KCC TEAM BRINGS HOME SILVER
Kapiolani Community College’s culinary program turns out serious contenders, year after year. Team Hawai‘i, the school’s student culinary competition team, regularly wins regional contests and earns a spot to compete at the American Culinary Federation National Convention and Show, considered the national collegiate culinary championship.
This time around, Team Hawai‘i 2019 took one of five silver medals. Medals are awarded according to points, and no team won a gold medalist this year, while one team won a bronze. Winners were announced on Thursday at the contest site of Orlando, Fla. Five regional teams and one military team competed.
Team Hawai‘i’s menu: tarragon and sole roulade; smoky pickled beet and avocado salad; chicken crepinette (a sausage pattie) served with chicken skin and ricotta ravioli; and a lilikoi tart with black sesame ganache, yuzu meringue and shiso raspberry sorbet.
Each team had 110 minutes to prepare a four-course menu. Judges considered presentation, flavor, nutritional value, cooking technique, teamwork, sanitation and timing.
Team Hawai‘i 2019 — Greg Gamayo Jr. (captain), Ethan Momohara, Ritchie Wong, Kainoa Reloza and Xiaoling Cheng — were coached by chef-instructors Jason Peel and David Brown.
The KCC team won a national gold medal in 2009 and silver medals in 2013 and 2017.
To donate to the team, visit 808ne.ws/teamhawaii.
A MENU SET TO MUSIC
Blue Note Hawaii has expanded its menu, providing more choices for those seeking sustenance during concerts.
Chef Tony Avilla has added appetizers, small plates, salads and sandwiches, designing them to be easier to share. Entrees have been revamped to feature more local ingredients and fresh seafood.
A sampling of the new items: spicy ahi poke, garlic shrimp, lobster ravioli and truffle fries. Kalua pork is rolled into bao buns, a sandwich and a pizza. For dessert try the bread pudding made with Okinawan andagi.
The menu is available during nightly performances, along with a full bar.
Blue Note is in the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort. Go to bluenotehawaii.com for a full menu and the concert schedule. Call 777-4890.
ALL ABOUT HEALING FOODS
Foods with healing power will be the topic of this month’s Eat Well for Life cooking class at Adventist Health Castle, 6 p.m. Aug. 22.
Chef Daniel Swift will demonstrate three dishes high in vegetables, low-glycemic fruits and whole grains.
The class will be held in the Wellness & Lifestyle Medicine Center Auditorium. Cost is $12, which includes samples and recipes. Reservations required one week in advance; call 263-5050.
TAKE A LESSON IN FISH TACOS
Learn different preparations of fish tacos and make fresh tortillas, when Hawaii Masa Co. joins local fish distributor Local I‘a for its monthly Demo Dinner on Monday.
The event includes the lesson plus a meal and is BYOB, 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Kaimuki Superette, 3458 Waianae Ave. Cost: $45, $40 for subscribers to Local I‘a’s fish program and SlowFood members. Sign up at localia.com, click on “About” and select “Events.”
Future Demo Dinners:
>> Sept. 16: Surf & Turf, with meat purveyor Forage Hawaii
>> Oct. 21: Laulau and ulu, with farmer Nick Reppun
>> Nov. 18: With health coach Sarah Burchard of Healthy Locavore
>> Dec. 16: Fish and banana, with Counter Culture Organic Farm.
Local I‘a is also preparing fish tacos for Kokua Fish Taco Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at Kokua Market, 2643 S. King St.; and it will participate in Festa Italiana, a street festival on Cooke Street Sept. 28, serving cioppino made with fresh local fish and shrimp, and a seasonal crudo.
DINING EVENTS
>> Buho Cocina y Cantina: A “mahalo menu,” available through August, marks the Mexican restaurant’s fifth year in Waikiki. The $20 deal comprises Kauai shrimp ceviche, an avocado taco and New Zealand lamb “lollipops.” Add tequila pairings and dessert for $25. Each course will be paired with a different Casamigos tequila — even dessert, Tres Leches cake with tequila-steeped strawberries. Buho Cantina is in the Waikiki Shopping Plaza, 2250 Kalakaua Ave.; call 922-2846.
>> Viaggio Restaurant: Summer wine-pairing dinners continue with a culinary tour of Italy, 6 p.m. Aug. 22. Chef Rodney Uyehara’s five-course menu features dishes from Trentino, Sicily, Sardinia, Tuscany and Venice, centered on an entree of osso bucco paired with two wines, the Col d’Orcia Rosso di Montalcino and Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico Riserva. Cost is $125. Go to hnltix.com for reservations and a full menu (search for “Viaggio”). The restaurant is in the Symphony Honolulu complex, 888 Kapiolani Blvd.; call 592-8881.
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Star-Advertiser staff
Quickbites is a weekly listing of dining events. Email items to crave@staradvertiser.com.
