Actor, director, producer and “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston will appear at an upcoming Four Seasons Resort Maui epicurean event, creating chemistry with his new Dos Hombres mezcal line. “Bad” co-star Aaron Paul is his partner in the real-life booze biz, which is strictly legal and crafted from Espadin agave hand-picked in the small village of San Luis del Rio in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The second annual Four Seasons Maui Wine & Food Classic in Wailea will be uncorked over Memorial Day weekend in partnership with “wine therapist to the stars” Christian Navarro of Wally’s Wines & Spirits. The all-star lineup includes world-class vintners, master sommeliers and celebrity chefs along with acclaimed spirit producers Casa Dragones and Michter’s Whiskey.
Breakout wine dinners across the property on May 23 include Opus One paired with Wolfgang Puck (who owns Spago Maui on property), BOND featuring Josiah Citron, Dom Perignon paired with Jackson Wu, and Memento Mori featuring Michael Mina. The Fire & Feast with South America’s most beloved chef, Argentine Francis Mallmann, will be presented May 24. Mallman has developed a cultlike following on TV, too, just like Cranston.
Other highlights are the Starlit Soiree May 21; the Oceanfront Gala on May 22 (where Cranston may be spotted); Master Classes such as Napa Valley Superstars, Super Tuscan Legends and more May 23 and 24; and Brunch & Bubbles on May 25. Four Seasons Resort Maui’s GM Marc Bromley is raising the bar for the event, which was named “Best of the Best New Wine Festival 2019” by the Robb Report. For tickets, visit fourseasons.com/mauiclassic.
A FOND ALOHA
Every Valentine’s weekend for many years now, Maui’s Grammy-nominated and 38-time Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning recording artist and kumu hula Keali‘i Reichel and his Halau Ke‘alaokamaile have sold out shows at Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului. Tickets for Kukahi 2020 are going faster than hula dancers can shake their hips — and it will be the last Kukahi presentation, according to the MACC. Come check out his emotional vocals and the halau’s innovative stagings at 7:30 p.m. Saturday or 2 or 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16.
Pre-show festivities include music by the Kamehameha Schools Maui Hawaiian Ensemble and arts and crafts by local vendors. Savor soy-ginger chicken and roast pork with tomatillo chili sauce ($16) or Chinese vegetables ($10) by Hali‘imaile General Store in the Yokouchi Pavilion Courtyard. Tickets are $12, $45, $65 and $85. Call 242-7469, visit mauiarts.org or go to the box office.
A WHALE OF A TIME
Whale Trust and The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, invite the public to gather Valentine’s Day weekend for the 14th Annual Whale Tales event. Special guest Jean-Michel Cousteau joins 13 world-renowned experts Friday through Feb. 17 to share the latest in marine research, exploration and discovery.
“We are all connected to the ocean. Without healthy oceans, no life, not even on land, can exist,” according to Cousteau, who partners with the Ritz for its ongoing Ambassadors of the Environment program offering family-friendly activities with Maui as its living classroom.
A producer of more than 80 films, the Emmy, Peabody and Cable Ace Award-winning Cousteau will be one of four speakers from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 16 along with Daniel Opitz, producer of the “Humpbacks of Hawai‘i” movie at Maui Ocean Center’s new Sphere theater in Maalaea.
The Whale Tales exposition is free and open to the public. However, a $20 suggested donation per day is encouraged to support nonprofit beneficiaries. Walk inside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 48-foot inflatable humpback whale, see Maui Ocean Center’s coral-feeding stations, watch films and listen to more speakers, such as National Geographic photographer Ralph Lee Hopkins and University of Hawaii scientist Kristi West.
Gunars and Jorene Valkirs, owners of the soon-to-open Ku‘ia Estate Chocolate Factory in Lahaina, are sponsoring a VIP reception on Saturday with food cooked by their private- event chef Randy Button, according to Whale Trust’s Dayna Garland.
Whale Tales tickets are available online for whale-watch cruises and more with the experts. Monday, Feb. 17, is the third annual Family Whale Day Watch with added fun and educational features for keiki. For more details, visit whaletales.org.
CHAMPAGNE AND CAVIAR
Forget about smoothies and health food in the first quarter of the year. The gourmet set can indulge in the Petrossian Caviar Evening by The Mill House Monday at the Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu.
“Will the 2020s be as carefree, as decadent and as fun as the 1920s?” asks Amanda Hall, director of marketing, communications and education for the plantation. “It’s up to you to decide!”
You may set your own tone for this soiree in the Maui Chef’s Table pavilion. Cocktail attire and a sweater or light jacket are recommended. Starting at 6 p.m., sip champagne, taste caviar, slurp freshly shucked oysters, nibble on passed hors d’oeuvres and mingle with Christophe Jadot, U.S. sales director for Petrossian Caviar. Then, at 7 p.m., sit down to a four-course menu prepared by executive chef Taylor Ponte and his team. Live music will entertain. The $175 cost includes tax and tip. For reservations, call 270-0333.
A SWEET GOODBYE
Lyndon Honda has jumped ship as executive chef of the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa. At his last day at work Tuesday, I happened to call him, and his employees were sure glad that I did.
“We were trying to get him to come into the kitchen so we could pie him in the face, and when you called he finally came in and we nailed him,” said a sous-chef, with Honda yelling in the background. Word has it that Honda will be moving to Merriman’s restaurant empire in a corporate chef capacity.
Veteran journalist Carla Tracy pops the cork on Maui’s dining and entertainment scene in her weekly column. Email her at carlatracy808@gmail.com.
