Puna’s annual celebration of local food — a community festival that brings together chefs, farmers, ranchers, hunters, and neighbors to explore what it means to eat local, prepare creatively, and build a more resilient food system from the ground up.

This festival reimagines a growing problem as a powerful opportunity. By elevating feral pig meat as a value-added product, Smoke it Up! strengthens local food security, drives product innovation, and opens new economic pathways, including export potential, that position Hawai‘i Island as a leader in food innovation.

As our community strives for greater food resilience, this event offers a bold, integrated solution that tackles multiple challenges at once.

SMOKE IT UP!

SMOKE IT UP!

A wild boar walking on dirt ground in a forested area.

The festival grows from a two-year effort in Lower Puna connecting hunters, processors, producers, and residents around a shared vision: that Hawaiʻi Island's food challenges are also our greatest opportunities. Smoke it Up! is where that vision becomes a meal, a conversation, and a movement.

Now in its second year, the festival focuses on the full local food ecosystem —particularly locally cultivated and harvested proteins: beef, lamb, pork, goat, sheep, venison, fish, and mushrooms, all sourced from Hawaiʻi producers. Local chefs will transform these ingredients into original tasting experiences for 300 guests at Hale Halawai O Puna, home to the former Akebono Theater in Downtown Pāhoa.

Person scooping rice, meat, and cooked greens into a takeout container with a metal ice cream scoop, wearing blue disposable gloves.

Smoke it Up! is a collaboration between Council District 4, Mālama O Puna, and the Pāhoa Lava Zone Museum, supported by the County of Hawai’i.

Join us on Saturday, July 25, from 3:00-6:00pm at Hale Halawai O Puna. Tickets are $75 and include tastings smoked creations by local featured chefs, handcrafted beverages, and live music by Drew Daniels & Friends, and the Kona Town’s Finest Music.

Close-up of a burning log in a fireplace with visible flames and glowing embers.

Your purchase of a ticket does more than grant entry – it fuels a local movement.

Proceeds directly support future Smoke it Up! initiatives, helping to build long-term, community-led solutions to manage the feral pig issue and strengthen Puna’s food security and economy.

MAHALO TO OUR PARTNERS & CONTRIBUTORS

  • A circular logo with a white background and a green outer border. In the center, there's a green leaf illustration with the text 'County Council District 4' written in bold black letters overlaying the leaf.
  • Seal of the County of Hawaii, featuring a volcanic mountain, ocean, palm trees, and sunrise with the words 'County of Hawaii, State of Hawaii, OLA NA MOKU'.
  • Logo for Paha Lava Zone Museum with stylized layered lava and earth design on black background.
  • Circular design with red flowers, green leaves, and a turtle, featuring the text "Malama Puna" in red.
  • Text that reads 'ECONOMIC RECOVERY CORPS' with colorful, transparent letters on a black background.
Blurry image of an orange-colored object or figure with no clear details.

  • The pua‘a served at Smoke it Up! was locally sourced and harvested in Puna, and processed in a USDA-certified facility before being prepared by local chefs.

  • Feral pigs are one of Hawai‘i Island’s most destructive invasive species, causing environmental damage and threatening local agriculture. Smoke it Up! reimagines this challenge as an opportunity by elevating wild pork as a valuable local resource, helping to boost food security and build economic opportunity.

  • Each $75 ticket includes smoked meat tastings prepared by featured chefs and culinary students, two complimentary beverages, live entertainment by Drew Daniels & Friends and the Kona Town’s Finest Music, and access to educational displays and engagement opportunities.