The 2013 Ka Palapala Poʻokela Awards gala is fast approaching (Friday, May 10), and to generate excitement for the event as well as educate the public on the nominees, we will continue our tradition of doing a countdown of posts, highlighting the books nominated for each awards category. Where applicable,we will link to book reviews from Hawaiʻi Book Blog.

For a complete list of all the nominees we’ve posted and for all the updated information on the event, please visit our dedicated Ka Palapala Poʻokela Awards page.

The fourth category we’re spotlighting is Excellence in Hawaii Cookbooks. Recent winners in this category include  A Sweet Dash of Aloha: Guilt-Free Hawaii Desserts and Snacks by Kapiolani Community College (Watermark Publishing, 2012) and The Blue Tomato: The Inspirations Behind the Cuisine of Alan Wong by Alan Wong with Arnold Hiura, photography by David Murphey, Yasuo Kondo and Alan Wong (Watermark Publishing, 2011).

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Books reflecting Hawaii’s unique foods, ingredients and other culinary contributions.

A Splash of Alohasplashofaloha
Kapiolani Community College
Watermark Publishing, 2012
216 pages, Softcover, spiral-bound
ISBN: 978-1935690139

 

Hawaiʻi BakesHawaii_Bakes
Edited by Mona Taga & Galyn Wong
Mutual Publishing, 2012
144 pages, Softcover, spiral-bound
ISBN: 978-1566479899

HBB review

 

 Little Hawaiian Lilikoi  CookbookThe Little Hawaiian Lilikoi Cookbook
Gail Hercher
Mutual Publishing, 2012
232 pages, Hardcover
ISBN:  978-1566479837

HBB Review

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We often hear from people that there are too many cookbooks published locally. Well, there weren’t too many this year, and this is one of the smaller categories. But cookbooks have their special place in the literary community and the capital gained from selling these books allows publishers to print more unique and original works. Have you read any of these books? Let us know what you think about them, we’d love to hear your comments!