Feast on This!

The Party
With panoramic picture-perfect views of the Honoulu skyline in all directions, alfresco dining took on a whole new meaning at Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival’s major bash that overtook the top of Hawai‘i Convention Center.

The People
This foodie spectacular delivered a stellar list of celeb chefs. On the local front were toques like Ed Kenney and George Mavrothalassitis, otherwise known by his easier-to-pronounce nickname, Chef Mavro. Add to that illustrious visiting chefs Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar and Hubert Keller of San Francisco’s Fleur de Lys. (The day before, this ponytailed Keller had rocked The Republik for the festival’s late-night party with his skills at the turntable.) But would you expect anything less from a festival spearheaded by two of Hawai‘i’s most recognized toques, Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi?

The Highlights
The soiree was a real fete of flavors, best exemplified by OnoPop’s creative tribute to baked Alaska—a lilikoi ice cream pop topped with Italian meringue. Major mixologists, like Tony Abou-Ganim and Dave Newman, took the thirsty back in time with vintage tiki bar-inspired cocktails. With delights like these, it was no surprise that guests lingered far after the party had officially wrapped. -Photos by Tracy Chan