Kapalua Wine & Food Festival in Maui

Kapalua Wine & Food Festival in Mauifeatured

May 26, 2010 | 9 Comments

Ya heard right, I’m going to MAUI! Huzzahhhh!!

I did quite the hula dance of happiness when I received the invitation to cover the 29th Annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival (June 24-27, 2010) at the beautiful Kapalua Resort.

The soiree is Hawaii’s longest running event of its kind — a four-day celebration of Hawaii’s Regional Cuisine, featuring gourmet cooking demonstrations, tastings from Maui’s top chefs, and a plethora of wines from several of the world’s most famous winemakers, brought together by returning host, Master Sommelier Fred Dame.

I caught up with Festival Chef Dave “D.K.” Kodama, Chef/Owner of DK Restaurants (including the lauded Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar), to see what he had in store for the big event. For the first time, the festival will be partnering with the Maui County Farm Bureau and special attention will be given to the many local farmers who provide all the amazingly fresh products to many of Maui’s chefs, including DK. DK revealed that for his luncheon demo (DK’s Secrets: Sansei Style), they will set up a farmer’s market showcase, where he’ll be selecting some of his favorite local products to cook with. Expect to see some sweet Maui onions, fresh hearts of palm, Kula strawberries, and lavender.

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New York Times TimesTalks: The Way We Eat Nowfeatured

May 21, 2010 | 9 Comments

On Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure of attending the New York Times TimesTalks “The Way We Eat Now” discussion with Traci Des Jardins of Jardiniere, Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, Michael Mina of the Mina Group and Kim Severson, New York Times dining reporter. Moderated by Frank Bruni, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and former Times restaurant critic, the conversation centered on food (obvi), restaurants, and how West Coast culinary trends influence the nation.

Bruni kicked off the talk by asking the question, “Why is Northern California such a fertile crescent, a magnet for great chefs?”

The unanimous response was a mix between the ingredients (it’s all about the product – what’s in season, what’s local, what’s delicious), creativity (the ability to break the rules), and customers (people really love food here…versus LA, where Des Jardins worked for a number of years and noticed, “People were really into what they didn’t eat.”).

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Star Chefs and Vintners Gala: a Feast of a Fetefeatured

May 20, 2010 | 5 Comments

This year’s 23rd Annual Star Chefs and Vintners Gala benefiting Meals on Wheels was a feast of a fete, with more than 70 chefs working their magic behind the scenes, over 75 wineries pouring, and a steady stream of boozy concoctions coming from a few of the city’s favorite bartenders.

The hors d’oeuvres “grazer” was superb and barely left room for dinner. Of the (way too many) bites I had, some favorites were…

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Wheat Berry Sunshine Salad

Wheat Berry Sunshine Saladfeatured

May 13, 2010 | 19 Comments

All this gorgeous sunshine lately has me throwing open my windows and craving all the vibrant spring veggies that have flooded the markets. Could it be? My inner bear is done hibernating with her Netflix On-Demand and is ready to get active? Eat ruffage? Yeah, not sure what the deal is…but I’m going to roll with it while the inspiration is here.

I’ve been craving wholesome goods like wheat berries, and snatching up bundles of asparagus like an addict. A recent trip to Berkeley Bowl West with a few produce-happy enablers left me with an abundance of vitamin-rich veggies that we’ve been feasting on all week.

Nothing makes me sadder than produce dying in my fridge, so I decided to throw all my odds and ends into one final fiesta of a dish…and this cheery Sunshine Salad was born.

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