Aloha from the 10th Big Island Chocolate Festival at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. After a four-year hiatus we’re delighted to be back at this educational and entertaining celebration of all decadent things chocolate and cacao!
“The inaugural, first of its kind Pizza City Fest Los Angeles takes place April 29-30, 2023 at L.A. LIVE – Downtown Los Angeles’ Sports and Entertainment District – offering fans the unique opportunity to sample pizzas from Southern California’s best pizza makers all in one location over two days. Steve Dolinsky – a 13-time James Beard Award-winning food reporter and “The Food Guy” at NBC 5 Chicago – has turned his love of pizza into an all-encompassing endeavor. Now he has brought that same experience to Los Angeles (as he did last year in Chicago) and showcase the diversity – in both geography and styles – that the region exemplifies.” VIP for both days is already sold out. Limited tickets are available for Saturday with better availability for Sunday.
The celebrated Kanekoa Family on The Big Island of Hawaii have been cooking professionally for 3 generations. Jason Kanekoa is the long-time Executive Chef at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort. His son, Ocean Kanekoa, is a past poke champion of the Hawaii Island Aloha Festival. During the pandemic Ocean created baskets of local farmers fruits and vegetables that he sold in an online store to benefit the struggling farmers who had lost their customers due to the closure of all restaurants and hotels. Ocean and his older sister, Jaydene, (Senior Marketing Manager for Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort) were part of the group of promising young chefs selected to compete on the first season of Peacock’s “Top Chef Family Style.” Chef Ocean’s goal is to open his own restaurant by Age 18. We’ll meet the already accomplished Ocean and Jaydene Kanekoa.
Kona Cacao Association is the creator of the Big Island Chocolate Festival. “The mission and goal of KCA is to promote the cacao industry on the Island of Hawaii by presenting the Big Island Chocolate Festival as an educational and outreach opportunity for local cacao farmers, the hospitality industry and cacao enthusiasts.” The Founder of the Kona Cacao Association, Farsheed Bonakdar, is our guest.
Master Pastry Chef and Chocolatier Stephane Treand is again participating in The Big Island Chocolate Festival on Saturday with the creation of a magnificent all chocolate showpiece designed to stun party guests and serve as a stunning buffet centerpiece. Tréand’s prestigious Pastry School in Tustin, California instructs students of all abilities in the pastry and baking arts. The finished creation will be a key feature on display at the Saturday Gala from 6-10 p.m.
The talented Culinary Team at the Fairmont Orchid is one of the participating restaurants in the Saturday Night Gala at The Big Island Chocolate Festival. “The vistas alone are worth a leisurely evening at Brown’s Beach House, The Fairmont Orchid’s AAA Four Diamond signature restaurant. Perched above Pauoa Bay, the celebrated fine dining venue takes in one of the island’s most spectacular sunset panoramas.” Representing the Fairmont Orchid is their Executive Sous Chef Daniel Sampson who is also an acclaimed pastry chef. Chef Daniel holds the honor of being Pastry Chef of The Year 2019 by ACF Kona Kohaha Chefs Association.
Executive Chef Jayson Kanekoa heads the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort’s progressive culinary program overseeing all food and beverage outlets, including the signature Hawaii Calls restaurant. His expertise permeates all the resort’s restaurant and catering menus. Chef Jayson is the Host Chef for the Big Island Chocolate Festival. 95 per cent of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort’s food and beverage offerings are proudly locally sourced. Chef Jason started at the property as a cook’s helper way back in 1986 and in 2014 was promoted to Executive Chef.
Chef Jason Kanekoa joins us with a freshly brewed cup of Kona Coffee in hand.
All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!
“At the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, this Big Island resort offers the best of Hawaii Island, however you want to enjoy it. For relaxing, soak in the sun and island vibes around one of their three swimming pools or on the soft, white sands of Anaeho’omalu Bay. For golf, the resort has three 9-hole golf courses, surrounded by lush, meticulously maintained grounds. For dining, Waikoloa Beach unusually sources most of their offerings locally, to give guests a true taste of the islands. For shopping, the property is steps away from two luxury outdoor shopping centers, the Queens’ Marketplace and the Kings’ Shops.”
