Plan Now to Attend the Hawaii Food & Wine Fest

Last year the first Hawaii Food & Wine Festival lured droves of foodies to various venues around Honolulu with a line-up of culinary all-stars including island chefs Alan Wong and Roy Yamauchi, Mainland chefs like Hubert Keller and Alexander Strada, and international culinary biggies like Edward Kwon from Korea and Yoshihiro Murata of Japan.

This year the festival plans to outdo itself, boasting at least 50 top master chefs and esteemed vintners from all over the world under the banner, “Taste Our Love for the Land.”

The festival, which runs from Sept. 6 to 9, will feature signature dining events, cooking demonstrations, wine tastings with top sommeliers, culinary workshops, industry seminars and field excursions. Proceeds support the Hawaii Agriculture Foundation, the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, Paepae O Heeia and Papahana O Kuaola.

Some highlights include:

• Enter the MODERN Dragon: Morimoto and Friends: This event, led by “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto, will showcase East-meets-West dishes prepared by 12 chefs from Asian and the Pacific. It’s slated for 6 p.m., Thursday, Spet. 6 at the MODERN Honolulu in Waikiki. Cost starts at $200 per person.

• Second Annual Halekulani Masters Chef Gala Series: Chefs Who Have Cooked for Presidents and Royalty: Master chefs and top sommeliers will lay out a lavish seven-course meal and wine pairings at Friday, Sept. 7 at the posh Halekulani. Chefs include Vikram Garg, Halekulani;
Hubert Keller, Fleur de Lys, San Francisco; Nobu Matsuhisa, Nobu Waikiki; François Payard, Payard, New York; and Michel Richard, Michel Richard Citronelle, Central Michel Richard, Washington, D.C. Tickets start at $1,000 per person.

• From Farm to Table: A Makahiki Festival: A tribute to the makahiki (or harvest) season celebrated by Hawaiians, this event — held on Saturday, Sept. 8 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village — will showcase Hawaii’s sustainable pursuits with more than 20 celebrity chefs, many of whom promote farm-to-table practices. Cost starts at $200 per person.

Tickets are on sale now online.

The Halekulani, which is hosting the Masters Chef Gala Series, is offering a package for those attending the four-day festival. Valid from Sept. 5 to 10, guests will stay in an ocean view or ocean front room with daily breakfast and choice of attending the opening or closing night event for the festival. Package rates start at $2,400. Call (808) 923-2311 to book this package.

For information about the festival, call (808) 738-6245 or e-mail info@hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com.

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