Disney Theatrical Productions on Tuesday announced the return of “The Lion King” to Honolulu at a media event at Washington Place.The stage adaptation of the the animated classic will begin its eight-week engagement at Blaisdell Concert Hall on January 14,…
The question“So what happens next after every restaurant in Hawaii is farm to table?”This was the question posed by Nathan Kam on his Facebook page. I was about to weigh in, but when my comment got to a third paragraph,…
Kapiolani Community College’s culinary team had the opportunity Saturday to further refine its skills with Executive Chef Eric Leterc at the Pacific Club.The students, who showed off their skills at a fundraiser attended by some of the college’s top donors,…
Qui a coupe le fromage? Or, for you non French speakers, who cut the cheese?Saturday, cheese mongers at Whole Foods Markets across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom attempted to break a Guinness World Record by simultaneously cracking 400…
Culinary students at Kapiolani Community College have had a busy week preparing for their annual Ho’okipa gala fundraiser, which takes place tonight at Royal Hawaiial Hotel.Ho’okipa week kicked off Monday with a cooking demo by KCC alumnae Bobby Sohns, currently…
In honor of this Saturday’s attempt to set the Guinness World Record of simultaneously cracking 500 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano (dubbed “Parmageddon”), Whole Foods Market has asked bloggers to share their stories about the role this cheese has played in their…
Another day of Hawaii Cocktail Week comes to a close at Manifest, featuring cocktails showcasing Sailor Jerry spiced rum.The rum brand, named after famed tattoo artist Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins hosted a screening of the “Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry” documentary…
Coinciding with the kickoff of the first Hawaii Cocktail Week was the debut of the much-anticipated Hawaii Bitters.Shortly after the first Cocktail Week party at CoXist Studio, I was able to get my hands on the first three flavors produced…
To paraphrase Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” to sous vide or not to sous vide? That’s the question posed by mixologist Dave Newman during his Hawaii Cocktail Week seminar held at Pint + Jigger.A recent trend in mixology has been barrel-aged cocktails. This…
Hawaii Cocktail Week festivities continued Tuesday evening with a cocktail pairing dinner at Pint + Jigger.The sold-out dinner consisted of a sextet of diverse cocktails paired with some of the Makiki pub’s popular menu items. Here’s a look at the…
We were there for the launch party of the first ever Hawaii Cocktail Week! One of the many parties-within-a-party at last night’s massive Honolulu Night + Market, Hawaii Cocktail Week started with an event hosted by Hawaii Bitters at Coxist…
Throughout the year, cooks in the apprenticeship program at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virgina compete against each other in a series of kitchen competitions (called “K-Comps” for short). Even though I was never in the apprenticeship program, like many…
Art has once again exploded in Kaka’ako as Pow Wow Hawaii artists continue work on their murals. For a map of where to find the artists, visit powwowhawaii.com.We’ll be keeping track of the artists’ progress throughout the week. Here are…
Just so it’s clear from the start, this is a rant.For the past few weeks, I’ve been watching “The Taste” on ABC. I’ve been enjoying the idea of applying the concept behind “The Voice” to cooking. The judges’ voting has…
I’m proud and excited to once again be the official blogger for the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival.Plans are underway for the 2013, but before things go into full swing, the organizers and sponsors gathered at the Ka’Ikena Restaurant at…
A massive Pro Bowl block party went down Saturday along Kalakaua Avenue, with six entertainment stages, food, NFL mascots, cheerleaders and local entertainers. Pro Bowl Block Party ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 32 Photo by Ed Morita jQuery(function($)…
The Ritz-Carlton Residences Waikiki Beach hasn’t even broken ground yet and isn’t planned to open until 2016, but that didn’t stop developer Jason Grosfeld from throwing a grand launch party at the Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk.The launch party…
The new Doraku on Kapiolani Boulevard has been on my radar ever since I heard it was opening almost a year ago. I’ve been a fan of the Waikiki restaurant ever since I attended the 2010 Good Table fundraiser for…
Like many people across the state and country, I was shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Sen. Daniel K. Inouye’s death.During the past two election cycles, I had the privilege of working on two major campaigns, Neil Abercrombie’s…
A few weeks ago, I had an interesting opportunity to help with a series of caterings for Morocco week. I was contacted by my friends, Moumen and Holly, owners of Pacific Catering, which has done catering for “Jurassic Park,” “Pearl…
Working at Honu Seafood and Pizza started out as a leap of faith for Elizabeth McDonald, who has recently been included in StarChef.com’s inaugural class of Hawaii Rising Stars.Having just moved to Maui with her husband, McDonald heard that there…
It’s been a busy six months for Pastry Chef Michelle Karr-Ueoka of Alan Wong’s Restaurant. During that time, she’s participated in the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, toured the Mediterranean on Seawind Tours & Travel Connoisseur’s Cruise and recently has…
Freshly renovated, Shokudo Japanese Restaurant & Bar now features an omakase menu to go with its new sushi bar.I’ve been a big fan of Shokudo since it first opened in 2005. Yet, the one thing I always thought it lacked…
BAMP Project once again packed the Kaka’ako Beach Park Amphitheater Saturday night for the 2012 Point Panic Music Festival. The festival started with local favorite Ooklah the Moc, followed by Groundation, an American roots and reggae band from Northern California.…
Chef Alan Wong and head of the University of Hawaii Hilo apiary program, Dr. Lorna Tsutsumi, welcomed Adopt-A-Beehive program donors to The Pineapple Room for a party Sunday evening.Donors sampled dishes made with honey from the beehives their donations made…
