KÅNE‘OHE — This February public school cafeterias statewide were offered the opportunity to serve banana (mai’a) sheet pancakes for breakfast using locally grown apple bananas. Hawaiʻi apple bananas are the main variety grown by local producers. An estimated 2,135 pounds of local apple bananas were distributed to serve 92 participating schools. 

The local banana pancakes sparked a new favorite breakfast menu item for some of the students at Kāneʻohe Elementary.

“E ese le manaia, o se tasi o malu taeao sili ona lelei sa ou maua,” o le tala lea a Beau Makua o le vasega fa. “Atonu o le a ou toe maua se isi pe a uma lenei.”

“I felt like it was the best breakfast that we’ve ever had over here,” fifth grader Logan Park said. “Probably because of the taste of the pancake and the type of banana it was. I feel like local bananas are the best out of all bananas.”

Ole fuafuaga ole fa'ato'aga-i-a'oga a le Matagaluega e fa'amoemoe e fa'aleleia le fa'atumauina o taumafa i Hawai'i ma ia ogatasi ma Tulafono 175, lea e taulaʻi i le faʻaleleia atili o le soifua maloloina o tamaiti aʻoga aʻo lagolagoina le au faifaatoaga i le lotoifale. 

“I love that it’s local and we’re using what came from our land,” Kāneʻohe Elementary parent Marian Clark said. “It’s better, it tastes better, and it’s just all around coming from where we live. It’s our produce, not shipped from other countries or other places.” 

O a'oga a le malo o Hawai'i o le setete aupito tele lea o lo'o fa'atauina mea'ai, e silia ma le 100,000 taumafa a tamaiti a'oga i le aso. O lo'o fa'aauau pea ona galulue vavalalata le Matagaluega ma le au fa'atau oloa i totonu o le setete atoa e va'ai pe fa'afefea ona fa'ateleina fua fa'alotoifale i totonu o a'oga uma i le lumana'i i taimi masani.