“For self-care, their Mandara Spa has a range of treatments designed to reinvigorate you. For Hawaiian cultural enrichment, walking trails and historical markers around the property let you discover the history of the site’s fishponds and the surrounding area. For watersports, the property has everything you need right here to snorkel, surf, or SUP on Anaeho’omalu Bay. For adventures on land, choose from zip lining, hiking, helicopter tours, & more.”
The Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resorts Director of Sales and Marketing, John Dominguez, joins us.
“The inaugural, first of its kind Pizza City Fest Los Angeles takes place April 29-30, 2023 at L.A. LIVE – Downtown Los Angeles’ Sports and Entertainment District – offering fans the unique opportunity to sample pizzas from Southern California’s best pizza makers all in one location over two days. Steve Dolinsky – a 13-time James Beard Award-winning food reporter and “The Food Guy” at NBC 5 Chicago – has turned his love of pizza into an all-encompassing endeavor. Now he has brought that same experience to Los Angeles (as he did last year in Chicago) and showcase the diversity – in both geography and styles – that the region exemplifies.” VIP for both days is already sold out. Limited tickets are available for Saturday with better availability for Sunday.
The celebrated Kanekoa Family (“The Cooking Kanekoas”) on The Big Island of Hawaii have been cooking professionally for 3 generations. Jason Kanekoa is the long-time Executive Chef at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort. His son, Ocean Kanekoa, is a past poke champion of the Hawaii Island Aloha Festival. During the pandemic Ocean created baskets of local farmers fruits and vegetables that he sold in an online store to benefit the struggling farmers who had lost their customers due to the closure of all restaurants and hotels. Ocean and his older sister, Jaydene,(Senior Marketing Manager for Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort) were part of the group of promising young chefs selected to compete on the first season of Peacock’s “Top Chef Family Style.” Chef Ocean’s goal is to open his own restaurant by Age 18. We’ll meet the already accomplished Ocean and “big sister,” Jaydene Kanekoa.
Kona Cacao Association is the creator of The Big Island ChocolateFestival. The mission and goal of KCA is to promote the cacao industry on the Island of Hawaii by presenting the Big Island Chocolate Festival as an educational and outreach opportunity for local cacao farmers, the hospitality industry and cacao enthusiasts. The Founder of the Kona Cacao Association, Farsheed Bonakdar, is our guest.
Master Pastry Chef and Chocolatier Stephane Treand is again participating in The Big Island Chocolate Festival on Saturday with the creation of a magnificent all chocolate showpiece designed to dazzle party guests and serve as a stunning buffet centerpiece. Tréand’s prestigious Pastry School in Tustin, California instructs students of all abilities in the pastry and baking arts. The finished creation will be a key feature on display at the Saturday Gala from 6-10 p.m.
The talented Culinary Team at the Fairmont Orchid is one of the participating restaurants in the Saturday Night Gala at The Big Island Chocolate Festival. “The vistas alone are worth a leisurely evening at Brown’s Beach House, The Fairmont Orchid’s AAA Four Diamond signature restaurant. Perched above Pauoa Bay, the celebrated fine dining venue takes in one of the island’s most spectacular sunset panoramas.” Representing the Fairmont Orchid is their Executive Sous Chef Daniel Sampson who is also an acclaimed pastry chef. Chef Daniel holds the honor of being Pastry Chef of The Year 2019 by ACF Kona Kohaha Chefs Association.
