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Fifteen years ago, many restaurants in Hawaii cooked with frozen fish and imported produce, and travel writers used to say that if you wanted great food, you had to bring it with you. That changed when Sam Choy, one of 12 chefs who created Hawaiian Regional Cuisine, a culinary movement that changed eating in the islands, began working with local farmers to increase the use of locally grown produce, meats, and seafood. This has provided one-of-a-kind items such as Puna goat cheese, Waimanalo salad greens, Kahuku prawns, and the freshest catch from the surrounding waters. With such a wide array of culinary influences and fresh ingredients at hand, a trip to this tropical archipelago is sure to be a delicious experience.
 1. Sample poke, a traditional Hawaiian dish featuring sliced raw fish or seafood mixed with seaweed, salt, chile peppers and 'inamona, which are roasted, salted, and ground kukui nuts.
2. To eat like a local, try the "plate lunch", a staple in every islander's diet. Typical plate lunch entrees include mahi-mahi, beef chili, chicken katsu, beef stew, teriyaki chicken, teri beef, plus two scoops of white rice and a scoop of macaroni salad.
3. Popular snacks include Manapua, a steamed bun filled with Chinese barbecued pork; saimin, a Japanese noodle soup; malassadas, Portuguese sugared donuts, and pipikaula, Hawaiian-style jerked beef.
4. Attend a lu'au, offered by many hotels and resorts, to experience a traditional Hawaiian feast.
5. Save money by going to restaurants for pupus (appetizers) during "pau hana" (happy hour).
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