The Kapalua Wine and Food Festival, local Maui food and international wine make a great pairing

Fred Dame, kapalua wine and food festival

Fred Dame, MS

Festival host

President, Guild of Sommeliers

Vice President, Luxury Sales – Foster’s Group Americas

Wine Culture is one the rise in America. All 50 states have wineries. Thirty years ago there were only 250 wineries, now there are more than 5000 wineries in the US. In California, Napa is the hottest tourist destination rivaling Disneyland’s numbers. While Americans still consume less than Europeans, our consumption is growing, up over 35% in the last decade. Americans like to buy domestic wine, and the number of domestic wines is growing too.

With wine being a hot trend in food I have tasked myself to become a wine geek. It has been one of the best personal goals I have set upon. It sounds more romantic than it actually is, I am cracking open books, pouring over wine magazines and studying, without a wine glass in my hand. But that is going to change this weekend at the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival, themed “Summer Soiree.” Kapalua’s signature event brings wine newbies, explorers, investors alike together with winemakers and sommeliers in the perfect atmosphere to taste and pair. With my new knowledge I have a proufound respect for wine experts. There is so much to know about wine, there are wines growing regions all over the world, there are old world wines, new world wines and everything in between.

Master Sommeliers at Kapalua Wine and Food Festival

When I asked Fred Dame, host of the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival and Master Sommelier, what a newcomer to the wine festival should do, he beckoned, “Come on a wine adventure with me. Attend as many things as you can. The quality of the wines is amazing” Its this welcoming spirit of wine, and the wine industry that appeals to so many and holds my attention so well. The culture of wineries is to have visitors come by and taste. There are thousands of appreciators of wine, and only a few experts, and Fred Dame is one of the top authorities in the industry. Festival goers are reap the benefits of his experience and relationships with wineries. He is the reason we are drinking so good at the festival. But he also has help, there are a team of Master Somelliers that includes, Emily Wine, Jay Fletcher, Geoff Kruth, Michael Jordan, Shayn Bjornholm, Joseph Spellman, Chuck Ferruya, and Greg Harrington. Dame says, “Everyone brings their A game to the festival. I ask my Master Somellier team and the winemakers to stop and take the time to answer questions. What makes this festival so special is that we have an intimate setting and put a lot of emphasis on interaction between participants, wineries, and Master Sommeliers.”

The Grand Tasting “Summer Soiree”

At the Grand Tasting on Friday keep an eye out for the Master Sommelier tents where they will be pouring their top 5 wine choices. In addition, the Tour of California Wines is the largest Wine Station at the Grand Tasting featuring 96 wines. Other wine stations include Wines from the Southern Hemisphere, Wines of the Pacific North West, Sparkling Wines from Around the World, and Wines of Europe all totalling over 200 wines to taste. Dame says, “It would cost an individual $10,000 to $20,000 to taste all of these wines if you did it yourself.”

With that many wines to pair it seems like creating a menu for the evening would be a daunting task. Executive Chef John Zaner of the Ritz Carlton Kapalua is up for the challenge, creating a menu that is in line with the festival’s focus on Hawaiian regional cuisine and the new partnership with Maui County Farm Bureau. Each food station is Maui themed, Haiku Tomato Stand, Upcountry Farms, Hukilau Foods, Maui Cattle Company, and the Islands Finest Desserts, and the menu features local gems like Haiku Tomato and housemade mozzarella, Hawaiian Moi and Hamakua Mushroom, Teriyaki New York Steak, and Maui Gold Pineapple Caramel Cake. Maui County Farm Bureau is excited that the festival organizers are able to promote Grown on Maui produce and showcasing Maui Cattle Company’s lean beef on Friday’s event.

Executive Chef John Zaner, The Grand Tasting “Summer Soiree”

Haiku Tomato Stand: Kiawe Smoked Tomato Bisque, Gorgonzola Toast; Kalua Pork & Wonton Crunch, Sambal Tomato Pico de Gallo; Haiku Tomato & Housemade Mozzarella Caprese

Upcountry Farm: Surfing Goat Dairy Cheese, Roasted Beets, Waipoli Greens; Makawao Corn & Shrimp Risotto; Grilled Maui Farms Antipasti, Pineapple, Asparagus, Assorted Vegetables

Hukilau Foods: Lemongrass Chicken Skewer, Sweet Potato, Maui Onion & Curry Aioli; Hawaiian Moi & Hamakua Mushrooms in Ti Leaves; Macadamia & Guava Crusted Brie, French Bread, Sesame Crackers

