After a three-year hiatus, the 19th Waikiki Spam Jam Festival returns 4-10 p.m. April 29 along Kalakaua Avenue. This free event is open to the public and features tasting booths, live entertainment and exclusive Spam brand-related items. Spammy characters and friends will also make an appearance at the festival.
There are 17 restaurants that have each made unique dishes with the local staple. Attendees can delight in Aloha Beer’s Spam flatbread, Mahina & Sun’s Spam fried rice and Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt’s Spam garlic bread, to name a few.
And, the celebration doesn’t stop there. Can to Table Restaurant Week takes placeApril 30-May 14 with 20 participating eateries spread across Waikiki. Try anything from Aloha Pizzeria’s Spam pizza and Banzai Burger’s Spam burger to Eggs ‘N Things Spam Benedict and Greek Gotto’s Spam gyro.
Visit spamjamhawaii.com.
L’ulu gala returns
Leeward Community College Culinary Arts Program invites the public to its L’ulu Gala: An Evening of Indulgence, which takes place 6-9 p.m. May 6 at The Courtyards at LCC. L’ulu returns with an event featuring farm-to-table cuisine by Hawaii’s top chefs, entertainment, a silent auction, raffle and much more.
Chefs who will be present at the gala include Andrew Le and Kristene Moon of The Pig & The Lady, Chris Garnier of The Pearl, Lance Kosaka of Mariposa, Robynne Maii of Fête and more.
The menu will be accompanied by complimentary wines, beers, spirits, and specialty coffees and teas.
General admission tickets are $175. Tickets for LCC faculty, staff and students are $150. Tickets can be purchased on eventbrite.com (search L’ulu) or visit tinyurl.com/bdhz32x8. For questions regarding tickets, contact Fabi Castellano at fabiola@hawaii.edu or 808-455-0300.
Meet your ‘matcha’
Dean & Deluca Hawaii and Fukuoka Prefecture collaborate once again for a Fukuoka Fair. The limited-time deli menu features high quality first harvest Ariake nori (dried seaweed) and rare Yamecha premium tea.
Find savory items such as wild king salmon with Champagne gelée in Ariake nori with matcha vinaigrette or Ariake nori crunchy rice bites. The latter are small cups of Ariake nori with flavored crunch rice and is topped with several ingredients: ahi poke, roasted Hon-Shimeji mushrooms, and grilled beef short ribs flavored with garlic and herbs.
For dessert, try the Yame matcha tiramisu — delicate ladyfingers soaked in syrup made from the finest macha powder sourced from Yame, a renowned tea-producing region in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Or, there is the decadent Yame matcha terrine, a gluten-free chocolate cake featuring the same matcha and an elegant white chocolate from France.
Visit deandeluca-hawaii.com for more info.
Champion chef
Executive sous chef McKenna Shea of Pacific’o on the Beach on Maui was recently crowned champion and took home the $10,000 top prize in Chopped’s premiere episode A Bunch of Abalone.
“The judges loved my dish and two of them finished the whole salad even after the judging was over,” states Shea. “This sweet, crispy, crunchy salad began the meal that would ultimately crown me Chopped champion.”
Shea joined Pacific’o on the Beach in 2019 as its youngest leading female chef, before becoming sous chef the next year. Under the mentorship of executive chef Isaac Bancaco, she advanced her skills in Hawaiian cuisine and fresh seafood, co-creating dishes with locally sourced ingredients for an elevated and innovative menu.
Visit pacificomaui.com.
