Nadine Kam photos
A fan of Dylan's Candy Bar poses for a photo with Dylan Lauren and Chocolate the bunny.

On Easter mornings, while all the other kids were anxious to bite into their chocolate bunnies on Easter morning, Dylan Lauren resisted.

"I would only eat the chocolate eggs," the founder of Dylan's Candy Bar said. "I didn't want to eat the chocolate bunnies because I felt bad for them. I just liked to collect them and look at them."

To this day the grown-up Lauren refuses to bite into those vulnerable chocolate ears and legs. She was in town March 23, sharing her latest treats, with "Chocolate" the bunny at her side, handing out samples in Neiman Marcus' third-floor Epicure department, where Dylan's Candy Bar is a store within a store, full of colorful sweets bringing smiles to all who encounter it.

In a phone  interview last week, she told me, "Easter has always my favorite holiday because I love rabbits and bright colors."

Her eye for candy as design elements led her to go beyond the kid craft of coloring Easter eggs to decorating the family table with candies, "creating place settings and centerpieces with candies that look like edible flowers."

The daughter of designer Ralph Lauren said her father indulged her quirks and encouraged her passion. "He saw it was very unique and saw fashion in the candy colors; he understood it," she said.

Despite the obvious color and gustatory benefits, candy might not be top of mind for many people as a decorative element. But Lauren said it can be a fast and enchanting addition to floral and table settings, first working its magic as an icebreaker. The sight of brightly colored sweets tends to lighten spirits and put people at ease.

"With candy there's no wrong way to do things. It always looks pretty and tastes good," Lauren said. "When people do see candy arrangements, it always seems fresh and different."

Think about that for your next holiday table.

Dylan's Candy Bar's giant lollipops.

Dylan Lauren was signing copies of her book, "Dylan's Candy Bar: Unwrap Your Sweet Life.," which is her guide to entertaining with candy.

One of the new items available, rubbah slippah tins full of candy, $18 in Neiman Marcus Epicure.

Fans from Japan: the language of candy is universal.

Let Them Eat Cupcakes is giving out free passes to see the film "Beautiful Creatures," for anyone who stops in and says "Beautiful Creatures" when they purchase a cupcake today for their sweetheart, or BFF, or whatever.

The offer is good while tickets or supplies last. You might want to check out @LTEatCupcakes to see if there are any left.

Nadine Kam photos
Celebrating the grand opening of Grand Cafe & Bakery at the Hawaii State Art Museum were, from left, chef Anthony Kui Sin Vierra, Mona Chang-Vierra, Patsy Izumo, and one of their many fans, Nery Heenan, who attended with her husband David.

The Year of the Snake is said to symbolize a progressive year with fruitful results, so Feb. 11, the start of the Year of the Snake, seemed an auspicious time to celebrate a grand opening, and that was the date chosen to mark Grand Cafe & Bakery's move and reopening at HiSAM.

Chef Anthony Kui Sin Vierra was in the kitchen, cooking up Chinese specialties for the occasion, while his mom Mona Chang-Vierra and Patsy Izumo, co-owners in the venture, made prune mui for guests to take home.

The gathering of friends and family included many a businessman and politician from the neighboring State Capitol building, plus a familiar face in the newsroom, political columnist Richard Borreca, who echoed the sentiment that the cafe is a great place for breakfast and early morning meetings and interviews.

He plans to meet up here with Colleen Hanabusa the next time she's in town, when he says it'll be her turn to pay.

Guests lined up for food could study the menu en route.

Nina Wu photo
The Chinese lion got fed after the people.

Kalua pork bao.

Spring rolls.

Hoisin-honey chicken wings.

A luxe take on Chinese chicken salad, with the common bird replaced by turkey.

Grand Cafe fried rice.

Dessert of oranges, symbolic of luck, wealth and prosperity, surrounded by take-home prune mui made by Mona and Patsy.

For future reference: Anthony's char siu is selling for $10 per pound, available by calling 531-0001 or emailing grandcafeandbakery@yahoo.com (more...)

Nadine Kam photo
The newsroom celebrated National Pie Day with an afternoon potluck pie buffet.

It's National Pie Day. Have you indulged yet?

The holiday was created by the American Pie Council. On this day, the council encourages pie lovers to participate by baking a pie to share with friends, or by going pie shopping at your favorite local bakery.

It provided an excuse for a feeding frenzy at the Star-Advertiser offices, with the sharing of pies, both homemade and purchased. As you can see, some pies were more popular than others, like peanut butter crunch, and actually, the savory chicken pot pies and quiche, rather than dessert pies.

So if you're looking for any excuse to treat yourself, there's still hours to go before National Pie Day ends.

Drink your way to good health in 2013.

By now, you're probably up to your ears in cookies, chocolates, mochi and other treats, which doesn't bode well for getting in shape in 2013. Too much holiday cheer means you need detoxing. Now.

Cleanse America is on mission to transform the health of the nation, and is aiming to inspire 1 million Americans to participate in its 10-day raw food cleanse, running Jan. 4 to 13. You can join the cleanse at www.cleanseamerica.com

Omega Juicers is on board for a 3-day cleanse ritual to help people eliminate harmful toxins, restore their internal system and reset their bodies through juicing.

I haven't tried it myself, but one of my friends was beginning to develop a rough, ruddy complexion due to stress, and the only change she made in her life was to start green juicing with spinach, kale and fruits, and her complexion cleared up in about a week of drinking her vegetables three times a day.

Here are Omega Juicers recipes for one day of cleansing:

Popeye-C
The vitamin C in oranges enhances the absorption of the iron in the spinach by 30 percent.
4 oranges
1 bunch of spinach
Juice and drink.

Bee Fruity
There are a thousand different variations of fruit salads. This one makes a great first meal of the day.
2 bananas
1 mango
2 cups of blueberries
2 tablespoons of bee pollen
Cut the banana and mango into bit sized pieces. Put into a bowl and add blueberries topped with bee pollen.

Get Rooted
Beets are powerful health foods, containing compounds that may reduce blood pressure, ease digestive disorders and control heart disease. They can also raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides, respectively, by 30 percent and 40 percent.
3 carrots
1 beet (palm size)
Thumb size of ginger
Juice and drink.

Green Machine
Blending produce makes the process of absorbing protein and minerals more efficient. If you are drinking the green machine after a workout, add double hemp seeds and a few more greens. When you drink a smoothie with a lot of protien 30 minutes after a workout, the protein synthesis is about 75 percent compared to only 30 percent beyond that time.
2 large kale leaves (or 2 handfuls of other leafy greens)
2 bananas (frozen)
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
1-½ cups of hemp milk
1 tablespoon spirulina
Place all ingredients in a juicer or high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Top with hemp seeds.

Lemon Apple Blast
Apple and lemon contain a lot of vitamin C and citrus acids. This assists in dissolving gallstones which are deposits of a composite of calcium salts such as oxalates and carbonates.
2 small lemons
3 apples
2 inch piece of ginger
Juice and drink.

Celery Stalker
1 cup coconut water
3 celery stalks
1 handful of greens or 1 bunch of spinach
1 cucumber
1 apple
Juice and drink.