Culinary Series with Hawai‘i Chef to Premier on PBS

Chef Ed Kenney, host of new culinary travel series, “Family Ingredients.” All photos courtesy of Renea Veneri Stewart, “Family Ingredients.”

Every dish has a story, and every family has a dish.

Family Ingredients is a new PBS culinary travel TV series which will begin broadcasting on Wednesday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m.

The series features Hawaiʻi’s own Ed Kenney and friends on a culinary adventure as they follow a food memory from Hawaiʻi to its origins across the Pacific Ocean.

Not quite a documentary, not quite a cooking show, Family Ingredients is a joyful ode to farmers, food producers and families.

Hosted by acclaimed O‘ahu chef and sustainability hero Kenney, the story begins with the state’s dynamic culinary scene.

One of the episodes features Hilo-born entertainer Kuana Torres Kahele and is partially filmed at Parker Ranch.

Beautifully filmed, Family Ingredients showcases Hawai‘i’s small town communities, diverse cultures and exhilarating experiences that cross the Pacific Ocean.

Engaging, authentic, funny, even a bit quirky, Kenney is the perfect host to trace these dishes around the globe. He takes off with guests to explore Okinawa, Tahiti, California, Japan, Puerto Rico, and the Hawaiian Islands, showcasing how cuisine can profoundly unite cultures, communities and families.

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“The show started out as a culinary adventure based on what I do daily as a chef—telling stories through food,” said Kenney. “I never realized that it would have such a strong impact on me.”

Kenney is a successful restaurateur in Hawai‘i, committed to supporting local farms and showcasing local ingredients and traditional Hawaiian canoe crops, like kalo (taro) and ‘ulu (breadfruit) on his menus.

For the past decade, he has been a respected leader in the local food community and has helped propel Hawai‘i cuisine back into the national spotlight.

With a strong commitment to farm-to-table cooking, he opened his first restaurant, Town, in 2005 to rave reviews. Today, his four O‘ahu restaurants—Town, Kaimuki Superette, Mud Hen Water and the newly opened Mahina & Sun’s—are lively gathering places guided by the mantra “local first, organic whenever possible, with aloha always.”

Family Ingredients is co-produced by Rock Salt Media Inc. and Pacific Islanders in Communications under director Ty Sanga and producers Heather H. Giugni, Renea Veneri Stewart and Dan Nakasone.

Although the Emmy Award-winning show will premiere on PBS Hawai‘i today, it became available on general release to PBS stations nationwide as of June 16, 2016. Check local listings.

Visit the Family Ingredients website for information on the show.

“Family Ingredients” host Ed Kenney in Japan. Courtesy photo.

Chef Ed Kenney, host of new culinary travel series, “Family Ingredients.” Courtesy photo.

Chef Ed Kenney, host of “Family Ingredients,} in a taro patch on Kaua‘i. Courtesy photo.

Chef and TV host Ed Kenney in Tahiti. Courtesy photo.

Crew of “Family Ingredients,” premiering on PBS June 22. Courtesy photo.

Soki Soba in Okinawa, featured on “Family Ingredients.” Courtesy photo.

Sun Noodle’s Hisae Uki with chef Ed Kenney in Okinawa. Courtesy photo.