Food Network star Anne Burrell, top Island chefs cooking at Hawaii Wine & Food Festival, this weekend

Food Network television show host Anne Burrell and top Hawaii chefs will be serving up delish dishes this weekend at the third annual Hawaii Wine & Food Festival on Oahu.

Burrell, (pictured, right) host of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and co-host of Worst Cooks in America, will be featured at the two-day festival’s Grand Tasting and Fashion Show, which will get under way at 6 p.m., Fri., May 20, at the Ko Olina Beach Club at Ko Olina Resort — about a 40 minute drive from Waikiki.

Burrell and Oahu chefs — D.K. Kodama of Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar and d.k. Steakhouse, Russell Siu of 3660 on the Rise, Goran Streng of Tango, Elmer Guzman of Poke Stop, and Jinjie “JJ” Praseuth Luangkhot of JJ Bistro & French Pastry — will create contemporary multicultural cuisine for the occasion.

Burrell shares chef tips with the home-cooking crowd in Secrets Of a Restaurant Chef, which debuted June, 2008. Last year, Burrell and chef Beau MacMillan launched Worst Cooks in America, a reality show in which contestants undergo a culinary bootcamp. In the show’s second season, which got under way in January, MacMillan was replaced by chef Robert Irvine. Burrell has also appeared on Iron Chef America, serving as a sous chef for competitor Mario Batali.

During Friday evening’s tasting session, grazing guests are invited to talk story with winemakers representing outfits ranging from Emeritus Vineyard to Dutton Estate. This event will also feature a swimwear fashion show and jazz music performances.
 
A food and wine pairing event, set for noon on Sat., May 21, at Ko Olina’s Ihilani Resort & Spa, will spotlight a friendly competition in which diners sample pairing picks submitted by a panel of chef competitors and cast votes for the best pairings.

The lineup of competing chefs includes: Jason Kina of the Ihilani Resort & Spa, Matt Zubrod of Monettes, George Gomes of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Fred De Angelo of Ola. Each will present dishes along with their choice of wines from wineries participating in the festival.

The festival will wrap up with a beachside barbecue and fashion show, happening 6 p.m., Sat., May 21, at Paradise Cove at Ko Olina.

Barbecuing chefs will include: Scott Higa of  Ihilani Resort & Spa, Luangkhot of JJ Bistro & French Pastry, Zubrod of Monettes. Gomes of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, De Angelo of Ola, Darryl Shinogi of Roy’s Ko Olina, Sean Priester of SOUL and Kevin Hanney of 12th Ave Grill.

The evening event will also feature a fashion show from South American swimwear designer Mariel Garrido Melchor of La Diosa, and a Latin music performance.

Tickets to each of the Hawaii Wine & Food Festival’s three events costs $100. For more festival information, click here.