KAPA‘A — The Rotary Club of Kapa‘a announced the contest winners for the best food and beverage vendors who participated at the 24th annual Taste of Hawai‘i held last month at Smith’s Tropical Paradise in Wailua. After sampling the culinary
KAPA‘A — The Rotary Club of Kapa‘a announced the contest winners for the best food and beverage vendors who participated at the 24th annual Taste of Hawai‘i held last month at Smith’s Tropical Paradise in Wailua.
After sampling the culinary offerings of 30-plus chefs, hotels and restaurants as well as 16 beverage vendors, guests voted for their favorite taste sensations.
BEST SEAFOOD: Executive Chef Leanne Kamekona of the Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort RumFire/Lavas on Poipu Beach won for her crab-crusted Hawaiian opah, sauteed tot soi, Chardonnay cream sauce and lomi lomi tomatoes. A pure native Hawaiian, award-winning Kamekona has a passion for Hawaiian sustainability — utilizing traditional staples to create her twist within her Hawaiian-rooted cuisine.
BEST MEAT AND POULTRY: For the second year in a row, the winner was Chef Randall Yates of Casa di Amici in Po‘ipu for his Nero Risotto made with Casa di Amici Sausage and sautéed with Grana Padano Parmesan Cheese. At Casa di Amici since 1990, Yates specializes in Mediterranean and many cross-cultural cuisines. He uses his classical training in conjunction with many locally produced products.
BEST VEGETARIAN: Also for the second year in a row, the winner was Chef Jintana Roberts of Sukhothai Café for her Papaya Salad. Owner of Sukhothai Café in Kapa‘a for the past 16 years, Roberts is a native of Bangkok, Thailand. As a young chef, Roberts traveled throughout the Orient preparing and sampling some of the region’s unique delicacies.
BEST DESSERTS AND SWEETS: Chef de Cuisine Casey Halpern of Café Pesto Hilo Bay for his ‘Ohana Banana Farms Candy Apple Bananas with Lapperts Vanilla Ice Cream and Dream Beans Big Island Vanilla. Born on O‘ahu and raised on the Big Island, Halpern’s 16-year culinary career began and continues at Café Pesto Hilo Bay.
3 beverage winners
BEST WINE — Nani Moon Mead serving Winter Sun Sangria. Stephanie Krieger, owner of Nani Moon Meadery, handcrafts chemical- and sulfate-free mead exclusively from Hawaiian honey, fruit and spices.
BEER, BEST DECORATED BOOTH — Anheuser Busch, serving a selection of beers.
NON-ALCOHOLIC — Java Kai, serving Go Green Smoothies. Located in old Kapa‘a town, this coffee house and cafe offers a full-service espresso bar, fresh roasted drip coffee, fresh-baked goods, sandwiches and salads, plus a full selection of hot and cold drinks.
BEST NEW DISCOVERY: The Feral Pig for its Feral Burger Sliders. Owners Scott Kessinger and Dave Power use locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. The Nawiliwili-based pub and diner features Kaua‘i-grown vegetables, 100-percent Kaua‘i ground beef and locally caught fish.
BEST ALOHA SPIRIT: Party Sushi serving Seafood Balls — Crab, Salmon and Cream Cheese Tempura.A Taste of Hawai‘i “regular,” Sushi Chef Ed “Scooby” Coloma operates a catering business for all occasions.
BEST PRESENTATION: Aston Aloha Beach/The Palms Restaurant serving Poisson Cru — Polynesian Raw Fish Salad. Born and raised in Micronesia, Chef Greg Stoll has worked as an executive pastry chef at numerous hotels throughout the Hawaiian Islands as well as two cruise-ship lines. He has been lead chef at the Aston since 2007.
Taste of Hawai‘i — known as The Ultimate Sunday Brunch and held each year at Smith’s Tropical Paradise in Wailua, has been the main fundraising event for the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a since 1988.
“With help from many local organizations that provide volunteers for Taste of Hawai‘i, the 33 members of our club are able to raise tens of thousands of dollars, which are funneled back into our community and Rotary projects throughout the world,” said Paula O’Very-Saylor, Taste of Hawai‘i chair.
The Rotary Club of Kapa‘a also supports many local needs, initiatives and organizations, such as the Kaua‘i Lifeguard Association and its Lifesaving Tube Project, Hale Ho’omalu family center, Friends of Lydgate Park, March of Dimes, Easter Seals, the Kapa‘a public schools, Boys and Girls Club, Kaua‘i Green Innovation Awards, statewide culinary scholarships and many others.
The Rotary Club of Kapa‘a’s mission is to support the youth and community of Kaua‘i, their country and their world by combining and leveraging their expertise, volunteer services and financial resources.
