By Wendy Osher

Maui Culinary Academy students. File photo by Wendy Osher.

Students and faculty of the Maui Culinary Academy work alongside local celebrity chefs in a one-of-a-kind fundraising gala on Saturday, October 22 at the Fairmont Kea Lani.

The Noble Chef food and wine event mixes mentor chefs with aspiring students in a setting served up to support culinary education.

The event, hosted by the University of Hawai’i Maui College, highlights the talents of Maui’s burgeoning chefs while raising funds for scholarships, staff development and expansion of the culinary arts program.

This year, the Maui Culinary Academy awarded over $30,000 in Noble Chef Scholarships to 20 current and future MCA culinary chefs. Due to the generous support of committee members and donors at the 2009 and 2010 Noble Chef Events, MCA was also able to establish an endowment fund.

The 2011 event starts off with a reception at 5:30 p.m. featuring specially-created appetizers and cocktails prepared by many of Maui’s top chefs.

The list of mentor chefs for the reception include: Vincent DeRosa, Picasso’s Café – Bakery – Catering Company; Samuel Faggetti, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea; Ryan Ferguson, TS Restaurants; Lyndon Honda, Maui Brewing Company; James McDonald, I’o, Pacifico, Feast at Lele; Peleg Miron, Spago; Sheldon Simeon, Star Noodle; and Ryan Urig, Ritz Carlton Kapalua.

Noble Chef 2011 event flyer. Click to view in greater detail.

The dinner portion of the program begins at 7 p.m. and will be prepared by MCA Chefs Jake Belmonte & Craig Omori, as well as Tom Lelli & Kyle Kawakami.

The evening concludes with a dessert extravaganza at 8:30 p.m. prepared by celebrity Chef Stanton Ho with MCA Chefs Teresa Shurilla & Chelsie Higgins.

Young’s Market Co. of Hawaii will be pairing the reception and dinner courses with specially selected fine wines.  Ocean Vodka will also be on hand to present a specialty Martini bar.

The Noble Chef event also includes live and silent auctions featuring hand-selected packages that highlight culinary experiences, paired with unique settings from around Maui.

Tickets are $150 per person.  There are also sponsorship opportunities for table of 10 purchases ranging from $2,500 to $5,000.

For reservations or more information, contact Marilyn Fornwall at the UH Foundation at (808) 984-3261 or via email at fornwall@hawaii.edu.