Kauai Grill restaurant will host an exclusive food, wine and fashion event on Saturday with partial proceeds going to support the Kauai Community College culinary arts program. A Fashionable Taste of Summer includes a cocktail reception followed by a three-course
Kauai Grill restaurant will host an exclusive food, wine and fashion event on Saturday with partial proceeds going to support the Kauai Community College culinary arts program.
A Fashionable Taste of Summer includes a cocktail reception followed by a three-course dinner with wine pairings. A DJ will play music for a special fashion preview by Tori Richard, Hawaii’s iconic lifestyle and resort wear company as well as Van Balen Fine Jewelry.
“We are happy to bring together a fine selection of kamaaina companies to celebrate the beginning of summer and contribute to higher education for our youth,” says Antonio Palomares, Kauai Grill general manager.
Maxime Michaud, Kauai Grill chef de cuisine, will introduce a new summer menu, which is inspired by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, an internationally acclaimed French chef who, at 29, earned four stars from The New York Times. The event coincides with a visit by Culinary Concepts, Kauai Grill’s global management team, which is under the leadership of chef Vongerichten.
Following cocktails, dinner begins with an amuse bouche of a chilled and delicately flavored melon and tomato gazpacho.
First course is seared Maine scallop with smoked bacon, lemongrass vinegar, glass noodles and dried chili oil paired with Stonestreet 2011 Broken Road from Alexander Valley, Calif.
Second course features roasted veal strip loin with summer vegetables and Parmesan jus, which is paired with a 2010 King Estate from Willamet, Ore.
Dinner concludes with granita, a semi-frozen dessert made with young ginger, summer berries and spiced meringue, and will be paired with a 2011 Moscato d’Asti, Michele Chiarlo ‘Nivole’ from Piedmont, Italy.
“The culinary profession has been good to me,” says Leanne Kamekona, executive chef of the St. Regis Princeville, “but it takes both hard work and the help of others to be a success in this field.”
Born and raised on the Big Island, Kamekona has worked at five of the top 25 resorts in Hawaii and is the first and only Hawaiian female executive chef at a luxury resort. As a native Hawaiian, she brings a sense of place to the plate.
“The Kauai Grill restaurant is considered one of the best in Hawaii,” Kamekona says, “but it continues to evolve because of the support of Culinary Concepts and the inspiration of chef Jean-Georges. His culinary vision and execution have defined both professional standards for the industry and the way in which Americans eat. This same commitment towards education can also inspire others to follow the path to a hospitality career. As the saying goes: ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ We hope that the community will join us to celebrate the summer with delicious food, fashion and fun.”
A Fashionable Taste of Summer begins at 6 p.m. Cost is $125 per person. Reservations are required and seating is limited. Info: 826-2250.
• Marta Lane, a food writer on Kauai since 2010, offers farm to fork food tours and is the author of Tasting Kauai: Restaurants – From Food Trucks to Fine Dining, A Guide to Eating Well on the Garden Island. For more information, visit TastingKauai.com.
