Well, dreams really do come true because this year I finally made it to the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival. You couldn’t ask for a more beautiful setting than Hawaii and more specifically, the island of Maui where this fabulous food and wine festival kicked off this weekend. This festival brings chefs from all over Hawaii and the world to showcase their talents in different events during these delicious 17 days of eating and drinking.
Grilled Kabocha Squash Taco + Pohole Fern & Kula Onion Slaw + Watercress + Corn Shoots + Lilikoi Salsa
The festival kicked off with Global Street Food on Friday, October 20 at the lovely Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa which brought over a dozen celebrity chefs to one great event where they each presented different street food dishes from around the world. There were so many yummy things at this event but my favorite was from Chef Spike Mendelsohn and they were these bomb veggie tacos.
The real highlight of the HFWF kickoff weekend was the Lucky 7 Dinner on Saturday night, October 21st at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in stunning Kaanapali Beach. This special event brought seven talented chefs from across the country to cook on stage and share their inspiration behind their dish, each which was served with a perfectly paired glass of wine. Why seven chefs you ask? Well, it’s the seventh year of the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival (and I heard from multiple folks who had attended before that this year was by far the best yet.) So, what were these amazing line up of chefs serving? Here’s the full menu and pairings:
The Dish: Pickled Baby Green Waihe’e Farms Tomato with Mandalay Surfing Goat Cheese, Smoked Tomato and Chili Coulis, Chive Oil and Candied Coconut
The Chef: Chef Greg Grohowski of the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa, Hawaii
The Wine Pairing: 2016 Twomey Estate Sauvignon Blanc, from Sonoma/Napa Counties, California
The Dish: Hawaiian Kanpachi Ceviche with Big Island Coconut-Kokum Broth, Big Island Heart of Palm and Black Rice
The Chef: Chef Floyd Cardoz of Paowalla, New York, NY
The Wine Pairing: 2015 Weingut Gunderloch Gewurtztraminer, Rheinhessen, Germany
The Dish: Braised Big Island Abalone with Poached Foie Gras
The Chef: Chef Niki Nakayama of n/naka, Los Angeles, California
The Wine Pairing: 2014 Palmina Dolcetto, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, California
The Dish: Smoked Hawaiian Big Eye Tuna Cooked Over Coals with Cashew Hummus, Charred Maui Onion Petals, Yuzu Dashi, Thai Basil and Long Beans
The Chef: Chef Jason Neroni of Rose Café-Restaurant, Venice, California
The Wine Pairing: 2014 Paul Lato Pinot Noir “The Contender,” Drum Canyon Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara
The Dish: Kona Lobster Tamale Pie with Paddlefish Caviar
The Chef: Chef Stephan Pyles of Flora Street Café, Dallas, Texas
The Wine Pairing: 2015 Domaine Ostertag Sylvaner “Les Vielles Vignes,” Alsace, France
The Dish: Medallion of Hawaiian Venison with Celery Root Three Ways and Roasted Peppered Pineapple Foie Gras Salsa
The Chef: Chef Joachim Splichal of Patina Restaurant Group, Los Angeles, California
The Wine Pairing: 2012 Stonestreet “Legacy,” Alexander Valley, California
The Dish: Coco Black Lava Cake with Homemade Big Island Chocolate Poi, Mango-Dragon
Fruit-Blue Curacao Sauces and Krazy Kolor Krisp
The Chef: Chef Greg Grohwski of Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, Hawaii
The Wine Pairing: Dow’s Ten Year Tawny Port, Portugal
The sun setting over the Pacific at the gorgeous grounds of the Hyatt Maui Resort and Spa made for an absolutely perfect background for this spectactular event. I truly can’t think of a better way to kick off this wine and food festival.
Mahalo for an amazing time HWFW! The Hawaii Food and Wine Festival is happening until November 5, check out their website to see what events aren’t sold out yet!
[…] Maui was, in my opinion at least, the definition of paradise. Stunning sunrises and unforgettable sunsets framed each day and those days were filled with beach walks, tropical cocktails and amazing food. I was lucky enough to visit Maui for the beginning of the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival and this food and wine event was, by far, the most extraordinary I’ve ever been to. You can’t beat sipping wine on Maui at sunset while amazing chefs prepare you delicious dishes. (Read my full write up on the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival here.) […]