The Hawaii Care Choices (formerly Hospice of Hilo) held their annual Holiday Dinner & Auction at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel recently. This event had great food and a fun assortment of live and silent auction items.

I was also so happy to see my former student who now works for Hawaii Care Choices.

My friends and I enjoyed our time together as we learned about and supported Hawaii Care Choices.

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I won a couple of silent auction items. Some of my table mates participated in the fun live auction and all the proceeds went to support Hawaii Care Choices.

The featured chef was Chef Casey Halpern of Cafe Pesto. He hand-selected the farmers and producers of the evening’s meal ingredients. It was a farm-to-table experience with videos of the farmers being projected on the walls of the banquet room at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.

We enjoyed a salad of baby lettuce grown in Waimea, palm hearts, Hawaii Island Goat Dairy cheese and European cucumber with a carrot vinaigrette.

The entree was a beef tomato and grilled jumbo shrimp dish — a slow braised short ribs and buttery lilikoi grilled shrimp with island ulu and pea shoots.

Dessert was a tiramisu with Distinctly Tropical Kukui coffee and cacao grown right here in Hilo at Lavaloha Chocolate. This was the perfect end to the meal.

Hawaii Care Choices is a cause close to my heart since my mother took advantage of the hospice services before she passed away a few years ago. Mahalo Hawaii Care Choices for supporting our community.

Click here to read about my memories from the 2016 Hospice dinner.