Hawai’i Says Aloha to Women Chef’s at Food and Wine Festival

by Heather Cassell

Women chefs will be highlighted at the third Annual Hawai‘i Food and Wine Festival on Maui and Oahu Sept. 1 – 9.

Top Chef alumni Anita Lo, owner and executive chef of Annisa in New York, is the only celebrity female chef among 70 other master chefs and winemakers hailing from the Hawaiian Islands, the mainland U.S., Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, and Australia demonstrating their culinary skills with Hawai’ian flare.

However, she will join the girls on Sunday for a special brunch Girls Got Game +1 featuring locally grown produce and raised livestock by Hawi’ian women farmers.

The chefs and winemakers will showcase Hawai’i’s unique farm-to-table produce, seafood, beef and poultry along with its culinary offerings to epicurean locals and travelers during the week-long event filled with cooking demonstrations, wine tastings and cultural excursions.

This year, Hawai’i is asking the girls and their token boyfriend to elevate brunch to a new level at Girls Got Game +1, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Sept. 8 at the SHOR at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa (2424 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Oahu, 808-923-1234, Waikiki.Hyatt.com).

The brunch features Harumi Kurihara of Yutori No Kukan in Tokyo and Emma Hearst of Sorella in New York and six other women chefs and seven women farmers.

The two chefs will be joined by Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco; Jacqueline Lau of Roy’s Restaurant in Honolulu, O‘ahu; Amber Lin of Foodie Amber in Taipei, Taiwan; Anita; Sven Ullrich of Hyatt Regency Waikiki in Waikiki, O‘ahu; and Sherry Yard of Helms Bakery in Los Angeles will showcase their culinary creations from around the world using food grown by Hawai’i’s women farmers.

Anita plans to serve mini carrot macadamia cakes with crème fresh in a warm carrot butter sauce.

“It’s somewhat deserty muffin-like,” says Anita.

The farmers, mostly from O’ahu, include Shin Ho of Ho Farms in Kahuku; Kylie Matsuda of Kahuku Farms in Kahuku; Amy Shinsato of Shinsato Farms in Kahalu‘u; Sabrina St. Martin and Monique van der Stroom of Naked Cow Dairy in Waianae; and Candy Suiso, Makaha Mangoes in Makaha. Two farmers Lesley Hill of Wailea Agricultural Group in Honomu and Janice Stanga of Hamakua Heritage Farm in Laupahoehoe come from Hawai‘i Island.

Chandra Lucariello of Southern Wine and Spirits will provide the morning cocktails to complement each dish.

Pastry chefs Michelle Karr-Ueoka of Alan Wong’s in Honolulu and Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar in New York will sweeten things up at the Sweet Endings, Sweet Wine, 1 – 3 p.m., Friday, Sept. 6 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, Kaua‘i in Room 311.

Desert lovers will be delighted to watch these masters of sweet confections take Hawai’i’s variety of chocolate and tropical fruits and transform them into delightful treats.

The Hawai‘i Food and Wine Festival was founded by Hawai‘i’s James Beard Award-winning chefs Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong three years ago. The two men wanted to show off Hawai’i’s bounty locally sourced foods and culinary talent with tastings, cooking demonstrations, one-of-a-kind excursions, and exclusive dining opportunities.

The festival now features more than 70 internationally renowned master chefs, culinary personalities, and wine and spirit producers.

Proceeds from the event that is catching on with local and visiting foodies support the sustainability, cultural, and educational efforts of the Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation, the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, Leeward Community College Culinary Program, Paepae o He‘eia, Papahana Kuaola, Hawai‘i Culinary Education Foundation, Maui Culinary Academy, and Maui County Farm Bureau.

Savor the Stay

Gastro travelers will also be delighted that the Hawai‘i Food and Wine Festival has partnered with a variety of hotels and resorts that are providing discounts as well as hosting events.

Partner resorts include Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa; Halekulani Hotel, Hyatt Regency Maui, Hyatt Regency Waikiki, JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa, and The Modern Honolulu. Classic Vacations is assisting travelers with travel packages.

JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa at Ko Olina (92-1001 Olani St., Kapolei, Oahu; 800-626-4446; Ihilani.com), a co-sponsor of the food fest, is offering a special rate of $290 a night during the festival for guests who use the promo code ERS.

The resort is also hosting the festival’s finally event Savory Ever After Sept. 8, 6 – 9 p.m. featuring Executive Sous Chef Jason K. Kina. Chef Jason will be joined by 13 other world-renowned chefs, including Nancy Silverton, Elizabeth McDonald, Michelle Karr-Ueoka among others, who will prepare an array of ethnic cuisine from around the world on a beach lagoon fronting the luxury resort hotel.

Aulani (92-1185 Ali’Inui Dr, Kapolei; 866-443-4763, Aulani.com) is offering travelers a scaled saving opportunity for attending the food and wine festival and fall travel. Vacationers attending the festival will receive a $100 resort credit if they book by Sept. 1 along with the fifth night free. Travelers heading to Oahu this fall can get their fifth night free if they book between July 10 and Oct. 15 and travel sometime between Aug. 26 and Dec. 15.

Halekulani Hotel (2199 Kalia Rd, Honolulu, 808-923-2311, Halekulani.com) is offering a Sunrise Package starting at $1,525 for three nights with additional nights at $525. The luxury resort is offering a complementary daily buffet breakfast for two at House Without a Key or a full American breakfast at Orchids, with the exception of Sunday. Breakfast will only be available at House Without A Key on Sunday.

Hyatt Resorts Maui (200 Nohea Kai Dr, Lahaina, 808-661-1234 or 808-661-1234, Maui.Hyatt.com) and Oahu (2424 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, 888-735-2954 or 808-661-1234, Waikiki.Hyatt.com) are offering gastro travelers the Japengo Island-to-Island Culinary Experience. The package is amazing including two-night stays at both of these beautiful and luxurious resorts, with shuttle and private helicopter landing at Maui’s rooftop, tasting and exclusive dinners with Executive Chefs Gregory Growhowski in Maui and Sven Ullrich in Waikiki, couples massage at Na Hoola Spa in Waikiki and much, much more. The package is available for $6,999 for two through Dec. 20. Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance by phone.

The Modern Honolulu (1775 Ala Moana Blvd., 888-970-4161 or 808-943-5800, TheModernHonolulu.com), a trendy escape, is offering food and wine festival travelers the fourth night free.

Many of the cooking demonstrations are presented by Sub-Zero Wolf.

Tickets to the Girls Got Game +1 brunch are $150 and to Sweet Endings, Sweet Wine are $115.

VIP and general admission to Savory Ever After are $500, with special seating beginning at 5 p.m. and $200, respectively.

To taste Hawaii, visit HawaiiFoodandWineFestival.com/tickets or contact Classic Vacations for your special Hawaii Food and Wine Festival travel package at (800) 635-1333.

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