Celebrity chefs to focus on Big Island-grown ingredients at culinary fundraiser

Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, on the Big Island’s Kohala Coast, will host its second annual Celebrity Chef Tour this weekend, which will feature culinary masters showcasing island-grown ingredients.

The lineup for the event, slated for Fri., Jan. 20 and Sat., Jan. 21, includes: visiting chefs Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto Restaurant, New York City), Ming Tsai (Blue Ginger, Boston) and Tyler Florence (Rotisserie & Wine, Napa, Calif. and Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco); cocktail mixologist Manny Hinojosa; and Hawaii chefs Sam Choy (Kai Lani, Kahaluu-Keauhou) and Sandy Tuason (Mauna Lani Bay resort).

The event is a fundraiser for the James Beard Foundation, whose mission is to “celebrate, preserve and nurture America’s diverse culinary heritage and future.” To date, the Celebrity Chef Tour has raised more than $950,000 for the foundation.

This weekend’s event will get under way with a cocktail reception and live Hawaiian entertainment, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday. Chef Sam Choy, will prepare passed hors doeuvres reflecting his signature Pacific Rim style. International award‐winning cocktail mixologist Manny Hinojosa will prepare a selection of island-inspired cocktails. Hinojosa, who was a chef before turning to mixology, creates his own syrups, juices and garnishes. Tickets are $50.

Starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Mauna Lani Bay’s CanoeHouse restaurant, chefs Jonathan Waxman, Ming Tsai and Tyler Florence, along with Mauna Lani’s executive chef, Sandy Tuason, will prepare a six‐course dinner centered around the “best and freshest local island ingredients.” Each course will be matched with wines and, for select courses, Hinojosa’s cocktails.

The exact menu for the dinner will not be decided until the chefs visit Big Island farms to select ingredients. They are aiming for food that will be “bold and imaginative at one level, yet simple and focused at another,” and encourage a family‐style, communal dining experience. Tickets: $250 (including tax and tip).

The Celebrity Chef Tour brings James Beard Award winners and other celebrity chefs to venues around the country for dining events designed to replicate the experience of dining at the famed James Beard House in New York City. Later this year, the tour will be headed to Atlanta, Palm Desert, Calif., Eggleston, Va., and St. Louis, Mo. For additional information about the tour, click here.

For more details about Mauna Lani Bay resort and room rates for event attendees, click here.