Rice Fest puts starch in Lanakila’s march

Can you finish two loco moco plates from Rainbow Drive-In in three minutes? How about two Pa‘ina Cafe poke bowls? How many Spam musubi can you quickly power down?

Three eating competitions featuring those challenges are part of the eighth annual Rice Fest, Saturday in Ward Village.

If competitive eating is not your thing, the festival offers chef-and-celebrity cooking competitions, chef demonstrations, musical entertainment, cultural performances and food from a variety of trucks and vendors, all in the name of raising awareness of, and money for, the nonprofit Lanakila Meals on Wheels.

The islandwide meal service for seniors brings nutritious, dietician-analyzed meals to kupuna, allowing them to remain independent.

“Each day, Lanakila Meals on Wheels needs over 1,000 cups of brown rice to feed Oahu’s kupuna,” said Lori Lau, Lanakila Meals on Wheels director.

“We’re grateful to be a beneficiary of Rice Fest and will be accepting brown rice donations at our booth.”

Local chefs and TV personalities will be teamed up for battle in a 5 p.m. cooking competition.

Combatants include defending champion Andy Dalan of the Uber Factory, teamed up with Lei Kaholokula of KITV; Jongkol Sucodt of Noi Thai Cuisine paired with Stephanie Lum of Hawaii News Now; Maile Sengoura of Maile’s Thai Bistro and Bellini Bistro & Bar coupled with Kelly Simek of KHON; and Sean Riodil, owner of the Heart to Table catering company and food truck alongside Tiny Tadani of Spectrum OC16.

Food vendors will sell goodies for $4 to $15. The many vendors include Bake Me Pretty, offering desserts, Chamorro Grindz, with Guamanian-inspired dishes, Da Ultimate Grindz Hawaii (formerly Da Bolalohan), serving Filipino food, Latinas Kitchen, offering up Puerto Rican favorites and Up Roll Cafe, serving Japanese food.

Brown rice and cash will be accepted at the Lanakila Pacific information booth. Rice donations also can be dropped off at the VH07V and Channel808 booths, as well as at Island Olive Oil Co. in Ward Centre.