The Kalo Noodle Project
Sun Noodle’s passion for quality noodles and devotion to the community unites to develop the “The Kalo Noodle Project''. In partnership with the “Kalo for the World” project led by the Hawaii Executive Collaborative, Sun Noodle developed noodles using locally Hawai‘i-grown kalo (taro). Chef Mark Noguchi (Nationally recognized chef and co-founder & executive chef of the Pili Group) creates the first kalo Noodle dish: “Zaru” kalo made with Reppun Farm kalo, chili tsuyu(Japanese noodle base), lū‘au leaf furikake, and kalamansi to be shared with the world at the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival 2022.
The kalo used in the Sun Noodle Kalo Noodles come from Waianu Lo‘i patches. Locally-grown Hawaiian kalo has been pounded to create a nutrient-dense poi and becomes the foundation for the noodles. Kalo provides an excellent source of dietary fiber, good carbohydrates, and high levels of Vitamin B6, C, and E.
Our Partners
Mark Noguchi
CHEF & CULINARY ADVISOR
Mark “Gooch” Noguchi cooks from an ‘āina-based perspective, connecting food to its source to build community. An approach he learned from hula Halau o Kekuhi, it’s defined his innovative restaurant offerings like He`eia Kea Pier, MISSION Social Hall & Cafe, and his current Pili Group, a non-traditional food concept interweaving community, education and food. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, 2019 Omidyar Fellow, Mark is now a Food & Sustainability Curriculum Specialist at Punahou School.
Paul, Kealohi &
Laurie Reppun
REPPUN FARM
The Reppuns are second generation kalo farmers who tend 28 acres of farmland in Waiāhole, with three dedicated to kalo. They process thousands of pounds of poi in a certified kitchen on the Waiāhole farm every month, selling directly to customers or at the city’s open market.