Kama‘aina Backroads, the interesting new cable television program that takes a local—not visitor-oriented—look at the “cultural perspective, traditions and island way of life” in Hawai‘i, came and shot some footage at Hamakua Springs earlier this week.

Roland Joseph Torres, the program’s O‘ahu-born creator, says they’d been filming at the Keauhou Sheraton when he tasted the restaurant’s delicious heirloom tomatoes and was transfixed. Hot on the tomatoes’ trail, he loaded up the van and headed over to Hamakua Springs Country Farms to check out the farm (and taste some more).

It was fun to watch Roland (shown here with his camera) and assistant Harpal sample the heirlooms (“Broke da mouth!” said Roland) and learn a little about what drives Hamakua Springs.

Richard told them how it’s always taste that determines what they decide to grow on the farm, not ease of growing or handling or shipping; that they find the tastiest product they can find first, and then figure out how to grow it.

He drove them up to see the source of free, abundant water that will eventually power much of the farm operation and we watched as Roland held onto overhead branches and crossed a rickety old plantation bridge to look at the stream.

Richard told the camera how sustainability—of the land, the employees, the community—is foremost, and how he makes farm-based decisions based on the family’s intent to still be farming in 100 years.

It was great to watch this interesting new program put together a small segment about the farm. It’s just one part of the Kama‘aina Backroads program that airs tomorrow—Saturday, 11/11/06, at 9 p.m. on Oceanic Cable 16.

Roland Torres has an extensive background in television production, having worked on television series for KFOX-TV, the AMC Television Network, PBS and more. In 1996, he won an Emmy for his work on a “Get the Vote Out” series targeting Hispanic youth.

In case you don’t get a chance to see the Kama‘aina Backroads program when it airs tomorrow, Roland says he will post some of it on his Kama‘aina Backroads website. I’ll post a link to it when it’s available. —posted by Leslie Lang