HFWF 2014: Battle of the Brunch
Jon Matsubara, chef de cuisine Japengo Restaurant, helping Sven Ullrich with his soft boil egg and bacon jam.
Sunday’s Battle of the Brunch at Hyatt Regency Waikiki brought together some of the country’s finest chefs to duke it out using their culinary skills and Hawaii ingredients on the final day of the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival 2014. I practically died and went to heaven since brunch is my favorite meal and I love to eat breakfast at anytime of day. One of my fondest memories is when my mom would cook me breakfast for dinner. Having some of the best chefs in the world come together to cook brunch under the Hawaiian sun, yards away from Waikiki Beach was a dream come true!
The competition took place poolside, on Hyatt’s rooftop at Shor restaurant. In the right corner: “MasterChef” Michelle Bernstein next to “Iron Chef America” Jose Garces. In the left corner, Hawaii’s hometown favorites: “Top Chef” alumna Lee Anne Wong and Hyatt executive chef Sven Ullrich. Lastly, in the top corner Roy’s Hawaii chef Jackie Lau and pastry chef and “Top Chef Just Desserts” judge Johnny Iuzzini. The chefs created their own standalone dish, but were partnered and placed next to each other during the event.
Johnny Iuzzini’s version of Shave Ice.
The sold-out brunch event also showcased an out-of-this-world Bloody Mary bar featuring fresh beet and tomato juices with delectable toppings including fresh basil, sea asparagus, shrimp and bacon. Il Gelato sorbet and gelato also was on hand to cool things down. For coffee and pasty lovers, Honolulu Coffee Company was also in the mix serving up an assortment of croissants and coffee.
This truly was a brunch lovers paradise, with innovative creations. Several chefs really thought about their dishes and focused on the local ingredients and the flavors they would like to see on their own brunch tables. Some came up with completely new concepts, while others put a new spin on an entree they already served in their own restaurants.
Bloody Mary bar featuring organic Ocean Vodka and fresh made juices.
In the end, the hometown heroes scored a resounding win. Wong could have predicted the win as she lead a joyful cheer each time someone placed a vote in the box for her and Ullrich. It felt like they were applauding and cheering every few minutes. Everyone I spoke to said they loved Wong’s cornflake French toast with billionaire bacon, topped with little scoops of vanilla Via Gelato. Ullrich prepared soft-boiled local eggs topped with his own Shinsato Farm bacon jam.
The combination of sweet, creamy, savory and crunchy that Wong and Ullrich created in both their dishes proved to be powerful combinations that really had eaters scraping their plates clean and savoring each and every bite.
Take a look at Battle of the Brunch 2014:
Johnny Iuzzini’s Shaved Ice
Picture 1 of 12
This was by far the most beautiful and visual dish of the day, with unique flavor combinations such as candied tuna (which seemed like raw pieces of poke), pickled strawberries, lychee, coconut lemongrass broth, sake gelee, passion and palm seeds. The presentation was fabulous!—Photo by Melissa Chang
