Signature dining lineup set for 2012 Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, tickets now available

Tickets are now on available for the second annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, set for Sept. 6-9 on Oahu. The four-day event will feature at least 50 top-notch master chefs from the United States, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Philippines, and Australia as well as esteemed vintners.

During the festival, chefs will be serving up innovative dishes inspired by Hawaii’s diverse culinary and cultural traditions at venues including: The MODERN Honolulu, Halekulani, Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and Spa, and Ko Olina Resort with Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, and JW Marriott Ihilani. For information about tickets for the festival’s events and travel packages, click here.

Proceeds will benefit the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation, the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, Paepae O Heeia and Papahana O Kuaola.

The festival’s theme, “Taste Our Love for the Land,” was established at last year’s inaugural Hawaii Food & Wine Festival. The theme is inspired by the ancient Hawaiian tradition of ahupuaa  — a mountain-to-sea system in which everything necessary for survival could be grown, gathered and exchanged locally.

In addition to signature dining events, the festival will spotlight cooking demos, wine tastings with top sommeliers, culinary workshops, industry seminars and field excursions.

Here are the signature dining events.

• Enter The MODERN Dragon: Morimoto and Friends, 6-9 p.m. on Thurs., Sept. 6 at The MODERN Honolulu


Building on Hawaii’s mid-Pacific location where East meets West, and once again led by “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto of Morimoto Waikiki, diners will try dishes prepared by 12 chefs from Asia and the Pacific.  Other participating chefs include: Marco Anzani, Anzani, Cebu City, Philippines; Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Cafe, Myers + Chang, Boston; Chai Chaowasaree, Chai’s Island Bistro, Honolulu; Roy Choi, Kogi BBQ, Los Angeles; Peter Doyle, est. restaurant, Sydney; Edward Kwon, LAB XXIV, Seoul; Sam Leong, Forest Cooking School, Singapore; Charles Phan, The Slanted Door, San Francisco; Ming Tsai, Blue Ginger, Wellesley, MA; Sang Yoon, Lukshon, Culver City; and Scott Toner, The MODERN, Honolulu. Tickets start at $200 per person.
 
• Second Annual Halekulani Masters Chef Gala Series: Chefs Who Have Cooked for Presidents and Royalty, 6-9 p.m. on Fri., Sept. 7 at Halekulani


Master chefs and top sommeliers will aim to “wow” food lovers with a lavish seven-course meal and wine pairings. The chefs include: Vikram Garg, Halekulani, Honolulu; Hubert Keller, Fleur de Lys, San Francisco; Nobu Matsuhisa, Nobu, Waikiki; François Payard, Payard, New York; Michel Richard, Michel Richard Citronelle, Central Michel Richard, Washington, D.C.; Tetsuya Wakuda, Tetsuya, Sydney; and Alan Wong, Alan Wong’s, Hawaii. Tickets for reserved seating start at $1,000 per person.

• From Farm to Table: A Makahiki Festival, 6 -9 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 8 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa (great lawn)


Paying tribute to the Hawaiian “Makahiki” festival, or harvest season, the third evening event will showcase Hawaii’s sustainable pursuits with more than 20 celebrity chefs, many of whom promote “farm to table” sustainable sourcing and cooking practices. The chefs include: David Burke, Townhouse, PRIMEHOUSE, New York; Josef Centeno, Bäco Mercat, Los Angeles; Josiah Citrin, Melisse, Santa Monica; Todd English, Olives, Todd English Enterprises, New York; Josh Feathers, Blackberry Farm, Tennessee; Susan Feniger, Border Grill, Los Angeles; Hiroshi Fukui, Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas, Honolulu; Michael Ginor, Hudson Valley Foie Gras & Lola, New York; Robert Irvine, The Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible; Michelle Karr-Ueoka, Alan Wong’s, Hawaii; Ed Kenney, Town, Honolulu; Jon Matsubara, Azure, Honolulu; Mark Noguchi, Heeia Kea General Store & Deli, Honolulu; Ken Oringer, Clio, Boston; Justin Quek, Sky on 57, Singapore, Justin’s Signatures, Just In Bistro & Wine Bar, Taipei; Yasuhiro Sasajima, Il Ghiottone, Kyoto; Ron Siegel, Parallel 37, San Francisco; Nancy Silverton, Mozza, Los Angeles; Jeffrey Vigilla, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu; Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto, New York; Lee Anne Wong, Cooking Channel’s Unique Eats, New York; and Toshi Yoroizuka, Toshi Yoroizuka, Tokyo. Tickets start at $200 per person.

• Cuisines of the Stars: A Magical Journey of Food & Culture, starting at 6 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 9 at Ko Olina Resort with Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa and JW Marriott Ihilani.
 
The festival finale will be hosted on the Westside of Oahu, with 13 chefs creating a culinary tour of ethnic foods from around the world using local produce and products. Participating chefs include: Patrick Callarec, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina; Celestino Drago, Drago Restaurant Group, Los Angeles; Patrick Fahy, Cafe des Architectes, Chicago; Dean Fearing, Fearing’s, Dallas; Scott Higa, JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa, Ko Olina; Mourad Lahlou, Aziza, San Francisco; Jacqueline Lau, Roy’s Restaurants, Hawaii; Raphael Lunetta, JiRaffe, Santa Monica; George Mavrothalassitis, Chef Mavro, Honolulu; Seamus Mullen, Tertulia, New York; Susan Spicer, Bayona, Mondo, New Orleans; Andrew Sutton, Napa Rose, Anaheim; and Marcel Vigneron, Marcelʼs Quantum Kitchen, Modern Global Tasting, Los Angeles. Tickets start at $200 per person.

Hawaii chefs, Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong (pictured, left), both James Beard Award-winners, serve as event co-chairs for the festival. For more information about the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, click here.