EuroCinema Hawaii held its annual awards gala Friday night at the Moana Surfrider Hotel, drawing a sold-out crowd of celebrities and film enthusiasts. 2012 EuroCinema Awards ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 104 Photo by Ed Morita jQuery(function($) {…
Several hundred fans lined up at Regal Dole Theatres for the premiere of “White Frog,” staring Booboo Stewart.Tonight was an example of being at the right place at the right time. I was in the theater lobby killing time before…
I’ve always joked that all men reach full maturity at age 12. After that, they just get bigger. This statement has never been truer than with the movie, “Dead Sushi,” staring Rina Takeda.Noboru Iguchi, director of “RoboGeisha,” “Karate-Robo Zaborgar” and…
After a successful opening weekend of the Hawaii International Film Festival, delegates, judges and filmmakers gathered Tuesday at Washington Place for the HIFF awards reception.Things started out with the first-ever HIFF Humanitarian award given to the film, “Amazon Gold,” which…
Koji Yakusho, this year’s Hawaii International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and star of “The Woodsman and the Rain,” joined Rina Takeda, star of “Dead Sushi” and “Ultraman Saga” director Hideki Oka at Sunday’s Japan Reception at Halekulani.Guests were able…
It was a packed house at the Hawaii International Film Festival’s Hawaii premiere of “Shanghai Calling,” staring Korean actor, Daniel Henney, who said he didn’t expect such a reception.The screening kicked off HIFF’s Korea Night, which concluded with a reception…
The 2012 Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) kicked off Thursday evening with a gala reception held at the Halekulani.Diana Xu, China’s contestant in the upcoming Miss Universe pageant, was one of the many guests who joined festival sponsors, staff and…
The Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF), which gets underway Thursday, is one of the highlights of my year. One thing I absolutely love about HIFF is that there’s always a great collection of food films, which appeals to both the…
Mixologists from The Royal Hawaiian, Rivals Sports Grill, Indigo, The Republik and Duke’s Waikiki gathered at Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii Kai for a “Beertending” contest to find out who can make the best beer cocktail.I had originally planned to…
Teams from Kamehameha, Punahou, Roosevelt and Waipahu schools gathered Sunday at the State Capitol for Children and Youth Day to participate in graffiti battle sponsored by John “Prime” Hina and 808 Urban.The teams had four hours to complete their murals,…
While foodies converged on restaurants all over town for the annual The Good Table fundraiser for Lanakila Pacific’s Meals on Wheels program, I found myself in an unexpected place. Instead of heading to a restaurant to dine, I was on…
A day before Thursday’s opening of their Honolulu engagement, the cast and crew of Cirque du Soleil’s “Quidam” gathered for a Hawaiian blessing of the show. Soon after, the backstage area was a bustle as everyone got ready for a…
The fall semester recently started, which means that the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s apiary program is harvesting honey from the College of Agriculture’s beehives.This is the second year of Chef Alan Wong’s Adopt-A-Beehive program, and I didn’t hesitate to…
Sustainability remains the big buzz word when it comes to food, but for local farmers, it’s always been a way of life. Quietly tucked away at the base of the Ko’olau mountains in He’eia are the kalo patches of Papahana…
Photo by Candy Suiso“Wine tastings are old school,” said Makaha Mangoes’ Mark Suiso, at Friday’s Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Conference at the University of Hawaii. “If you want to do something really special at your party, have a tropical fruit…
There were so many great moments at this year’s Hawaii Food & Wine Festival. As the official blogger for the festival, I got to attend most of the events, meet several of the visiting celebrity chefs and watch them work…
After four days of one fabulous food event after another, what better way to close out the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival than on the beach at Aulani?Once again, attendees got to taste dishes from an amazing group of chefs,…
More than 30 chefs from around the world will be showcasing their culinary skills this week, as the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival gets underway Sept. 6-9.Here’s a preview of a few of the amazing chefs who will be sharing…
Even if they’ve never eaten at his restaurants, many people are familiar with Chef Hubert Keller from his stint on “Top Chef Masters.” I remember appreciating the brilliance of Keller using hot water from the shower to heat up his…
Recently, I got to step inside the kitchen of James Beard award-winning chef George “Chef Mavro” Mavrothalassitis.I visited Chef Mavro—the only independently owned restaurant in Hawaii to receive the prestigious AAA Five Diamond rating—to learn about the dish he’ll be…
There are lots of amazing events scheduled for September’s Hawaii Food & Wine Festival. One unique event with considerable buzz is the newly added Girls Got Game brunch, on Sunday, Sept. 9 at the Hyatt Regency.Women chefs from around the…
This morning, on the way to the bus stop, I saw a row of production trucks parked on Bishop Street. I crossed over to Alakea Street, and sure enough, “Hawaii Five-0” was shooting a scene. Traffic was shut down for…
In my latest interview for the Hawaii Food & Wine festival, I had a chance to talk with celebrity chef Ming Tsai about his new cookbook, due to be released in October.What sets Tsai’s new book apart is that each…
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing some of the chefs who will be attending the upcoming Hawaii Food & Wine Festival. The first chef I interviewed was Chef Josh Feathers of Blackberry Farm. During our…
The Whole Ox Deli was ablaze once again for the “Puff and Blow” cigar party hosted by Lanai Tabura. Featuring La Gloria Cubana cigars and Cuban sandwiches, smokers were also able to sample a trio of Dewar’s blended whisky, which…
