Honolulu Weekly

vegan macrobiotic community dinners / As if vegetarians don’t get enough flak from meat eaters fiercely loyal to the carnivorous lifestyle, imagine what macrobiotic vegans must go through. The mockery is one thing, but the challenge of shopping and cooking is much more of a burden. A vegan macrobiotic diet, aside from being a potential tongue twister, basically consists of a low-fat, high fiber diet of whole cereal grains and foods such as legumes and vegetables, with no exceedingly refined or processed foods. As much an approach to life as a set of dietary rules, macrobiotic eating strives to strike a balance between yin and yang.

Sound confusing? Enter chefs Leslie Ashburn and Kathy Maddox, purveyors of Honolulu’s vegan macrobiotic community dinners, who trained in macrobiotics at the Kushi Institute. Those curious about the world of vegan macrobiotics, as well as those who follow the lifestyle but don’t want to cook for a night, can gather harmoniously at dusk for a complete, hot, healthy meal. About twice a month since 2005, Ashburn and Maddox have offered epicurious dishes such as kabocha coconut soup, collard tempeh wraps with tahini sauce and tofu “cheesecake.” The beverage is usually kukicha tea, an almost savory Japanese twig brew. Just this summer, the chef duo and its team have added cultural themes to the dinners, such as Mexican and Greek–apparently you don’t have to give up enchiladas or spanakopita just because there’s no dairy involved. The meal includes a salad, entrée, sides, dessert and tea for $16.50, or a la carte options of dinner ($13) or dessert and tea only ($3.50).

In a hall on the grounds of Church of the Crossroads, there is an empty hall where guests wait in line to have the vegan macrobiotic crew carefully plate each meal and place on a modest cafeteria tray from the hall kitchen. One of the many ways the dinners vary from a typical restaurant experience: No walk-ins. Ashburn requires eaters to register in advance in order to reduce waste and to keep costs down. Most of the dishes and utensils are reusable, with paper cups, biodegradable forks, plastic knives and wooden chopsticks being the exception. A recent Friday evening’s Greek menu featured a salad of MAO Organic Farms greens with tofu feta, spanakopita, lentil paté with pita bread and carrot and celery sticks, baklava and kukicha tea. The whiteboard with the night’s menu noted that the meal was “100% vegan and unrefined. (No refined sugar) Made with love.” A happy face punctuated the endnote.

Outside, in the fading humidity of the summer day’s heat, there is enough brightness in the sky for those gathering around wooden tables to converse with each other by dusk light–whether you know your eating companions or not feels almost irrelevant. The “community” part of the vegan macrobiotic community dinner isn’t part of the event’s concept for nothing. There is room on the lawn for those who would rather spread out blankets on the ground for a picnic-style dinner experience. From toddlers to yuppies to aging hippies to nice old couples, the diversity among the crowd is striking.

The tofu feta, used in both the salad and spanakopita, is a surprisingly refreshing cheese substitute–much better than stiff soy cheeses used in some vegetarian and vegan cooking. Food substitutes often turn out to be poor imitators of the original. But tasty and textual substitutes for ingredients, such as the tofu for cheese, introduce the eater to a more innovative combination of flavors. Each component of the meal provides a contrast more in temperature and texture rather than flavor. Though a few comments from others about lack of spice can’t be blamed on the chefs. It turns out that macrobiotic diets deemphasize such “yang” ingredients as spice, pepper or sweet flavors. Still, the flaky filo dough with the hot spinach, warm and soft lentil paté, cold salad, chewy pita and crunchy carrot and celery sticks are pleasant to eat. For those who appreciate simpler and subtler flavors, the meal is a delight. And hearty, to boot.

Most impressive is the flakiness and crunchiness of the vegan filo dough in the spanakopita and baklava, which hold up well against the Hawaii humidity that so often makes flaky pastries a failure. The absence of butter also makes one wonder what Ashburn’s secret is to making such excellent and low-fat dough. The addition of nuts to the baklava contribute to the crunch of the dessert, which for some may make up for the lack of sweetness traditionally provided by honey. The cinnamon bears the sweet torch here, and complements the woody taste of the warm twig tea. Guests should bring water of their own, since they’ll will most likely drain the kukicha tea quickly.

Lacking in meat, dairy and other foods prevalent in the typical American diet, it’s a wonder how these dinners have become so successful. In a conversation with Ashburn a few days after the meal, she said the dinners are “hitting on what people are interested in–a delicious, healthy meal prepared for them. There are so few options for that.” She also thinks her events have another draw.

“Social atmosphere is what people crave. And they’re not around alcohol or smoking.” While things are bustling for both chefs–Ashburn also works as a personal chef and cooking teacher–ideas for expansion of the vegan macrobiotic community are still on the table. A movie series or holding events on the beach are just a couple of the possibilities for the future. Venturing into this community doesn’t mean one has to give up on steak or ice cream, but it shows support of and openness to a growing group that strives for a positive and healthy lifestyle.