Download the Puna 'Ulu Festival poster.

The Puna ‘Ulu Festival will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2012 from 9 am – 3 pm at Ho‘oulu Lāhui, the site of Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School at Pū‘āla‘a, adjacent to the ‘Āhalanui County Park warm pond in Puna, Hawai'i Island. The event is free and open to the public. The Puna ‘Ulu Festival will feature a cooking contest, breadfruit trees for sale, presentations on the cultivation and care of ‘ulu trees, poi pounding, tapa making, activities for the keiki, music all day and local food featuring breadfruit.

The day will include a Breadfruit Cooking Contest in which the public can enter recipes in the categories of Appetizer, Main Dish/Entrée and Dessert. Prizes will be awarded for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place in each of these categories and for Healthiest Choice and Best in Show. Breadfruit Cooking Contest rules and entry forms will be posted here by January 31. Cooking demonstrations will be held throughout the day featuring Chef Casey Halpern from Café Pesto, Shirley Kauhaihao, a Hawaiian cultural practitioner from Kona, and the students of Kua O Ka Lā PCS.

There will be a locally sourced buffet lunch which features breadfruit and Kua O Ka Lā PCS students will be selling their award winning ‘Ulu Tamales.

Presenters include: Ryan McCormack of Kua O Ka Lā PCS speaking on “‘Ulu, A Hawaiian Perspective,” Dr. Diane Ragone and Ian Cole of the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden speaking about “An Overview of Pacific Breadfruit” and “Care and Maintenance of ‘Ulu” and Craig Elevitch of Hawai‘i Homegrown Food Network presenting on “Food Security—Pasifika Style.”

Cultural activities will be ongoing throughout the day including traditional ‘ulu poi pounding, making poi boards from ‘ulu wood, tapa from ‘ulu bark and Hawaiian quilting. Keiki activities include games and an art booth with local artists. Uncle Keikialoha Keikipi will be planting an ‘ulu tree to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Kua O Ka Lā PCS.

The event is free and open to the public. Demonstrate aloha--this is an alcohol-free and drug-free event.