How do four days of sun, spent sipping wines from around the globe and sampling dishes with a tropical twist sound? Oh, and on Maui no less.
The oldest and most prestigious educational culinary event in Hawaii, the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival, is held in high regard by both food and beverage aficionados who attend (approximately 3,500 annually), and the celebrity chefs, master sommeliers and experts who share their knowledge during a star-studded schedule of events. Picture interactive wine seminars, cooking classes and lovely evening gala tasting events, all held in the most luxurious resorts of Kapalua, located on Maui’s northwest tip.
Standouts from the lineup of wine seminars and tastings were plenty, including the Champagne and Scooby Snacks event held at the Ritz-Carlton. The event was hosted by the very knowledgeable and entertaining master sommelier Rob Bigelow, senior director of wine education at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Chef Mark Tarbell’s “Scooby snacks” were ultimately small portions of foods, which paired perfectly with seven featured Champagnes, and included mimolette cheese, tapenade, caviar and eggplant caponata. The Jean Vesselle Brut Prestige 2005, paired perfectly with crumbly, salty, aged Parmesan — a close-your-eyes and savour moment for sure.
Another wine workshop that impressed was Women of the Vines, featuring notable women winemakers, including Merry Edwards, from Merry Edwards Winery, Elizabeth Grant-Douglas, from La Crema Winery, and Heidi Peterson Barrett, from La Sirena. Consumers should note these women know their stuff in an often male-dominated industry.
The cooking demonstrations were made only more exceptional by the fact the “classrooms” were fully set dining rooms at the Ritz-Carlton with wine pairings for each course, served while participants watched and learned from celebrity chef Hugh Acheson, who clearly owned the stage while preparing four recipes from his southern-influenced cookbook, The Broad Fork. Acheson, a Canadian expat, is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, TV personality and author. The man is as funny, self-effacing and off-kilter as you’d hope, serving up a grilled corn salad, kampachi with field pea ragout and peppered strawberries with vanilla bean ice cream — in his casual, “ain’t-no-thang” way.
Celebrity Chef Michele Mazza also hosted a cooking demo. Owner and executive chef of Il Mulino and Trattoria IL Mulino in New York City, Mazza paired his Italian roots with Hawaii’s best local offerings to create Kona crab timballo, deconstructed seafood lasagnas and sautéed Kona lobster with wild mushroom brodetto.
Evenings during the festival featured the grand tasting — Kapalua style, held at the Montage Kapalua Bay resort oceanfront, where huge white tents protected guests from tropical rains while they strolled and chose from what seemed like hundreds of premium wines from around the globe on offer, poured by reps who know them well. Food stations from Maui’s best restaurants included the Plantation House, Pineapple Grill, Merriman’s Kapalua, Sansei Restaurant & Sushi Bar and more.
On another starry night, the Seafood Festival allowed hungry guests to sample from 14 of Maui’s restaurants competing for Maui No Ka Oi Magazine’s Best of the Fest award. A huge selection of wines on offer again, and dancing, made for a fun Aloha-inspired evening.
The festival also offers the Resort Winemaker Dinners series, including the five-course dinner Montage Kapalua Bay hosted, featuring Marcus Notaro, winemaker from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, who paired up with Acheson and Bigelow for an intimate one-night-only event.
Staying right in Kapalua during the festival is made easy with a free shuttle that transports guests to and from their hotels to all the event locations.
Where to stay: The Kapalua Villas Maui, owned by the Outrigger chain, is a condominium property ideal for families or folks who like a suite with little more room or who want to share with another couple. A full kitchen makes it easy to prepare meals between wine and food events.
Giveback? Each year Kapalua donates a portion of the proceeds to worthwhile charities, including the University of Hawaii’s Maui College Culinary Academy.
Intrigued? Dates for next year’s Kapalua Wine and Food Festival are June 8 to 11, 2017. Mark your calendars and look into purchasing tickets soon at kapaluawineandfoodfestival.com.
