Your Insider Guide to Empty Bowl Hawai‘i
Slurp soup from top chefs to support the Feed the People Hawai‘i program on Sept. 27.
Photo: Courtesy of Empty Bowl Hawai‘i
After a six-year hiatus, Empty Bowl Hawai‘i is back serving up chef-prepared comfort food and one-of-a-kind ceramics for a good cause. The Hawai‘i Potters’ Guild is reviving the beloved tradition to benefit Chef Hui and Aloha Harvest’s Feed the People Hawai‘i program, creating nutritious meals for the community and strengthening Hawai‘i’s food resilience.
Here’s how it works: guests enjoy a selection of hearty soups and artisanal breads from more than a dozen renowned restaurants and choose a bowl to take home from more than 3,000 hand-thrown pieces crafted by local potters. The bowl is a unique souvenir but also serves as a reminder that hunger is a daily reality for many across our islands.
Empty Bowl began in Michigan in the 1990s as part of The Empty Bowls Project, a global grassroots movement to fight hunger. Since then, it has spread across the United States and found a home in Hawai‘i beginning in 2009. This year, organizers expect 1,500 attendees.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
When and Where
Empty Bowl Hawai‘i is set for Saturday, Sept. 27, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, 1801 Kalākaua Ave.
How Much It Costs
If you buy tickets by Sept. 1, you can score the early bird general admission price of $81.88, which includes a handmade ceramic bowl and four soup choices served with bread or pūpū. After Sept. 1, the general admission ticket price increases to $97.88.
VIP tickets are also available for purchase online through Sept. 1. For $135.23, you’ll get early access to the event at 5:30 p.m., plus a handmade ceramic bowl and eight soup choices served with bread or pūpū.
A handful of tickets may be available at the door, but we recommend buying tickets as early as possible. Organizers expect the event to sell out.
Where to Park
Parking at the Hawai‘i Convention Center is $15 per entry (no overnight or in/out privileges). Enter the convention center’s parking structure from Kalākaua Ave.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
The Food
Wander from station to station to taste globally inspired soup, stew, jook and more from local chefs. The hardest part will be choosing which ones to try! Beverages will also be available for purchase. Here’s what’s on the menu:
53 by the Sea
Chef: Dave Caldiero
Dish: Ni‘ihau Lamb and Farro Soup – Ni‘ihau lamb, farro, pesto
Feast
Chef: Charly Song
Dish: Mushroom Cappuccino – OK Farms’ mushrooms with dashi and umami crema
Istanbul Hawai‘i
Chef: Ahu Hettema
Dish: Kisir Palaha – cracked Anatolian bulgur, Ho Farms tomato, Kahamana lemon, Ma‘o Organic Farms greens, Kona sea salt, Aegean EVOO, Urfa pepper, served on Sensei Farms lettuce
Kapa Hale
Chef: Randon Tsue
Dish: Malaysian Curry with Roasted Ho Farms Butternut Squash, Pipian Verde
Levy Restaurants – Hawai‘i Convention Center
Chef: Brooke Tadena
Dish: Kiawe-Smoked Salmon Ochazuke – kiawe-smoked salmon, ikura, koshihijari rice, house-made furikake, green tea
Little Plum
Chef: Casey Kusaka
Dish: Mushroom Jook – chicken confit, ginger, cilantro
MW Restaurant
Chef: Kaleb Molina
Dish: Seafood Bisque – lobster, shrimp and crab bisque
Nui Kealoha
Chef: Kealoha Domingo
Dish: Vegan Lau Stew – roasted sweet potato, house kim chee
O’Kims
Chef: Hyun Kim
Dish: Mandoo Soup – pork dumplings with beef bone broth
Pai
Chef: Kevin Lee
Dish: Cucumber Vichyssoise – chilled cucumber soup, crab, corn and ginger
Pili Group
Chef: Nick Erker
Dish: Maui Nui Venison Guisada with ʻulu, achiote chili oil and red rice
The Local General Store
Chefs: Harley and Jason Chow
Dish: Filipino-Style Lamb Bindongo – Kako‘o ‘Oiwi Lamb Soup, Nose-to-Tail
The Pig & The Lady
Chef: Andrew Le
Dish: Canh Hua – a hearty Vietnamese garden soup with market vegetables
Vintage Books
Chef: Jennifer Berndt
Dish: “Furansu” Onion Soup – enriched dashi, sweet onion, kiri mochi, gruyere cheese
Photo: Courtesy of Empty Bowl Hawai‘i
The Pottery
Admire the selection of more than 3,000 ceramic bowls crafted by local artisans and choose one to take home as a keepsake (not to eat out of at the event). Each unique bowl was hand-thrown, glazed and fired in a kiln by these island studios, schools and organizations:
- Fishcake/Fishschool
- Honolulu Museum of Art School
- ‘Iolani School
- Kamehameha Schools
- Kapi‘olani Community College
- La Pietra Hawai‘i School for Girls
- Leeward Community College
- Mid-Pacific Institute
- Moanalua High School
- Punahou School
- Roosevelt High School
- Sacred Hearts Academy
- University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
- Windward Community College
Photo: Courtesy of Empty Bowl Hawai‘i
Tips
- Arrive early to have the first pick of your ceramic bowl.
- Dining will be at high top tables, so wear comfortable shoes for standing.
- Don’t wear white. Think of the soup splatter!
Empty Bowl Hawai‘i, Saturday, Sept. 27, 6 to 9 p.m., Hawai‘i Convention Center, 1801 Kalākaua Ave., Ala Moana, emptybowlhawaii.org, @emptybowlhawaii
Laura Dornbush is a regular contributor to HONOLULU Magazine. @ldornbush
