Nobu chef joins KCC fundraiser

Enjoy the culinary creations of Nobu Waikiki chef Robin Lee and more than 400 students at a fundraiser for Kapiolani Community College’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality and Tourism programs.

The Ho‘okipa benefit, 5:30 p.m. March 2 at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, features Lee as alumni chef. The event includes food stations of gourmet dishes and wines, plus a silent auction.

Tickets are $100. Table reservations are also available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 734-9544.

Tasting features beers and buffet

The Hops & Grinds beer tasting goes upscale with the Beer Lover’s Ball, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at Pagoda Floating Restaurant.

The event will feature more than 25 beers, including a bock from Italy, a farmhouse saison from California and a Belgian-style double red ale from Hawaii. Plus, Pagoda chef Jason Takemura will offer a pupu buffet.

Advance tickets are $25, available at the restaurant at 1525 Rycroft St., the Liquor Collection at Ward Warehouse and the Wine Stop. For reservations, call 948-8370. Tickets will be $30 at the door.

Seminar focuses on healthy dishes

Start a "healing kitchen" with quick, tasty plant-based dishes from chef Catherine Blake at a free cooking demonstration centered on "7 Ways to Perfect Health."

The lineup includes dishes such as taro leaves soup, apple-celery-ginger juice and garlic gomasio.

The class runs 7 p.m. Saturday at McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Beach Park. Call 944-8344 or visit www.vsh.org.

Cooking classes offered in March

Food writer Wanda Adams joins Grand Cafe & Bakery chef Anthony Vierra for a series of cooking classes in March.

Themes of the four Thursday classes, which run 6 to 8 p.m., are "In the Beginning …" (March 1), "Pancakes: Cooking Out of the Box" (March 15), "Chicken 3 Ways" (March 22) and "Vegetables You May Not Have Met" (March 29).

Cost is $300. Register by Feb. 24. Call 531-0001 or email grandcafeandbakery@yahoo.com. The cafe is at 31 N. Pauahi St.

Entries sought for poke contest

Amateur and professional chefs have until Feb. 28 to enter Sam Choy’s Keauhou Poke Contest, to be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 18 at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa on Hawaii island.

The contest will encourage the creative use of fish, seaweed, tofu, vegetables, fruit and other ingredients. It is part of the resort’s annual Kamehameha III celebration March 16 to 18.

Call 222-0795 or visit www.keauhouresort.com.