Executive Chef Jayson Kanekoa heads the Waikoloa Beach MarriottResort’s progressive culinary program overseeing all food and beverage outlets, including the signature Hawaii Calls restaurant. His expertise permeates all the resort’s restaurant and catering menus. Chef Jayson is the Host Chef for the Big Island Chocolate Festival. 95 per cent of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort’s food and beverage offerings are proudly locally sourced. Chef Jason started at the property as a cook’s helper way back in 1986 and in 2014 was promoted to Executive Chef.
Chef Jason Kanekoa joins us with a freshly brewed cup of Kona Coffee in hand.
All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!
“The inaugural, first of its kind Pizza City Fest Los Angeles takes place April 29-30, 2023 at L.A. LIVE – Downtown Los Angeles’ Sports and Entertainment District – offering fans the unique opportunity to sample pizzas from Southern California’s best pizza makers all in one location over two days. Steve Dolinsky – a 13-time James Beard Award-winning food reporter and “The Food Guy” at NBC 5 Chicago – has turned his love of pizza into an all-encompassing endeavor. Now he has brought that same carefully curated experience to Los Angeles (as he did last year in Chicago) and showcase the diversity – in both geography and styles – that the region exemplifies.”
“I’ve seen the L.A. pizza scene explode recently, having visited about 60 places while researching over the past year,” said Dolinsky. “But with so much great pizza spread out from Santa Barbara to San Diego, there needed to be a way to highlight these artisans all in one place. Not only will we do that, but we’ll also bring together some of the most talented local pizza pros to share their knowledge and expertise with home cooks.”
The celebrated Kanekoa Family (“The Cooking Kanekoas”) on The Big Island of Hawaii have been cooking professionally for 3 generations. Jason Kanekoa is the long-time Executive Chef at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort. His son, Ocean Kanekoa, is a past poke champion of the Hawaii Island Aloha Festival. During the pandemic Ocean created baskets of local farmers fruits and vegetables that he sold in an online store to benefit the struggling farmers who had lost their customers due to the closure of all restaurants and hotels.
Ocean and his older sister, Jaydene, (Senior Marketing Manager of Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort) were part of the group of promising young chefs selected to compete on the first season of Peacock’s “Top Chef Family Style.”
Chef Ocean’s goal is to open his own restaurant by Age 18.
We’ll meet Ocean and Jaydene Kanekoa.
Kona Cacao Association is the creator of The Big Island ChocolateFestival. The mission and goal of KCA is to promote the cacao industry on the Island of Hawai‘i by presenting the Big Island Chocolate Festival as an educational and outreach opportunity for local cacao farmers, the hospitality industry and cacao enthusiasts.
“In-person activities at The Chocolate Festival include culinary demonstrations for the home cook, cacao growing and processing seminars by industry experts, a new VIP-PLUS pre-gala Sunset & Pupu Pairing and a festive evening gala with culinary booths serving sweet and savory chocolate creations, chocolate fountain, entertainment, dancing, a silent auction and some surprises! Guests can enjoy unlimited wine, beer and a custom spritzer by Ola Brew, iced tea and coffee.”
The Founder of the Kona Cacao Association, Farsheed Bonakdar, is our guest.
Master Pastry Chef and Chocolatier Stephane Treand is again participating in The Big Island Chocolate Festival on Saturday with the creation of a magnificent all chocolate showpiece designed to stun party guests and serve as a stunning buffet centerpiece at the Saturday Night Gala. Tréand’s prestigious Pastry School in Tustin, California instructs students of all abilities in the pastry and baking arts. The finished creation will be a key feature at the Saturday Gala from 6-10 pm.
Chef Stéphane Tréand debuted, The Pastry School in 2012, in San Clemente. In 2015, he moved his school to Costa Mesa along with his new pâtisserie (pastry) shop,ST Pâtisserie Chocolat, to the Soco Collection! Chef Tréand wanted to bring something unique and different to Southern California. He wanted people to come and buy pastries, chocolates, viennoiserie (baked goods such as croissants), and gelato / sorbet at his shop. But he also wanted to show others, “you can learn and create beautiful items such as these, right-next-door as me (Chef Stéphane Tréand) as your teacher!” Having an M.O.F. chef teaching hands on, one-on-one experience, in a small intimate environment is truly a treasure. There are only 4 M.O.F. chefs currently residing in the United States. Tustin is now the home of “The Pastry School”.
