Kapalua Wine & Food Festival Finale
By Melissa
I was going to entertain you with more food p0rn to celebrate the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival's finale. But after seeing what piqued people's interest on my Twitter feed last night, that all went out the window! I'll just give you a quick peek.
Sunday's breakfast of champions
We started the day with a workshop called "Day After Alchemy," in which sommeliers and chefs brought out their hangover helpers--using food, wine, and spirits. What a great theme! They fed us many salty, spicy, fatty, carby things that are key to battling hangovers.
It was still a lot of food, though. More than any alcohol, the amount of food was causing a severe case of Kanak Attack in everyone, requiring more frequent disco naps. We also found ourselves having to choose what to eat (or not), or leave portions unfinished. Even KGMB9's Steve Uyehara, who is known for his massive appetite, said, "If I eat anymore, I'll explode!"
With that, I had to (regrettably) bow out of the "Walla Walla and Cheese" workshop so I could save myself for the big Kapalua Seafood Festival in the evening. Candy Suiso went with KGMB9's Ramsay Wharton, and I had to experience the workshop vicariously through Candy's Twitter. Needless to say, they ate all the honey and all the cheese, especially the ones that tasted like pure butter. And I sat in my room and wept.
It was still a good decision on my part! The following photos are just a very small sampling of the many foods we tasted at the Seafood Festival.
Shrimp bites (left) and Souvi style pork on sushi rice (right)
Scallops and Kula corn (left) & ahi with taro, green papaya and coconut
I even got to meet renowned Chef Bev Gannon of Hali'imaile General Store. She made these fantastic crab canelonni, which were rich, creamy, rich, silky, and...oh yeah, rich. Candy and I inhaled two of these right away.
Just a small glimpse of the crowd. It was definitely a mix of Maui locals, local tourists (people like me), and tourists. It's a slightly dressier event than the others this weekend, but you could go in shorts if you wanted to.
These guys are from Wolfgang's Spago and are making spicy ahi in sesame "cones" with a miso dressing. They think I'm from TMZ and wanted to get in on my blog to be famous. Yes! I'm with TMZ! Pose! Now dance!
These four girls were hilarious. They set up camp next to me and Liane Thompson and were feeding us food, shoving martinis at us, and telling us all kinds of funny stories. They call themselves "the four hoochies" but I'm sure they don't live up to the hype. They were, however, my most popular Twitpic of the evening, more than any of my food pics.
Bombay Sapphire, one of the sponsors, had an entire bar sculpted from ice. It was a solid table with bottle holders and everything. VERY cool. Pardon the pun.
You can try as hard as you can, starve yourself all day, and wear elastic pants...but you will not be able to eat all the food they have to offer at the big Seafood Festival. It was a gluttonous, fantastic, fun-filled culinary journey for us and we're looking forward to attending next year. At the end of the night, Sonya, Candy and I toasted each other and congratulated ourselves on having a wonderful time.
I wanted to note that this was much more than a wine and food festival; it was also a huge networking event for various people--not just in the culinary industry. The atmosphere of the event was very conducive to socializing, especially with people who would not normally sit together under normal circumstances. If you're looking to enhance your career and contacts, this may be a good event for you to attend.
I hope to see you next year!
Kapalua Wine & Food Festival 2010
Kapalua Resort
June 24 - 27, 2010
Urban Mix Plate
June 15th, 2009 at 6:29 am
Whoa Melissa, you out did your self this time. I kinda FEEL YOUR PAIN (or wish I could have been there to experience the pain
) Thanks for sharing your
FUNexperience with us.HEY BF? You lose out if you didn't go
Thanks again. Now to check out your twitpics (sorry AFK this weekend. Too many Grad pahties)
June 15th, 2009 at 7:46 am
I'm soooooo glad you had a great time and have been enjoying all your pics and tweets and blogs, but I'm so glad you're home so you can stop with all this torture! OMG! Everything looks so divine!
June 15th, 2009 at 8:43 am
I gotta agree with Cindy, You killing us babe.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:45 am
All I did this weekend was go to a friends Spanish grad pahty. My wife made me dance with her, I couldn't last to the end of ONE song. WWD! That was a fun party, even if I had hard time understand when they speak to you in Spanish.
June 15th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Looks like you had a fun weekend. Eat, drink, and be merry.
Great pics, Melissa. TMZ? Should've told them you're paparazzi.
