Oahu events in the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival begin next week, following a neighbor island tour that began Oct. 6 on the Big Island.
The annual dining extravaganza brings top chefs from around the world to join Hawaii’s leading chefs, along with wine and beer makers and noted mixologists.
Events run from brunch to late-night, from casual “grazing” dinners to a $1,000-a-person sit-down dinner at the Halekulani, with cook-offs, wine seminars and fireworks thrown in for good measure. Most of the events range from $100 to $250, but a Family Sunday event offers hours of kid-friendly activities for just $5.
The list of chefs is formidable: Hubert Keller, Ming Tsai, Floyd Cardoz, Niki Nakayama, Dean Fearing, the list goes on. Proceeds benefit a number of culinary and agricultural nonprofits.
Cooking classes for kids and one wine seminar are sold out; tickets remain for all the other events. For a full schedule and lists of participating chefs go to hawaii foodandwinefestival.com.
OCT. 24
>> “Crops & Hops”: Eight cooking stations feature emerging local crops, paired to 30 craft beers from around the world. Also includes a cook-off featuring three chef finalists using moringa (marungay). 4-7 p.m., Ward Village (former Ward Warehouse site), $95
OCT. 25
>> “Feng Shui & Cocktails”: A party around the pools, with dishes from 13 chefs paired to cocktails by mixologists from throughout the country. A feng shui master will conduct personal readings. 6-9 p.m., Modern Honolulu, $225-$325
OCT. 26
>> “Winederland”: An extravaganza of wines poured by winemakers from California to Germany, paired with dishes from 20 chefs, along with a display from the Cheese Shop in Carmel, Calif., handcrafted cocktails and beers. 6-9 p.m. Hawai‘i Convention Center rooftop, $225-$325
>> “Slurp”: An after-party celebrates noodles, with six chefs serving up pho, ramen and other slurpy specialties. With beers and frozen cocktails. 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, $95-$125
OCT. 27
>> “Somm: The Gang of Four”: A rare wine-tasting opportunity led by a panel of master sommeliers. Covers the legendary “Gang of Four” producers of Beaujolais, with three of the four pioneering winemakers in the house. (Two other wine seminars are sold out.) 9 a.m., Halekulani
>> “Decadence”: Food, wine and cocktails on the beach, with entertainment by Kimie Miner and a fireworks finish.Features 12 chefs and winemakers from across the country. 6-9 p.m., Ko Olina Resort Lagoon 1, $250-$600
OCT. 28
>> “Keiki in the Kitchen Family Sunday”: A day full of activities for kids including a cookie-decorating workshop with “Ace of Cakes” star Duff Goldman, meet-and-greet with a host of festival chefs, a kids’ cookoff, student marketplace and more, concluding with a screening of the movie “Ferdinand.” 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (doors close at 2:30 p.m.), Hawai‘i Convention Center, $5
>> “Naughty or Nice Pool Party”: Brunch around the pool, with each of six chefs creating a vegan dish and an indulgent “naughty” dish. With a DIY bloody mary bar. 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, $115
>> “Culinary Masters Gala – A Tribute to Paul Bocuse”: Six chefs pay tribute to the late French chef Bocuse in an elaborate six-course dinner with wines. 5-10 p.m., Halekulani, $1,000
