Great âUlu Challenge
April 2, 2021
Story by Becky Speere
Too good to save for special occasions, chef Tylun Pangâs âUlu Chowder With Kona Lobster and Sweet Kula Corn does double duty as either a starter or a main course. No lobster? Sub a nice piece of locally caught fish instead.
When John Cadman took over the chef management of the kitchen at the Upcountry campus of Kamehameha School in 2011, one of his biggest goals was to bring âulu back into the âopu (bellies) of Hawaiian children â many of whom had never tasted this important âcanoe crop,â introduced by their ancestors who arrived here in great sailing canoes. With Western contact, breadfruit fell out of favor as a dietary staple, replaced in large part by imported potatoes and rice, and very few chefs regularly incorporated âulu into their daily menus. It still existed deep in the memories of the kÅ«puna (elders) and oldtime plantation workers, and my mother, the daughter