June 15th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
All that in 3 days? Have never eaten that well in 3 weeks! Hard work...all that eatin' & drinkin', but somebody gotta do it, huh! Might as well be you. Lucky you! Thanks for the experience via your web tales.
June 15th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Wow! Looks like you had a great time Melissa!
I gotta get my arse out to Kapalua to partake in that festival!
Born and raised on Maui, and I've never been to that festival.
Gonna start saving my pennies now!
June 15th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Ynaku, hopefully by next year I have a BF to take to this event. Glad you did your duty by going to the grad parties!! Spanish grad party....now that sounds interesting. Yo quiero taco bell?!
Cindy, how did the tweets come out, from an outside perspective? I was trying to capture things in real time but not be too boring.
Rod, they had no idea!! All they wanted me to do was make them famous. So cute.
Kraftkat, that was incredible. Candy & I kept saying, "life is good." It was a really good experience for our first time. Now we know how to pace ourselves next year.
Bananafysh, yah, sorry I couldn't give notice that I was coming to Maui! It was very spontaneous and I was tethered to the resort anyway. I hope you can make it next year, at least to the Seafood Festival. THAT event drew super plenty people from all over Maui.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
What anada PARTY
you sure know how to enjoy life 
You must have the toughest job 
NKHEA..... all jealous
June 16th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
@Melissa --
So, does BF = Boy Friend
or
BF = BananaFysh?
Please be the latter! haha!
June 16th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Hey BF, I had to stop and think about her reply to me
So BF =>
HusbandXBF?Nah Melissa, we all for your happiness. Keep twitting and we still follow.
June 16th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Hi Melissa,
nice to meet you. any red wine recommendations?
June 16th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Bhahhah BF=Boyfriend of BananaFysh!
Melissa, it was great to see you tonight. July 5!! I gotta remember that!
June 17th, 2009 at 12:00 am
NKHEA LOL! Life is good!!
Bananafysh....hmmmmm BF is taking on so many new meanings now!! ha ha
Eh, Ynaku, we missed you tonight! next time.
Che, thanks for stopping by on the blogs! For red wine, I liked the Tandem blend, Pride Cabernet, Panther Creek Pinot Noir. Gramercy Cellars Tempranillo was also nice.
HNL2LAS so nice to see you!!! Hope to see you on July 5!
June 17th, 2009 at 6:12 am
Melissa-
WOW!!! All I have to say is WOW... oh and per your request, I am now officially posting on your blog... Before I go, allow me to explain why I post on Cat's, Shauna's, and Lance's blogs more than I have posted on yours... I posted on Cat's blog because hers was the first one I ever read... you gotta stay true to your roots right? I post on Shauna's blog because I fit the title pretty well.. "Odds and Ends"... I'm pretty odd... and I have a pretty big "end" (read-butt) With Lance's blog, I post there because there are so many things in the day that make me say "WWD?!?!" so it seems natural to post what you know... Now, the big question is why I haven't posted in a long time on Urban Mix Plate... I grew up country... (Kaneohe born and bred) definitely not an urban kinda guy... I realize that's probably I major cop out, and for that I'm sorry, but I just wanted to clear the air as to why I haven't been posting here...
I will try to be better though... PROMISE... WILDERNESS EXPLORER SCOUTS' HONOR!!! 
NEO
June 17th, 2009 at 11:16 am
whoops sorry! I meant BF=boyfriend OR BananaFysh! heehee.... ohoh...
June 17th, 2009 at 11:20 am
hey Melissa! huu...fo realz....you get THE LIFE!
was great meeting up with you again last night! so awesome hanging out with the blogging/twitter/facebook/social media? powerhouses!
upping my street cred! haha! w00t!
hah! gotta watch out when you use BF!
June 17th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
NEO!!! Thank you for coming by!! Like I told everyone last night, doesn't matter what you say, the main thing is that you stop by. yayyyyyyyyy
HNL2LAS hee hee heeeeeeeeeee
opso, was good to see you again, too! Was almost a tweet up. That was fun you guys!
June 17th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
@Melissa you was talkin' about ME?!?! wow, I never even meet you guys IRL and you talkin' bout me... I feel so spesho now!!!
June 17th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Eh, I was dea too, via twitting. I was waving back to you all
Only thing I had to eat and drink by myself 
Nah, glad you folks had lots of fun. Too bad Cat was drinking watah but das ok. Main thing she was with you folks enjoying. Whoo Hoo.