2013 Hawaii Food & Wine Festival Celebrates in Maui with Malama Maui Dinner

Hot on the heels of a very successful – and über-Maui-focused – Ka’anapali Fresh, the folks at the Hawai’i Food & Wine Festival swung into town to present Malama Maui this past Sunday – the first off-island, offshoot of the larger Oahu-based event taking place this weekend, September 6-9. Held oceanside at the beautiful Napili Gardens of the Hyatt Regency Maui, with honored guests, chefs Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi in attendance, the evening’s lineup included Iron Chef Japan’s Hiroyuki Sakai, Marcel Vigneron, Rick Tramonto, Hawaii’s Bev Gannon and Sheldon Simeon, and Greg Grohowski, executive chef of the Hyatt Regency. Plating each course on stage in front of 300 guests, dishes like Vigneron’s Masago fried North Shore tilapia with hearts of palm salad, Tramonto’s Hawaiian shrimp and corn “cappuccino”, and Gannon’s dessert of goat cheese panna cotta were the highlight of the evening, as the sweet September sunshine faded into the ocean.

Stay tuned to Daily Blender for upcoming coverage of the marvelous events of Ka’anapali Fresh, as well as an interview with chef Greg Grohowski!

~Jennifer Heigl

*Photo credit: Jennifer Heigl / Daily Blender

**My attendance at the Hawai’i Food & Wine Festival was part of a press familiarization trip coordinated by the fine folks at Maui Visitors  Bureau and Ka’anapali Beach Resort.**