Turtle Bay Resort’s new dinner series honors Hawai‘i’s cowboy and ranching heritage.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TURTLE BAY RESORT
PHOTO COURTESY OF TURTLE BAY RESORT
No visit to the islands is complete without attending a luau, a traditional Hawaiian dinner featuring live music and performances. Turtle Bay Resort on O‘ahu’s North Shore has taken the island favorite and given it a twist with its new Paniolo Pāʻina dinner series, highlighting Hawai‘i’s history of cowboys and ranching, a subculture with a rich past that many visitors know little about. The weekly culinary and cultural experience takes place at the hotel’s rustic stable area overlooking the shoreline, where guests are treated to a down-home evening filled with music and a delicious buffet.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TURTLE BAY RESORT
Turtle Bay Resort, the only hotel on the North Shore, boasts a sprawling 1,300-acre estate with 5 miles of unspoiled coastline and seven beaches. It has recently undergone an extensive renovation, taking the spectacular property from a hidden gem to one of the most sought-after stays on the island. The lobby and pool area overlook some of the most beautiful beaches on O‘ahu, making it the perfect place to take in the sunset with a cocktail. You’re likely to rub shoulders with the island’s cool kids and surf scenesters at the picturesque pool bar as the resort is minutes from some of the world’s best surf breaks. For those looking to take advantage of Hawai‘i’s adventure sports, the resort offers a variety of land and ocean experiences with two 18-hole championship golf courses, 12 miles of horseback riding and mountain biking trails, a wellness center and a surf school.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TURTLE BAY RESORT
The resort’s ethos of Aloha ʻĀina, a love of and nurturing care for the ancient land, is reflected in the event’s focus on the paniolo (cowboy) subculture of Hawaiian culture, which has a long tradition of caring for the land. Hawaiian paniolos predate the American West by decades, the original vaqueros having been invited to the islands from Spanish California by King Kamehameha III to manage the cattle trade in the early 1800s. Today, the paniolo and ranching tradition continues in many of the smaller rural towns the islands over.
Every Thursday, the resort honors this heritage in this paniolo-themed event. The night kicks off with a welcome beverage, pony meet-and-greet, lei-making and paniolo music. The stunning buffet features Hawaiian flavors with a Latin twist to honor the two traditions that influence paniolo life, and includes slow-smoked beef ribs in a pineapple shoyu glaze, macadamia nut fried rice, pot beans and salads made from vegetables grown at on-site Kuilima Farm. The showstopping main dish, a roast pig expertly prepared on a 20-foot-long roaster, is not to be missed—and neither are the mai tais. Guests are regaled with lively paniolo stories by hosts in traditional dress and treated to hula performances. The night ends with a fire and knife show with live drummers, followed by s’mores roasted over the fire. 57-091 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, turtlebayresort.com
Brisket is one of the enticing entrees on the menu. PHOTO COURTESY OF TURTLE BAY RESORT
Photography by:
