QUICK BITES
'Taste of Honolulu' coming up in June
By Wanda A. Adams
Food Editor
The first Taste of Honolulu press release is out — can summer be far behind?
Well, yes, actually, but mark your calendars, anyway, for the weekend of June 28-30 for the annual Easter Seals Hawai'i benefit that brings together dozens of restaurants, entertainment and food-and-wine-related activities on the Honolulu Civic Center grounds.
This year, Taste is launching a Web site, taste808.com/, featuring highlights of last year's celebration and up-to-date information on which restaurants are participating, as well as other information. Confirmed so far: Bali-by-the-Sea. Brew Moon Restaurant & Microbrewery, Chai's Island Bistro, Ciao Mein, The Colony, Culinary Institute of the Pacific, Eastern Garden, Gold Dragon, Musashi, Prince Court, Tony Roma's and The Willows.
Hirabayashi to cook in New York City
Kahala Mandarin Oriental Executive Chef Wayne Hirabayashi will be joining the ranks of Hawai'i chefs who have cooked at the James Beard House in New York on March 26. James Beard House dinners, attended by food media, culinary experts and food enthusiasts, are intended to showcase the country's finest food and wine professionals. Hirabayashi plans a menu that begins with Chawan Mushi Kahala Mandarin Style and includes Kona Crab, Kahuku corn pancakes, Chinese roast duck prepared three ways, moi en papillote and a macadamia dessert with ohelo berries and Hawaiian Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
Emme to do piece on regional cuisine
Emme's Island Moments plans a special on the Hawai'i Regional Cuisine movement, including interviews with the original 12 chef-members, conducted during last year's HRC reunion. The program will also look at the influence the movement has had on both the local and national food scenes. The special will air at 9 p.m. March 21 and again at 7 p.m. March 30 on KGMB Channel 9.
Hawai'i-born chefs all over the world
It's always good to hear of Island-born chefs doing well. Kevin Chong, a McKinley High School graduate whose parents, Linda and Yun To Chong, live in Salt Lake, was home recently but is in Mexico City now to open a Le Cirque restaurant there. A 1998 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he has been working at Le Cirque in New York.
Other good news for island culinary figures and organizations: Compadres Bar & Grill in Napa, Calif., sister of the eatery here, won awards for Best Mexican Food, Best Margarita and Best Outdoor Dining in "The Best" awards program there. ... Frank Sheeney, chef of Keoki's Paradise in Po'ipu, Kaua'i, has been honored for outstanding culinary contributions by the Rotary Club of Kapa'a, which established a scholarship in his name for chef students at Kaua'i Community College. Sheeney is a big supporter of the Rotary's Taste of Kaua'i event. ... Radio personality Sam the Man of 102.7 FM, Da Bomb, has opened a new, local-style restaurant, Sam the Man's BBQ and Rahmen in 'Aiea, featuring plate lunch and noodles. ... Hilo-born and-raised Sophia Chafen reports that Dutch Henry Winery, which she owns with winemaker husband Scott, received a five medals in the recent San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, including a gold for its Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. ...Alas! Chef Shane Sutton of Le Guignol here was not the "big cheese" in the recent Boursin Chef of the Year contest in Waikiki. Top prize went to Avelino Miranda of Bellagio in Las Vegas for Boursin Trilogy (salmon cannelone, prosciutto ravioli and baked stuffed figs).
Send items of culinary interest to Food Editor, Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: taste@honoluluadvertiser.com.
