QUICK BITES
'Say Cheese' in 40 different ways

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

The Rehab Hospital's "Joy of Food and Wine" event, 1 to 5 p.m. July 20 at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel, sounds like it will be a good one. "Say Cheese" is the theme, and its focus is one of the best-loved foods in the world and one of the widest-open areas of study.

Lyle Fujioka of Fukioka's Wine Merchants said the food and wine will be laid out in concentric circles, with an elaborate cheese display in the center of the room offering more than 40 different artisanal cheeses for sampling. Wine-tasting stations will be set up around that, with wines placed close to cheeses of the same region and suitable for matching. Food stations, coordinated by Sheraton executive chef Daniel Delbrel, will make up the outer ring. Karen Syrmos of Island Epicure is arranging the cheese tasting. Tickets are $60 in advance; $70 at the door (plus additional charges for special Scotch and wine tastings). Information: 544-3385.

Getting a taste of healthful beef

With inter-island flights much reduced and fares much increased, island-hopping for foodie events requires a bit more planning and saving. So it's time to make a decision about this one: The 8th Annual Taste of the Hawaiian Range Sept. 26 in the Grand Ballroom of the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. Chris Albrecht, chef de cuisine at the MGM Grand's Craftsteak Restaurant in Las Vegas, will be guest chef. He is a longtime user of Kamuela Pride, a brand of grass-fed beef from the Big Island. He's formerly of the award-winning Gramercy Tavern in New York. This is an opportunity to learn more about the hottest topic among meat-eating foodies: "healthy" beef — range-raised, additive-free, lower-fat.

Tickets for the event, which is taking on a new location and a new look this year, are $25 in advance, $35 at the door. Information: (808) 322-4892 or write to gfukumoto@hawaii.edu.

Winemaker will share a few secrets

Fifth-generation winemaker Mark Beringer of the respected Duckhorn Vineyards in California's Napa Valley will greet diners and share his knowledge at a winemakers dinner 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Michel's at the Colony Surf, 2895 Kalakaua Ave. The five-course meal by chef Hardy Kintscher, paired with six wines, is $95 plus tax and tip. Seating is limited to 40. Call 923-6552.

Zippy's plans first Maui restaurant

Bits and pieces of food news:

• Zippy's is opening a restaurant in an as-yet-undecided Kahului location in 2005, its first on the Valley Isle. This is the first Neighbor Island restaurant for Zippy's since a Kaua'i location was destroyed by Hurricane Iniki.
• Piet Wigmans has returned to the Big Island, where he helped open the CanoeHouse at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows in the mid-1980s. He took over this week as executive chef of the Mauna Kea Resort, including the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and the Hapuna Prince Hotel. Wigmans also worked at the Halekulani and at resorts in Fiji, Bermuda and Florida.
• Saint-Germain Bakery has opened a new Ala Moana Center location, but the one at Shirokiya remains in operation, too. The new location is on the ground level, mauka side, near Foodland and Sears. It serves coffee, pastry and sandwiches and sells baked goods to take out.
• Loco Moco Drive Inn No. 6 opened at the Wal-Mart Kunia Center late last month. It offers Chinese deli items along with plate lunches and does party packs and catering, too.