Maui Cattle Company: Teriyaki New York Steak Salad, Local Baby Spinach, Wasabi Vinaigrette, Smoked BBQ Brisket, Truffle Polenta, Warm Corn & Coconut Muffins, Mango Jam

Islands Finest Desserts: Kula Lavender & Coconut Sorbet; Maui Gold Pineapple Caramel Cake; Lehua Honey & Macadamia Tarts; Hawaiian Chocolate Decadence Cake

Festival Chef, DK Kodama and the Culinary Exhibitions

This year the festival celebrates its 29th year with an unprecedented partnership with the Maui County Farm Bureau. D.K. Kodama is Festival Chef for Sunday’s Culinary exhibition, featuring the Seafood Festival and a much anticipated luncheon DK Secrets: Sansei Style. Chef Kodama is the mastermind behind the wildly popular Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar, opening the first one in Kapalua in 1995. Now he has 6 restaurants and counting. Sansei has expanded its lively sushi bar and signature hawaiian fusion style to Kihei and Honolulu. Chef Kodama is embracing the farm to fork concept and will have a mini farmers market at the luncheon on Sunday, and the opportunity for participants to talk story with the farmers, Darren Strand, Doug Schenk, Geoff Haines, and Warren Watanabe. In DK Secrets on Sunday you will get an insider’s view of one of the most inspired innovators of Hawaiian regional cuisine and how he works with local ingredients to get to the award winning food on his menus.

Nancy Cross, Vice President of Events Management, Kapalua Resort said, “The Festival has always showcased intriguing wines from around the world, but this year’s culinary spotlight will be centered on Hawaii ’s unique cuisine. We’re very excited to have DK Kodama as our featured chef for Sunday’s culinary exhibition, an event not to be missed. With DK’s focus on local farm to table menus it also made perfect sense to collaborate with Maui County Farm Bureau and its members, including Maui Cattle Company, to highlight Grown on Maui local products and produce throughout the event.”

Here is one of the recipes that you will get at the DK Secrets Luncheon: New Wave Hawaiian Ono Sashimi with Spicy Cilantro-Ginger Oil Serves 2: 5 slices Sashimi Grade Hawaiian Ono, 2 Tbsp Hot Ginger Oil, 1/2 tsp Fresh Grated Ginger, 2 tsp Shiro Soy Sauce, Micro Shiso • Spicy Cilantro-Ginger Oil: 1 cup Olive-Canola Oil Blend 2 Tbsp Fresh Grated Ginger 1/2 cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro 1 Tbsp Minced Shallots 1 tsp. Red Crushed Chili Flakes Salt & White Pepper – to taste . 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil Heat oil in a sauce pot until it just begins to smoke. Remove from heat and add all ingredients except the sesame oil. Let sit to marry and infuse flavors. Strain and add the sesame oil. Set aside. To prepare dish: Arrange ono slices on serving dish. Place a pinch of grated ginger in the center of each slice. Drizzle the hot cilantro-ginger oil and shiro soy sauce over the slices. Garnish with the micro shiso and serve.

Seafood Festival

The finale to the event, The Seafood Festival is a culinary exhibition on a grand scale. Thirteen restaurants and executive chefs represent the best they have to offer in hopes of fetching Maui No Ka Oi Magazine’s “Best of the Fest” award. The bounty of our surrounding sea is showcased, scallops, opakapaka, Hamachi, ogo, and swordfish but accompanied with Maui’s fresh farm foods like goat cheese from Surfing Goat Dairy, Kula corn, O’o farm carrots and Kapalua farm herbs. You will find a few surprising beef dishes to round out the flavors, like Maui Culinary Academy’s Hawaii Ranchers Hawaiian Red Veal, and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Sushi Ala Ruth. There will be live entertainment, wine and beer and your last opportunity of the weekend to mingle with winemakers and master sommeliers. Host Fred Dame says, “I do a number of wine events through the year. This is the one I look forward to. The beautiful location and the finest participants all come together and it feels like ohana.”

