Chef

COVID Conversations: Chris Kajioka

COVID Conversations: Chris Kajioka

Despite the various Covid related setbacks that has affected the state of Hawaii, Chef Chris Kajioka remains optimistic in the face of adversity. The week Kajioka was set to open his new restaurant, Miro Kaimuki, a state-wide order forced many businesses to close. Kajioka and his team quickly adapted to the state mandated take-out only regulations, and has, in many ways, been able to thrive.

Connecting Farmers and Chefs

Connecting Farmers and Chefs

HFWF celebrated Paina on the Pier for three years in support of the Festival’s goal of raising awareness about supporting local farmers, ranchers and fishermen to ensure the food security of the Islands. Nearly 85 percent of food in Hawaii is imported.

“Our goal was to connect local farmers with the different chefs and vendors who are part of the Festival,” says Les Apoliona, land asset manager at Kamehameha Schools, which, as the state’s largest private landowner, sponsors this event. “It’s about local agriculture and buying local and creating an impact.”

COVID Conversations: Chris Cosentino

COVID Conversations: Chris Cosentino

Chef Chris Cosentino is a four-year veteran of the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, and co-owner of San Francisco’s Cockscomb restaurant, Jackrabbit in Portland, OR, and Acacia House at Las Alcobas, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Napa Valley, with partner Oliver Wharton and parent company Delicious MFG & CO. He is a master in the art of hand-crafted cured meats and helps raise awareness about utilizing the entire animal. Cosentino won season four of BRAVO’s “Top Chef Masters,” earning over $140,000 for The Michael J. Fox Foundation, and is a member of Chefs Cycle, a 300-mile annual bicycle ride that raises funds and awareness in support of No Kid Hungry.

COVID Conversations: Michelle Bernstein

COVID Conversations: Michelle Bernstein

Chef Michelle Bernstein is a five-year veteran of the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival. A Miami native of Jewish and Latin descent, she has dazzled HFWF attendees with her sublime cuisine and a personality as bright and vibrant as the Florida sun. Bernstein and her husband/business partner, David Martinez, own and operate MBC Michelle Bernstein Catering Company, a full-service catering company as well as Café La Trova in Little Havana. These days, Bernstein is busier than ever adjusting to the effects that COVID-10 has had on the restaurant industry and independent restaurants.

Q&A: Stephen Durfee

Q&A: Stephen Durfee

Originally published in the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival 2013 program andupdated in April 2021 during a follow-up interview with Stephen Durfee.Stephen Durfee is a Professor of Pastry and Baking Arts, Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena, Calif. Photo:...