Kamaaina know all too well that Hawaii is way more than macadamia nuts and coffee, but New Yorker and cable TV host Adam Richman does his best to convey that to anyone who will listen.

Richman has a big platform from which to spread the message as host of shows including Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” and “Secret Eats With Adam Richman,” and NBC’s “Food Fight.”

Richman also is an author, having written “America the Edible: A Hungry History, From Sea to Dining Sea” in 2010 and “Straight-Up Tasty: Meals, Memories, and Mouthfuls From My Travels” (2015).

He is a regular at the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, which kicked off Friday with a sold-out golf tournament on Maui hosted by chef, restaurateur and festival co-founder Roy Yamaguchi.

Richman has been coming to the festival since its second year and has been in the islands “upwards of 10 times” for the festival and his Travel Channel shows, he said.

More visitors need to leave their hotels “and explore the place and not just eat the food,” though he highly encourages enjoyment of local food at all levels, high-end to grass-roots.

Tourists should “eat more local” to truly experience Hawaii as local people do, which can mean different things depending on the topic being discussed. In this bit of conversation, Richman was talking about, for example, enjoying an Island Style Big Boy plate and a shave ice at Keneke’s in Waimanalo, or going to Char Hung Sut in Chinatown or to Ethel’s Grill in Kalihi, or, for those who cook, buying Ka Lei eggs and Mrs. Cheng’s tofu.

On Maui, as a different example of eating more local, it is worthwhile to search out Kula-grown strawberries, he said, which led him into a high-energy story about a near-death experience on the road to Hana at nighttime.

If he offers you a ride, politely declining might be the best course of action.

Hawaii’s anthropological mix is so rich, he said, and at its very foundation the Hawaiian culture is a model of sustainability that more visitors should understand. Richman cited the Paepae o He‘eia fishpond as an example of lessons those in the sustainability movement are trying to share.

Additionally, “my mother and I volunteer in the loi (wetland taro patch) when she comes with me,” he said. “It’s adorable, my Jewish mother making paiai like it’s matzo,” he laughed.

It is this cultural knowledge and these types of experiences that he likes to share with his TV audiences.

Hawaii’s image as a foodie destination — already strengthened by television exposure and the presence of high-profile chefs such as Michael Mina, Masaharu Morimoto and Nobu Matsuhisa, who’ve opened restaurants here — is further boosted by events such as the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival, he said.

Richman is serving as a presenter for the Keiki in the Kitchen competition on Oct. 29, along with “MasterChef Junior” top-eight finalist Josh Reisner. Richman’s hosting duties extend to the Battle of the Brunch and Bass competition, and the $1,000-per-ticket, five-hour Halekulani Culinary Masters Gala Series, both on the last day of the festival, Oct. 30.

——

Hawaii Food and Wine Festival: Available Events

Big Island

>> Hot Lava, Hotter Cuisine (6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Hilton Waikoloa Village, $250-$500): Big Island bounty showcased in a six-course feast delivered by seven chefs: Michelle Bernstein (Seagrape, Miami), Bruce Bromberg (Blue Ribbon Restaurants, New York), Jayson Kanekoa (Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa), Hubert Keller (Fleur by Hubert Keller, Las Vegas), Hans Lentz (Hilton Waikoloa Village), Tae-Hwan Ryu (Ryunique, Seoul) and Nancy Silverton (Mozza Restaurant Group, Los Angeles).

Oahu

>> Urban Lu’au (5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 26, Salt @ Our Kakaako, $95): Contemporary chefs will create their versions of classic Hawaiian dishes, to be presented alongside their traditional counterparts from five Hawaiian restaurants. The chefs: Chung Chow (Noreetuh, New York), Ravi Kapur (Liholiho Yacht Club, San Francisco), Eddie Lopez (The Mill House, Maui), Peter Merriman (Moku Kitchen, Honolulu), Mark Noguchi (Pili Group, Honolulu) and Troy Terorotua (REAL a gastropub, Honolulu). The restaurants: Alicia’s Market, Haili’s Hawaiian Food, Helena’s Hawaiian Food, Highway Inn and Young’s Fish Market.

>> Hungry Monkey (6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27, The Modern Honolulu, $225-$325): Thirteen innovative chefs, plus winemakers and mixologists, set up food and cocktail stations on the pool decks of the Modern. Chefs include Hugh Acheson (5&10, Athens, Ga.), Masaharu Morimoto (Morimoto Waikiki), Ken Oringer (Toro NYC) and Mariah Swan (ICDC, Los Angeles); winemakers Jason Drew, Luc Morlet, Donald Patz and Cristian Valbruzzoli; and mixologists Jeff Bell, Lynnette Marrero, Amanda Victoria and Dave Newman.

>> A Culinary Flight (6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 28, Hawai’i Convention Center, $225-$500): Cuisine from 20 chefs, paired with 20 sought-after wines from across the globe. Among the chefs are Floyd Cardoz (Paowalla, New York), Stephen Durfee (Culinary Institute of America), Gale Gand (Tru, Chicago), Andrew Le (The Pig and the Lady, Honolulu), George Mavrothalassitis (Chef Mavro, Honolulu) and Yuji Wakiya (Wakiya, Tokyo). Master sommeliers: Jason Heller, Joseph Spellman and Roberto Viernes.

>> Masters of Meursault (9:30 to 11 a.m. Oct. 29, Halekulani, $200): A spotlight on library wines from the cellars of Domaines Antoine Jobard and Jean-Marc Roulot, plus special selections of Domaine Coche-Dury. Jobard himself joins in the event.

>> The Rarities Tasting (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 29, Halekulani, $295): Top wines from the Bordeaux region, aged 30 years. These include Angelus, Margaux and Pavie, plus two Rhone wines from 1989: Jaboulet La Chapelle and Chave Hermitage.

>> Keiki in the Kitchen (10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ko Olina Resort, free): This family event features finalists in a kids cooking contest who will prepare their dishes for a panel of celebrity chefs. Also: “Best of Eat the Street” food vendors, a Hawaii Made Marketplace of homemade goodies, entertainment and more. RSVP, and the first 2,000 tickets scanned at the event will be entered to win dinner for four at Roy’s Ko Olina and the upcoming Eating House 1849 Kapolei.

>> Battle of the Brunch and Bass, Round III (11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 30, Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, $115): Chefs Lee Anne Wong (Koko Head Cafe) and Sven Ullrich (Hyatt Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa) go for their third straight title at the annual brunch showdown. Their challengers: Michelle Karr-Ueoka and Wade Ueoka (MW); and Celina Tio (Julian, Kansas City, Mo.) and Colin Hazama (Royal Hawaiian Hotel). Guests will vote after tasting six dishes by the three teams. Next, they will vote on two bands vying for a contract at Kani Ka Pila Grille at the hotel. Plus, cocktails created by Dave Power (Southern Wine and Spirits of Hawai’i).

>> East Meets West (5 to 10 p.m. Oct. 30, Halekulani, $1,000): The finale event presents six courses with wine pairings, from Jerome Bocuse (Les Chefs de France and Le Bistro de Paris, Orlando, Fla.), Michael Cimarusti (Providence, Los Angeles), Josiah Citrin (Melisse, Santa Monica, Calif.), Kanjiro Mochizuki (Imperial Hotel Tokyo), Niki Nakayama (n/naka, Los Angeles), Yoshihiro Narisawa (Narisawa, Tokyo) and Alex Trancher (La Mer, Honolulu). Mixologists: Tony Abou-Ganim (The Modern) and Francesco Lafranconi (Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada).

—

Joleen Oshiro, Star-Advertiser