‘Kitchen assassin’ Alvin Savella makes killer dessert at the Grand Wailea Resort

Even if you haven’t had the chance to sample chef de cuisine Alvin Savella’s seasonal Polynesian and Hawaiian cuisine at the Humuhumu restaurant at the Grand Wailea Resort, you still can savor his killer creations, personal style and travel adventures on Instagram, where his @kitchenassassin alter ego has 68,000 followers.

His culinary combinations earned him 2018 Chef of the Year honors in the ‘Aipono Awards and a 2017 AAA Four Diamond Award while at The Banyan Tree at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. Savella will be back at this year’s Grand Taste at Maui AgFest & 4-H Livestock Fair, set for 3 to 5 p.m. May 30 at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku, where he is a returning winner and four-time participant.

Born and raised on Maui, Savella said his upbringing had a lot to do with his eventual career in the kitchen. He recalls gathering at the family table for home-cooked meals, with everyone contributing in some way. As the years passed he realized that cooking was his calling.

Recently named chef de cuisine of Humuhumu after stints at The Banyan Tree and Pulehu, an Italian grill at the Westin Ka‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas, Savella spent the early part of his culinary career in Southern California, most notably at Jer-ne Restaurant at the Ritz- Carlton, Marina del Rey.

Savella has both an Associate of Science degree in culinary arts and Bachelor of Science degree in culinary management from the Art Institute of California-Los Angeles.

His recipe for a Deep-Fried Banana Bread “Twinkie” combines his traditional roots and playful nature.

ALVIN SAVELLA’S DEEP-FRIED BANANA BREAD “TWINKIE”

Banana bread
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 bananas, pureed
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together and then add eggs, vanilla and bananas.

In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients and add to banana mixture. Spread batter in 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let bread cool.

Trim edges and cut in half lengthwise to make 2 sheets of bread. Spread banana filling over one sheet of bread and stack other sheet on top. Place in refrigerator overnight to cool and firm up.

Once cool, cut into roughly 1-by-3-inch rectangles, dip in tempura batter and deep-fry to a light golden brown, about 2-1/2 to 3 minutes. Top with banana nut butter and macerated strawberries. Serves 10.

Banana filling
4 eggs
1 ounce lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
3 bananas
3 ounces butter

Place all ingredients except butter in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer filling into a stainless-steel mixing bowl and cook over a double boiler until thickened. (Lacking a double boiler, place bowl over pot of boiling water.) Remove from heat and whisk in butter.

Let cool and reserve for filling banana bread.

Tempura batter
4 cups water
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch

Whisk all ingredients together thoroughly.

Banana nut butter
1/2 pound butter
1 pound macadamia nuts, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
4 bananas, sliced

Melt butter in saute pan. Add chopped macadamia nuts and cook until golden brown. Turn off heat and add bananas. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.

Macerated strawberry
1 pound strawberries, quartered
1/2 cup sugar
4 mint sprigs

Mix strawberries and sugar together with mint sprigs and let sit overnight. Remove mint before serving.

Localicious serves up recipes that use fresh, local ingredients. Find this recipe and more at mauicountyfarmbureau.org.