Ohana is Family. Family is Ohana.

Ohana Harbor Coffee is Gig Harbor

If you haven’t heard about Ohana Harbor Coffee Company yet, you will.  This amazingly rich, dark Kona Coffee is about to explode on the scene – and lucky for us – it’s a family run Gig Harbor business.  Get ready to be delighted, Hawaiian style, right here in the Harbor.

Next week Ohana Harbor Coffee Company is moving into their beautiful new headquarters on Peacock Hill, the site of the former Paradise Theatre (or depending on how old you are, the former Scandiadowns).

Ohana is family.  In 2007 Gig Harbor residents Steve and Ronna Schreiner became interested in the coffee business in Hawaii when friends of theirs purchased a coffee plantation there.  The Schreiner’s believed in what they saw – quality grown Kona Coffee – and took the plunge as an investment.  Today the business includes 5 farms on the Big Island growing what they proudly remind us is the only coffee grown in the United States. 

What's Not to Love?

Gig Harbor is the Best

Six years ago, I had a conversation with Mike Leonard at the Gateway about a way to promote our local businesses through a contest. Not a new idea by any means, but one we hadn’t tried in Gig Harbor. Mike had worked on something similar in Olympia prior to becoming the Advertising Director of the Peninsula Gateway. Thus was born “The Best of Gig Harbor”, now a popular and competitive annual , local competition put on by the Gateway.

Gig Harbor finds itself competing in these contests on a statewide and regional basis as well, with recognition coming to area businesses through KING-TV Great Escapes and South Sound Magazines Best of the South Sound. But the “Best of Gig Harbor” is the most fun – recognizing everything from Best Sandwich to Best Barista and everything in-between!

Local Authors Unite With New Publishing Company

Hidden in amongst average, everyday Gig Harborites you will find little jewels of human beings – talented, passionate and sublime.  You may  be  standing next to one in line for your morning cup of Joe.  Or sitting next to one at the movies.  Or perhaps you encounter them as your bank teller, grocery clerk or waiter.

Going about their everyday lives they seem like regular folk.  But they a hidden purpose that makes them tick.  Art. 

Some of them play music, some of them paint.  Some of them sing, act, perform, and sculpt.  And some write.  They are authors.  Authors of novels, poetry, short stories.  They don’t do it for the money; lord knows making a living as a writer is hard.  They do it for the love of writing.  They seek the release it gives them to put pen to paper and let their creativeness flow.

What the Heck is a Street Scramble Anyway?

Gig Harbor Street Scramble is May 28th

www.gigharborguide.com

Quickly becoming one of Gig Harbor most well attended events, the Gig Harbor Street Scramble is a fun, free, family friendly event organized by the Gig Harbor YMCA with support of the City of Gig Harbor and MultiCare Gig Harbor Medical Park.

Here’s how it works;

Register ahead of time or day of (first 200 registered get a free t-shirt).  Day of registration opens at 8:30am at Skansie Brothers Park.  At 9:30am organizers hand out the ‘top secret” map to all participants who then get the next thirty minutes to study and plan their strategy.  The idea of the scramble is that the further from the starting point you go the higher point value of the spots on the map.  Few participants will hit all the spots on the map.  Depending on if you are walking, running or riding a bike and if you are with small children, your strategy will be developed to cover as much ground as possible in 90 minutes or three hours (your choice).

American Idol Season 9 Tim Urban

Concert in Gig Harbor June 10th

American Idol fans will have an exciting opportunity right here in Gig Harbor on June, 10, 2011 as Lighthouse Christian School will host a benefit concert by American Idol Season 9 finalist, Tim Urban. The event will be held at Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church beginning at 7:00 p.m.

During the 2010 season of American Idol, Urban emerged on the national music scene with a blend of his smooth vocals, all American charm and trademark smile. His talent, determination and upbeat attitude won the hearts of fans all over the world and earned him the number seven slot in the competition as well as the chance to perform on the American Idol 2010 summer concert tour.

For the Love of Cheese!

Bella Kitchen Essentials Cheese Making Class

www.gigharborguide.com For several months I have wanted to get into Bella Kitchen Essentials in Uptown and take one of their cooking classes.  I kept running into trouble getting it into my schedule, but when I saw CHEESE MAKING on the calendar I knew I had to make it work.

So, on Saturday April 30^th I spent three really interesting hours in the lovely teaching kitchen at Bella –becoming a cheese-maker.  Warning!  All my friends and family are going to be getting cheese as gifts!  But who doesn’t love cheese?

During the class, which was sold out, me and my 12 other classmates learned to make six different soft cheeses.  We also learned about ingredients and local availability for different kinds of milk. Gig Harbor’s Whole Food Market (253) 851-8120 in downtown Gig Harbor is a great local source for raw milk and goat’s milk – but call first to place your order. Bella also had supplies on hand for purchase including cheesecloth, thermometers, rennet, salt and citric acid as well as cheese making books.  I stocked up and now I am ready to make cheese at home.  It really wasn’t very complicated…but does require a bit of chemistry and some patience, neither of which I possess much of, but I am willing to give it a whirl.