The Seafood Festival

Bev Gannon Restaurants: Crab Canneloni – with lemongrass ginger sauce; Crab, Tomato and Avocado Roll Tower – layers of crab, tomato, and shiso on top of a cucumber avocado roll with wasabi vinaigrette

Banyan Tree: Pan Seared Scallops – with english peas and Maitake mushrooms risotto; Olive Oil Poached Hawaiian Tuna – with niςoise salad

Capische?: Olive Oil Poached Snapper – poached snapper and roasted eggplant caponate with a pistachio pesto; King Salmon Crudo – Salmon crudo, tomato water ice, cucumber salad and an olive carmel

David Paul’s Island Grill: Fried Green Olowalu Tomatoes – blue corn crusted and fried green tomato with red tomato pico de gallo; Escabeche of Island Snapper – Olive oil roasted snapper on crisp rosemary croustini with pancetta vinaigrette

I’O/Pacific’O Restaurants: Charred Confit of Big Eye Tuna – seared big eye tuna in Kaffir scented olive oil served over carrot juice risotto with baby O’O Farm Heirloom carrots, garnished with organic watermelon radish and mint; Tartare of Organic Kula Beets – roasted beets mixed with herbs, yogurt and capers, garnished with Surfing Goat Dairy feta cheese and cumin dusted plantain chips

Kai Sushi Bar: Miso Cream Shrimp Dynamite – shrimp baked in miso cream white sauce; Hamachi Tartare – chopped hamachi with jalapeno ponzu jelly

Maui Culinary Academy: Hawaii Ranchers Hawaiian Red Veal – XO braised Hawaiian red veal in bamboo steamed buns with pickled island vegetables, Mahi on My Mind! – marinated sashimi of Mahi Mahi in cold pink ginger soup, fresh mango slaw and Hawaiian chili dust

Merriman’s Kapalua: Merriman’s Grilled Opah – grilled opah with local tomato-citrus relish on house made brioche; Home-Grown Beet and Tomato Gazpacho – home grown cold vegetable soup

Pineapple Grill: Miso- Sesame Glazed Monchong – served with lee cheong and a Kula corn risotta cake; Australian Hiramasa Tartare with Li-Hing Mui and Summer Herbs – fine chopped raw hiramasa, toasted with scented olive oil and salt, served with a small salad of Kapalua Farm herbs with a li-hing mui sauce

The Plantation House Restaurant: Citrus Glazed Swordfish – with a Kapalua Farm tomato marmalade and toasted fregula salad, Chef’s Cold Table – including swordfish belly “scapece” and Kapalua Farms vegetable salads

Roy’s Restaurant Maui: Roy’s Kahana “Fish n chips” – seabass pan crisped with fennel pollen crust, local preserved lemon tartar sauce and fennel chips; Beef Tataki – Maui Cattle Company beef tataki with baby watercress and yamaimu with ponzu

Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Ono Pastrami Sliders – fresh island Ono served pastrami style on mini buns, topped with Ruth’s famous coleslaw; Sushi Ala Ruth – Tenderloin beef, island vegetables and sushi rice wrapped in nori, complimented with Ruth’s sesame aioli sauce

Wolfgang Puck’s “Spago”: Sweet & Sour Glazed Island Fish in lettuce cups – Opakapaka, macadamia nuts and ginger vinaigrette, Kona Coast Opakapaka Sashimi Salad – soy shallot dressing, ogo seaweed and local radish- Maui onion salad

Desserts by Chef Ashley of The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua: Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch and Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Salted Caramel Cheesecake with Upcountry Strawberry Compote

Wine Tastings

Sandwiched between the Grand Tasting and Sunday’s culinary exhibitions are a number of interactive wine tasting seminars. These usually specialize in a particular wine, like “Heal the World with Pinot Noir,” “Zins and Cheese,” and the “Cab Franc Retrospective.” See the complete schedule below. The Wine Idol: The Master Challenge takes a different approach with the festival sommeliers bringing their favorite wines to the panel to be judged with a winner voted in at the end. What to pair the wine with and why the wine was sommelier favorite will be examined in a lively discussion. The judges are Fred Dame, Geoff Kluth, and Blakesly Chappellet.

Check out my separate post on the winemaker’s dinners here.

Up-to-Date Feed on Twitter:

Schedule of Events including Winemakers Dinners starting from Thursday and going in chronological order:

Maui Brewing Company Dinner – Thu, Jun 24. Dinner features five courses and 4 beer pairings. $50. 5:30 p.m. Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, Kapalua, 600 Office Rd., Kapalua; 808-669-6286; www.sanseihawaii.com

Brewer Clifton Winery Dinner – Thu, Jun 24. Wine pairing featuring owner and winemaker Greg Brewer. 7 Wines and 13 appetizers enjoyed in a casual bar lanai gathering. $65. 6 p.m. Pineapple Grill, 200 Kapalua Drive, Kapalua; 808-669-9600; www.pineapplekapalua.com

Lucia Vineyards Dinner – Thu, Jun 24. Wine dinner featuring wine grape grower Gary Pisoni. Five courses and eight wine pairings. $125. 6:30 p.m. Merriman’s, 1 Bay Club Pl., Lahaina; 808-669-6400 www.merrimanshawaii.com

