Maui Milestones for Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival

Maui diners celebrate at the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival. Courtesy photo.

Our state’s largest culinary celebration, the seventh annual Hawaiʻi Food & Wine Festival, kicks off on Maui with a trio of diverse dining experiences October 20 to 22 in Kā‘anapali. Local ingredients will take center stage as top names from food, wine, and spirits showcase Maui as a culinary destination over the three day kickoff for Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival (HFWF).

“Maui has played a key role in putting Hawai‘i on the culinary map so it’s a natural place to launch the Festival,” explains HFWF Chief Executive Officer Denise Yamaguchi. “After all, it was at Shep Gordon’s Maui home 26 years ago where the idea for Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine was born. As the next movement, Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival is proud to bring together local home-grown talents and world-renowned chefs for a golf tournament, grazing event, and six-course dinner that all highlight Maui’s bounty.”

The Festival begins October 20 with the milestone 20th-anniversary Roy’s Golf Classic, which was added to the HFWF lineup three years ago. Roy’s Golf Classic is a sold-out tournament that raises money for IMUA Family Services to help Maui families who face challenges with developmental disabilities.

“It’s an honor to see a charity golf tournament that started in 1997 continue to receive overwhelming support from the community, sponsors, chefs, and volunteers,” says HFWF co-founder Roy Yamaguchi. “We’ve been able to raise $815,000 for local families over 19 years. It’s inspiring to see the impact that we can have as a non-profit in support of valuable programs across the State.”

Yamaguchi will be a featured chef at Global Street Food, a walk-around event at the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa on October 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. along with 12 other top chefs including Gale Gand, David LeFevre, Raphael Lunetta, Spike Mendelsohn, Jonathan Waxman, and local favorites Chris Kajioka and Ed Kenney.

The Festival’s Maui kickoff wraps up with Hawaiian Airlines Presents Lucky 7 at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa on October 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. This exquisite seven-course, wine-paired dinner features six master chefs, including Niki Nakayama and Jason Neroni, to mark the seventh anniversary of the Festival.

Chefs from all three events will take part in a meet-and-greet with media and fans at the Grown on Maui Farmers Market on Saturday, October 21. Maui’s farmers and food producers will showcase locally grown goods at this open-air market by the Kā‘anapali Beachwalk in Whalers Village from 7:30  to 11:30 a.m.

Co-founded by two of Hawai‘i’s James Beard award winning chefs, Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong, HFWF celebrates the bounty of locally caught, grown or raised ingredients with more than 20 signature events on Maui, Hawai‘i Island, and O‘ahu between October 20 and November 5, 2017.

The Festival features a roster of more than 100 internationally renowned master chefs, culinary personalities, and wine and spirit producers. It will showcase wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, one-of-a-kind excursions and exclusive dining opportunities.

HFWF has raised 1.7 million dollars for the State’s agricultural and culinary programs since its 2011 launch. Maui beneficiaries include the Maui County Farm Bureau, Maui Culinary Academy, and IMUA Family Services. For more information on the events and tickets, visit the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival website.