Steamy bowls of comfort at Hawaii Food & Wine Fest
Comfort food reigns in 7 haute bowls at this year's Friday night after-party
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It’s easy to get caught up in the haute cuisine and pageantry of the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival.
At any given event, you are sure to find more than a few things that you have never even heard of before, let alone tasted. With all the great chefs in attendance, the thing that many would not expect to find at Hawaii’s premier culinary event of the year is comfort food.
This is the theme behind this year’s HFWF Friday night after-party presented by 7-Eleven Hawaii, appropriately named “Steamy Bowls.”
At the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort on Nov. 3, a diverse group of chefs — Akira Back, Andrew Le, Chung Chow, Jem Secrest, Arturo Silva, Hisashi Uehara and Ricardo Zarate — will be showcasing comforting dishes inspired by each chef’s personal heritage.
“Comfort food is something that you eat and it brings back memories,” says Chung Chow of Noreetuh Restaurant in New York. “You don’t have to think too hard about it and it makes you feel at ease.”
Inspired by a dish he had in Kumamoto, Japan, Chow will serve a binchotan charcoal-grilled steak with beef marrow rice, pickled onion, watercress and crispy garlic.
Don’t let the term comfort food mislead you into thinking about carb-heavy bowls. Akira Back of Las Vegas’ Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant describes his steamed red snapper with dashi soy ginger broth and tofu as “very heart-warming in its flavors.”
“I have shared a similar traditional dish with my family many times,” says Back, “and I wanted to share that same heart-warming essence with the guests at this event.”
People smile when they eat good food. So when Agu Ramen’s Hisashi Uehara plans a new dish, he tries to create something that will accomplish that goal.
“I wanted people to experience something healthy but also very flavorful and delicious,” says Uehara of his vegan tan tan men. “This dish will surprise the taste buds.”
Jem Secrest of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki has the home field advantage at the event. She drew from her affinity for southwest flavors with her Mexican posole stew made with slow-cooked local pork, hominy and chilis.
One of the first things Secrest tasted when she arrived in Hawaii was the local pork. “It’s so lean and tender,” she says. “When you have such great pork, it drives you to create something as good as the product that you’ve been given.”
Comfort food for Los Angeles-based Ricardo Zarate of Rosaline Restaurant is rooted in his heritage. “I’m Peruvian, and I want to elevate my culture by showcasing its cuisine.”