Cab Franc Retrospective – Fri, Jun 25. Cabernet Sauvignon lovers listen up. Cab Franc, a major red varietal and the parent grape to CS has taken two centuries to make it to the US. See if you will fall for the Cab Franc too. . $75. 1:30-3 p.m. Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua; 808-665-9160; http://www.kapalua.com

The Grand Tasting at Kapalua Wine and Food Festival – Fri, Jun 25. This year’s festival theme is “Summer Soiree.” Live entertainment in the Aloha Garden Pavillion with close to two hundred international wines. Cuisine by Ritz Carlton Kapalua Executive Chef John Zaner. $135. 6 p.m. Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua; 808-665-9160; http://www.kapalua.com

Heal the World with Pinot Noir – Sat, Jun 26. Wine can make the world a better place, especially when the vineyards and winemakers of Sapphire Hill, Pisoni, Patz & Hall, Scherrer, Brewer-Clifton, Brooks, Lachini and Hanzell are involved. Keep the faith in this hour and a half pow-wow with Pinot Noir Winemakers. $75. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua; 808-665-9160; http://www.kapalua.com

Kapalua Wine Tour – Sat, Jun 26. Embark in an adventure through the spectacular Kapalua Resort, as local wine distributors showcase the unique and hard-to-find wines in their current portfolios. Shuttle service is provided. $50. 12:30-2 p.m. Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua; 808-665-9160; http://www.kapalua.com

Zins and Cheese – Sat, Jun 26. With Cheese Master Kent Torrey of The Cheese Shop in Carmel in the house, anything can happen at this pairing with Zinfandel the apparent chameleon of the wine world. $75. 3-4 p.m. Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua; 808-669-6200; http://www.kapalua.com

Brewer Clifton Winery Dinner – Sat, Jun 26. Greg Brewer will preside with a dinner featuring four courses with surprises and four wine pairings. $65. 5:30 p.m. Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, Kapalua, 600 Office Rd., Kapalua; 808-669-6286; www.sanseihawaii.com

Patz and Hall Wine Company – Sat, Jun 26. Featuring owner and winemaker Donald Patz. Reception starts at 6pm, three appetizers, four courses and six wines. Dinner at 7pm. $115. 6 p.m. Pineapple Grill, 200 Kapalua Drive, Kapalua; 808-669-9600; www.pineapplekapalua.com

Scherrer Winery – Sat, Jun 26. Featuring owner and winemaker Fred Scherrer. Reception with dinner to follow. Two appetizers, four courses and five wine pairings. $75. 6 p.m. The Plantation House Restaurant, 2000 Plantation Club Dr., Kapalua; 808-667-9225; http://www.theplantationhouse.com/

Chappellet Vineyards and Winery – Sat, Jun 26. Wine dinner featuring owners Cyril and Blakesley Chappellet. Five courses and five wines. $125. 6:30 p.m. Merriman’s, 1 Bay Club Pl., Lahaina; 808-669-6400. www.merrimanshawaii.com

Wine Idol: The Master Challenge – Sun, Jun 27. The best of the best is featured here with the Master Sommeliers Fred Dame, Geoff Kruth, and Blakesley Chappellet Judging. Learn why the wines got to the favorites table, and what to pair them with at this lively discussion of wines. $75. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua; 808-665-9160; http://www.kapalua.com

D.K.’s Secrets: Sansei Style – Sun, Jun 27. Learn about the impeccable palate of DK Kodama, at this intimate get together of food and wine. D.K. has set the bar for sushi restaurants and his hawaiian fusion style has created one of the most sought after menu’s on Maui and Oahu. Chef Kodama will host this amazing lunch and take you on a tour of tastings you won’t forget. $135. 1-3 p.m. Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua; 808-665-9160; http://www.kapalua.com

The Seafood Festival – Sun, Jun 27. Join Festival Chef DK Kodama at this years Kapalua Wine and Food Festival Finale. Fourteen amazing Maui restaurants and their executive chefs come together at this Festival to strut their stuff, and compete for the Maui No Ka Oi “Best of the Fest” Award. This year’s participants include Gannons, Banyan Tree, David Paul’s Island Grill, Capische, I’o, Pacific’o, Kai Sushi Bar, Maui Culinary Academy, Merriman’s Kapalua, Pineapple Grill, The Plantation House Restaurant, Roy’s, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Spago, and the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. $135. 6-9 p.m. Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua; 808-665-9160; http://www.kapalua.com