TOP CHEFS

By Simplicio Paragas

A contingency of powerhouse chefs will again lend their support behind the second annual “Food & Wine Festival.” Scheduled for September 6-9, the four-day epicurean festival will showcase the “who’s who” in the national, international and local culinary world. Expect some notable names to show up, including former “Top Chef” contestant Marcel Vigneron, Hubert Keller (Fleur de Lys, San Francisco), “Restaurant Impossible” host Robert Irvine and Tetsuya Wakuda (Australia and Singapore), to name but a few.

“We know there’s a segment of people who follow these types of food and wine epicurean events and Hawaii has never really taken advantage of that,” says David Uchiyama, vice president of brand management for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, one of the festival’s sponsors. “We chose September because it’s a shoulder period so we wanted a way to stimulate business and travel to our islands.”

Signature events will take place at The MODERN Honolulu (September 6) Halekulani Hotel (September 7), Hilton Hawaiian Village (September 8) and Ko Olina (September 9). Seminars and daytime excursions are also planned throughout the course of the festival. Proceeds from HFWF will benefit the Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation, the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, Leeward Community College Culinary Program, Paepae O He‘eia and Papahana O Kuaola. For a complete list of participating chefs and more information, visit

hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com