Trip to Hawaii leads to new recipes

Anne Dahlquist just returned from a dream cruise to the Hawaiian Islands aboard the Pride of America. Six couples from Cadillac flew to Honolulu to board the Norwegian Cruise Line's new U.S. Flag brand ship. From the ship's port in Honolulu, the inter-island cruise took the couples to Nawiliwili, Kauai; Hilo, Hawaii; Kona, Hawaii, and then Maui before returning to Honolulu.

Anne and Ron Dahlquist are experienced cruisers and they fondly remember the elegance of cruise ships in the 80s. And even though the Pride of America boasts 660 balcony staterooms, eight restaurants, three pools, tennis courts and an art gallery, the couple could only give their cruise a rating of three out of 10. The sights of Hawaii were glorious, but on board - slow service was a daily annoyance. Rumors spread that 23 dining staff quit the day before. And another rumor explained the slow service by saying that slow-downs at the buffet were caused by not letting guests reach for their own food because of a recent contamination. Hand sanitizers greeted guests from the moment they stepped on the ship and before entering every dining area.

“It all made sense,” Anne explained, “once we found out what was going on. But the food was excellent and the presentation was good.”

Although Anne took the cruise to re-visit the Hawaiian Islands and have fun with friends, she was on a mission for the Cadillac News' Taste Section.

Anne is scheduled to help at the Taste of Home Cooking School April 25 and when asked to be our Cook of the Week leading up to the event, she said she would gather Hawaiian recipes for the story.

That led to a tableside visit by the ship's chef and her assistant.

“She was so nice to us,” Anne laughed. “She came over to our table and I was kind of embarrassed. She came to our table and made a big deal and even our waiter said: ‘is the chef coming?'”

Anne told everyone she was from a small town and that the recipes would be published in the Cadillac News. No problem - even the waiter wants a copy of the article.

Chef Lisa Jones is a graduate of the Culinary Institute from Chicago. She recently moved to Hawaii for her job aboard the cruise lines where her specialty is Hawaiian cuisine. She told the Dahlquists how much she loved her job and that they prepare food for 2,000 people a day not including special dinners and meals for the captain.

While cruising and dining Hawaiin style, Anne said the fresh fish was her favorite menu item.

“The fresh fish,” she enthused. “It's so fresh. It doesn't have any smell and it's so sweet. They served mahi-mahi, and ohno and macadamia nut-encrusted ahi. You just cannot get the freshness of the fish like you can on the ship.”

Another delight was the paper-thin sliced pineapple drizzled with sauce and topped with macadamia nuts.

Now that the Dahlquists are home, Anne is looking forward to her role in the Taste of Home Cooking Show.

“I have never been to a show like that so it will be quite an experience for me. I subscribe to Taste of Home. It wells be a learning experience.”

And avid cook raised in the Philippines and California, Anne has always collected Taste of Home books and magazines and even took a tour of a Taste of Home facility in Milwaukee a couple of years ago.

Anne will be behind the scenes and on stage to help at the Taste of Home Cooking School in the Wexford Civic Arena April 25.

Nominate your favorite cook for this story! Write: mardijo@chartermi.net.