Partying Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Style

A luau is a Hawaiian feast featuring lots of food and typically, musical entertainment. Many of us in New England have attempted our version of this island celebration with plastic leis, inflatable palm trees, and faux-bamboo tiki torches. I mentioned we’re in New England, right?

We may be short of Pacific breezes, but we do know how to feast. No luau would be complete without the flavors of coconut, tropical fruits, nuts, coffee, and chocolate…even better, a combination of these flavors.

For a limited time, Van Otis Chocolates is offering Tropical Swiss Fudge covered in milk and dark chocolate. This is a staff favorite that tastes like chocolate and rich coconut. What a perfect treat for a luau or a mental-island getaway!

Van Otis is hosting a luau on Friday, June 25 from 11 am-6 pm and Saturday, June 26 from 10 am-3 pm. Join us for hourly giveaways and raffles, wine tasting, a chocolate volcano, coloring contest, and prescheduled factory tours. Most items will be offered at buy one get one free. It’s the biggest sale of the year, so come in and stock up!

Warning: This Article May Contain Traces of Nuts

Our party hosts decided to make this past New Year’s celebration more interesting by having a wine tasting competition. Each guest was instructed to bring a covered bottle of wine from a specific country. The wine was to be accompanied by a food item and guests judged the best red, best white, and best wine/food combo. Wine-themed prizes, such as bottle openers and wine glass tags, were awarded to the winners.

This may give you the illusion of a sophisticated sort sipping expensive glasses of wine while discussing stock market trends. Honestly, it was a bunch of rural neophytes trying to branch out. Most of the crowd had a beer readied to wash away the real potential of a bad tasting vino.


There were some clear winners, and we all agreed that the food accompaniment really aided the standouts. The simplest combinations of red wine and chocolate, and one of my favorites, red wine and cashews were the best.


If you want to impress guests at your next party (or win the unfortunate set of wine glass tags that won’t wrap around your beer stein), strategically place dishes of Van Otis cashews near the conversation clusters. These cashews are extra large, giving them a well-deserved position in the appetizer category. They are also incredibly sweet; there’s no burnt or bitter aftertaste that you experience with most exaggerated shelf-life, retail nuts.

Cheers!