Crustacean Craze and Emeril Lagasse

May 18, 2009

Site Staff,

Hoku’s at the Kahala Hotel & Resort will be having its "Crustacean Craze" from Sunday, May 24 – Saturday, May 30.

Photo courtesy of Hoku’s

Dungeness crab cake. Photo courtesy of Hoku’s

Chef Wayne Hirabayashi has composed a 5-course set menu featuring:

Deconstructed Crab Louie "Our Way"
Duet of Crab – Dungeness Crab Cake and Jumbo Lump Crab Salad
Crispy Fried Soft Shell Crab
King Crab "Hot Pot" with Dashi Tea and Mitsutake Mushrooms
and a
Lychee Sorbet Push Pop

The set menu is available from 5:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. for $75 per person. The dishes also available a la carte.

Call 808-739-8760 for dining reservations.

The Kahala Hotel & Resort will host one of the world’s most influential icons of American food, Chef Emeril Lagasse, at the Kahala Food & Wine Classic, June 12 & 13. The resort’s popular Food & Wine Classic will also feature wine selections from award winning Schrader Cellars and cigars from Davidoff.

Chef Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of ten restaurants, including three in New Orleans (Emeril’s, NOLA and Emeril’s Delmonico). He will open his eleventh restaurant, Emeril’s Chop House, on May 22 at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Pennsylvania. He is a national TV personality and best-selling author of 13 cookbooks, including New New Orleans Cooking, which introduced his creative take on Creole cuisine, and his latest book, Emeril at the Grill, which was released on April 28. Lagasse’s corporate office in New Orleans is home base for his restaurant operations, a culinary test kitchen and a boutique store for his signature products.

Chef Emeril Lagasse. Photo courtesy of The Kahala Hotel & Resort.

The Kahala Food & Wine Classic and Emeril will deliver the sights, sounds, and flavors of New Orleans at the following events:

The Essence of Emeril Opening Night Dinner
Friday, June 12, $250 per person
6 p.m. – 7 p.m. Registration and Reception
7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Outdoor dinner, Kahala o Ke Kai Lawn
Chef Emeril will present the essential flavors of New Orleans Creole and Cajun cuisine combined with the majestic red wines of Schrader Cellars. Cigars will be available from 10 p.m. – midnight.

Emeril Cooking Demonstration
Saturday, June 13, $100 per person
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Maile Ballroom
Live cooking demonstration with Chef Emeril featuring a showcase of New Orleans delights including beignets ("French malasadas") and chicory coffee. Emeril will be available to answer questions from the audience following the demonstration.

Wine-ology Wine Tasting
Saturday, June 13, $50 per person
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Waialae Ballroom
Wine tasting with Napa Valley vintner Fred Schrader and winemaker Thomas Brown of Schrader Cellars. The tasting will feature a selection of Sonoma Coast Pinots from Schrader Cellars and Rivers-Marie Winery paired with tapas.

Continued on next page…

The Art of Blending and Tasting Cigar Session
Saturday, June 13, $30 per person
1 p.m. – 2.30 p.m. Kahala o Ke Kai Lawn
Join Davidoff’s Michael Herklots as he dissects the delicate blending of the finest tobaccos. Cigars included.

Chef Emeril Lagasse. Photo courtesy of The Kahala Hotel & Resort.

"New" New Orleans Cuisine Dinner
Saturday, June 13, $250 per person
6 p.m. – 7 p.m. Registration/Reception Maile Pre Function Area
7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Maile Ballroom
Celebrate the elegance and splendor of "New" New Orleans cuisine prepared by Chef Emeril. Paired with the award winning wines of Schrader Cellars, the food, wine and celeb-appeal of Chef Emeril offer a truly unique Big Easy experience.

Mississippi Smokin’ (After Hours)
Saturday, June 13, $45 per person
10 p.m. – 12.30 a.m. Koko Head Lawn
Guests can enjoy the elegance and pleasure of Davidoff Cigars with "stickman" Michael Herklots and a glass of liquid gold.

Event prices listed above do not include tax and gratuity.

Kama’aina can experience not only Emeril at his finest, but also the Kahala’s newly renovated rooms with the resort’s Food & Wine Classic room package: accommodations in a mountain room for one night and dinner for two at either "The Essence of Emeril" or "’New’ New Orleans" dinner, June 12 or 13. The Food & Wine Classic kama’aina package is valid on Friday, June 12 and Saturday, June 13 with rates beginning at $605 per night for a mountain view room, excluding tax and gratuity. Additional nights will be charged at the current kama’aina rate. Kama’aina guests must present a valid Hawaii I.D. upon check-in.

The Kahala Food & Wine Classic is a themed culinary weekend featuring globally renown chefs and winemakers in intimate settings. The two-day celebration includes gala dinners, dynamic cooking classes, wine tastings and cigar seminars. Past Classic events took guests on culinary journeys through Miami, Australia and Japan.

For more information on the Kahala Food & Wine Classic or to reserve your space at The Big Easy, call the Kahala Hotel & Resort at 808-739-8760.