This month’s most glam culinary extravaganza will be uncorked at Ka‘anapali Resort venues Friday through Sunday. Maui joins the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival to showcase some of the 117 world-class chefs, 40 winemakers and 30 mixologists brought in for the ninth annual statewide affair.
The Roy’s 22nd Annual Golf Classic on Friday, which tees off HFWF Maui, is already sold out. However, tickets to “Wicked Cocktails, Wicked Plates” from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa are still available. Executive chef Lyndon Honda will welcome culinary heavyweights such as David LeFevre of Fishing With Dynamite in Manhattan Beach, Calif., Chris Cosentino of Cockscomb in San Francisco and Robert Irvine of Public House, Las Vegas.
“I look forward to this festival because I have always loved Hawaiian culture,” says Dean Max of Even Keel Fish & Oyster in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who will also appear. “I grew up on the ocean, fishing, diving, surfing and enjoying the same beach life that Hawaiians celebrate. This festival shows the rich food culture of the islands and the great local products that can be harvested. It is a passion to be able to showcase great local products to people visiting and let them taste what are authentic flavors of the region.”
Max will prepare Kona kanpachi crudo with spicy turmeric jus, while Maui’s own Abby Ferrer of Star Noodle in Lahaina will have your taste buds dancing down the “Yellow Brick Road” with bobotu, or Filipino rice tamales, steamed in banana leaves with coconut milk, chicharon, peanuts and Hawaiian seafood XO sauce. Tickets start at $225 per adult.
Another HFWF Maui highlight is “Pasta la Vista” from 6 to 9:30 Oct. 20 at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. Host chef Greg Grohowski will make “From the Mountain to the Sea” with Kauai prawns set atop purple sweet potato gnocchi in kabocha sauce. This sit-down, outdoor gala also features legends Celestino Drago of Drago Centro in L.A., Michael Chiarello of Bottega Napa Valley in Yountville, Calif., and more. Tickets start at $275 per person.
HFWF CEO Denise Yamaguchi says that since its launch in 2011, the festival has raised nearly $2.5 million for local agricultural and culinary programs. For details and to purchase tickets, visit hfwf.me.
A STAR RETURNS
He played the Bradley Cooper role in the 1976 version of “A Star Is Born” with Barbra Streisand. On Saturday, Kipahulu resident, Rhodes scholar, three-time Grammy winner and actor Kris Kristofferson will grace the Maui Arts & Cultural Center stage with the Strangers, featuring Scott Joss on fiddle and vocals, Doug Colosio on keyboards and vocals and Jeff Ingraham on drums. The concert benefits the Na Keiki o Emalia nonprofit. Buy tickets — $35 to $125 with a limited number of $500 VIP seats — at mauiarts.org, call 242-7469 or head to the box office.
Helping you make it through the night will be dinner by Hali‘imaile General Store, served in the Yokouchi Pavilion Courtyard from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saddle up to spinach lasagna and rotini pasta with turkey Bolognese, green salad and bread for $16 or vegetarian antipasto salad for $12.
The fifth annual HopeFest Maui will present the gala “Bridge to Hope” from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday on the oceanfront grounds of the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea. Proceeds go directly to the American Cancer Society’s Clarence T.C. Ching Hope Lodge Hawai‘i for neighbor islanders who need a place to stay while receiving cancer treatment on Oahu.
“We all know someone who is or has battled cancer,” says event chairwoman Raysha Mamala in her plea for additional support from residents and businesses; table sponsors are still being sought.
Shea Derrick and Full Flavor Band, pictured at left, will perform music for dancing, with laughs provided by emcee Tony Silva of Da Braddahs. The $195 ticket price includes a welcome drink.
Can’t attend? Purchase a “Sponsor a Survivor” seat. For tickets, call development manager Carlayna Nakamura at 244-5554.
A SPARKLING EVENT
Speaking of the Four Seasons, Domaine Carneros winemaker Eileen Crane joins forces with the resort and Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante chef de cuisine Nicola Cavicchini on Thursday to host the Domaine Carneros Wine Dinner.
The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. in the al fresco, oceanfront Italian restaurant, followed at 7 p.m. by a four-course tasting menu featuring the winery’s acclaimed Le Reve Blanc de Blancs, 2016 Estate Pinot Noir and 2016 Hyde Vineyard Merlot.
After 38 years in the industry, Crane is the most experienced maker of sparkling wine in the United States. Often referred to as “America’s doyenne of sparkling wine,” Crane was selected by Claude Tattinger of Champagne Tattinger to oversee the winery and vineyard in the heart of Carneros, Napa Valley, in 1987.
Courses include lobster risotto, aged duck in forest broth with fermented plum, and smoked venison loin with chocolate and berry ganache. Cost is $165 per person plus tax and gratuity, with free valet parking. Call 874-8000.
The University of Hawaii Maui College’s Culinary Arts Program coordinator and pastry chef Teresa “Cheech” Shurilla is a Food Network competitor, appearing on “Sugar Dome” and on “Halloween Wars” three times.
Word has it she may be back on a new Food Network competition show before the year is out. In the meantime, catch her on a rerun of “Road to Halloween Wars” at 11 a.m. today on the Food Network. Anyone familiar with the Pa‘ina Building on campus will recognize the surroundings.
Veteran journalist Carla Tracy pops the cork on Maui’s dining and entertainment scene in her weekly column. Email her at carlatracy808@gmail.com.
