An Old Friend is Pioneering the Way to Healthy Eating

Back in Highschool Dave Caldiero was a popular guy. He was quarterback of the football team, involved in the student council, talented in the arts and dated the prettiest girls. He was also a cool guy to hang out with and friendly to all. It seemed as if he didn't have a superficial bone in his body. Wiser than his years? Maybe. Many people looked up to Dave and wanted to be like him. I am glad that his type of role model was preferred over the "bad boy" or "drop out" model that many try to embrace. I look back to those days and can only assume that Dave has done something exceptional with his life. Well, I am more than right and very happy to say so!

Dave focused his talent in the arts and went to culinary school. His Italian roots only benefited his abilities, I suppose. I remember when he landed a trendy job in Manhattan's SoHo district at a che-che lounge called Moomba. I was excited to know someone that worked at such a hip spot and was hoping he could pull some strings and get me past the long lines!! No such luck but I am sure that Dave's vision didn't include him staying at some cliche restaurant for long.

A couple of years later Dave's name popped up randomly and I learned that he had moved to Hawaii and opened up his own restaurant. I was excited to hear about this. Its always nice when someone you admire succeeds in living his dream. Hawaii is far away from his roots, but if you know Dave you can understand why Hawaii suits him so well. I imagine that he grows his own food and lives a minimalistic lifestyle. Surfing, maybe.. meditation... his old pottery wheel? Who knows. I am guessing as I haven't spoken to Dave in many years but his sister just posted a link to a magazine that featured his restaurant and spoke of his ideals. I wasn't surprised to see what they were focusing on. The title says it all, "Local first, organic whenever possible, with aloha always". Check out the article below:

http://www.greenmagazinehawaii.com/town_food_v1-2.html

More restaurants need to adopt this mantra and support local farming. The more people that are exposed to and get comfortable with this idea the more it will be demanded. Dave to me, is a pioneer as there are so few of these types of restaurants. However, they are catching on and becoming more popular. If anyone can set a good example and be "the" role model for a sustainable restaurant business its Dave. But I think Dave's message goes beyond his restaurant, he is making a statement about health and a new way of living. He is lucky that he can channel his beliefs into something he loves and make an impact on everyone that chooses to eat at his establishment.

When eating out, I try to search for restaurants like Dave's that use local produce, wild game or pastured meat. It's not only supporting the restaurant but its helping out the community, local agriculture and your health. We all need to be role models for our children, why not add this to our "green" list??