Cooking with Gas, Island-Style

Hawai‘i Gas marked a milestone 120th anniversary last year, making it one of the oldest companies still operating in the Islands today. The generations of employees and community members from the company’s early years included local culinary pioneers who educated home cooks on the use of gas appliances and made an indelible impact on Hawaii’s emerging culinary culture.

In 1908, Hawai‘i Gas — then known as the Honolulu Gas Company — hired the already-well-known cooking expert Miss Suzanne Tracy as its first cooking demonstrator to host weekly classes in the original Hawaiian Hotel in downtown Honolulu.

When the company formally established a home economics department in 1936, employees instructed homemakers and students on the proper use of gas appliances both at local schools and in gas customers’ kitchens.

A Hawai‘i Gas culinary instructor teaches a cooking lesson to a student in the 1950s.

As business began to accelerate during the post-statehood period of the 1960s, and Hawaii’s tourism industry boomed, the gas company’s home economics department played a critical role in the increasing demand for gas. Home economics director Muriel Miura became a familiar name in the Islands through her hands-on demonstrations, countless cookbooks, and cooking shows broadcast on television.

Miura’s focus on exploring local culinary traditions set her apart from other directors. She made it her practice to collect recipes directly from Hawaii’s grandmothers, mothers and aunties, translating their methods for preparing favorite local dishes into standardized recipes. Testing and retesting each one, she shared these recipes through the Honolulu Gas Company’s hugely popular lunchtime classes (called “Wiki Wiki Kau Kau”) and cooking demonstrations held at the Sky Lanai at the gas company’s former King Street headquarters. Miura also developed recipe pamphlets and booklets, including the Blue Flame Notebooks recipe pamphlets, which are now sought-after collectors items.

Home economics director Muriel Miura shines at a 1966 viewing party for the American Gas Association film, “Action 150.”

In the 1960s, the home economics department promoted the many benefits of gas for cooking and kitchen tasks.

A 1950s cooking class for new employees offered fun and hands-on training.

Other local luminaries included Napua Stevens, a cultural force and culinary talent who hosted Hawaii’s top cooking show in the 1960s, “Napua’s Kitchen” on KGMB, sponsored by the gas company. Hari Kojima, another household name closely connected to the gas company, hosted “Let’s Go Fishing” and “Hari’s Kitchen” in his signature down-to-earth, welcoming style. An introductory letter in “Hari Kojima’s Local-Style Favorites” cookbook, published in 1987, promised easy and economical dishes like 20-Minute Beef Stew and Hamburger Quickie, intended to give harried home cooks “some breathing room.”

These days, while Hawai‘i Gas no longer maintains a home economics department, the company continues its legacy of supporting and celebrating local culinary culture as it delivers reliable, efficient energy to kitchens across the state.

Learn more about Hawai‘i Gas’ 120th anniversary and utilities at hawaiigas.com.

Editor’s Note: This article has been slightly modified from the original print version for optimal online reading. To view the full print story, pick up your copy of Hawaii Home + Remodeling at one of our partner locations.