The talented Culinary Team at the Fairmont Orchid is one of the returning participating restaurants in the Saturday Night Gala at The Big Island Chocolate Festival. The vistas alone are worth a leisurely evening at Brown’s Beach House, The Fairmont Orchid’s AAA Four Diamond signature restaurant. Perched above Pauoa Bay, the celebrated fine dining venue takes in one of the island’s most spectacular sunset panoramas.
Representing the Fairmont Orchid is their Executive Sous Chef Daniel Sampson who is also an acclaimed pastry chef. Chef Daniel holds the honor of being Pastry Chef of The Year 2019 by ACF Kona Kohaha Chefs Association.
Executive Chef Jayson Kanekoa heads the Waikoloa Beach MarriottResort’s progressive culinary program overseeing all food and beverage outlets, including the signature Hawaii Calls restaurant. His expertise permeates all the resort’s restaurant and catering menus. Chef Jayson is the Host Chef for the Big Island Chocolate Festival. “Unusually 95 per cent of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort’s food and beverage offerings are locally sourced.”
“Chef Jason attributes his passion for fresh, locally influenced cuisine to his upbringing in Kukuihaele on the Big Island of Hawaii. He attended the culinary program at Kapiolani Community College on Oahu before honing his culinary talents at the 297-room Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. Kanekoa climbed the ranks to his position today from his entry as a cook’s helper in 1986, to becoming a supervisor, to being named Executive Sous Chef in 2000.” He was promoted to Executive Chef in 2014.
Chef Jason Kanekoa joins us with a freshly brewed cup of hand-selected Kona Coffee in hand.
“Located on the Kohala Coast, and just a short drive from the Kona airport, the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa (the host Hotel for The Big Island Chocolate Festival) provides guests a complete Hawaii Island experience not to be found anywhere else.”
“At the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, this Big Island resort offers the best of Hawaii Island, however you want to enjoy it. For relaxing, soak in the sun and island vibes around one of their three swimming pools or on the soft, white sands of Anaeho’omalu Bay. For golf, the resort has three 9-hole golf courses, surrounded by lush, meticulously maintained grounds. For dining, Waikoloa Beach unusually sources most of their offerings locally, to give guests a true taste of the islands. For shopping, the property is steps away from two luxury outdoor shopping centers, the Queens’ Marketplace and the Kings’ Shops.”
“For self-care, their Mandara Spa has a range of treatments designed to reinvigorate you. For Hawaiian cultural enrichment, walking trails and historical markers around the property let you discover the history of the site’s fishponds and the surrounding area. For watersports, the property has everything you need right here to snorkel, surf, or SUP on Anaeho’omalu Bay. For adventures on land, choose from zip lining, hiking, helicopter tours, & more.”
The Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resorts Director of Sales and Marketing, John Dominguez, joins us.
This is the Weekend we were scheduled to again be broadcasting live from the 9th Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival at The Westin HapunaBeach Resort on Hawaii Island’s Kohala Coast. It’s a celebration with local farmers of the base of premium chocolate, cacao, being able to be grown on select Islands of Hawaii, including The Big Island itself. Cacao is an important new cash crop for the economy of Hawaii. With the current health crisis still ongoing the Festival hopes to be rescheduled for August 14th & 15th if it’s safe to do so.
Tom Cross is the welcoming Hotel Manager at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort and joins us with the good news that the property will again be welcoming guests as the Hawaii Governor allows with all safety precautions in place for the visitors.
The WestinHapuna Beach Resort completed an ambitious $50 million renovation last year. It’s part of the renown Mauna Kea Resort on the Island of Hawaii.
“The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort stretches along its namesake white-sand beach on the Island of Hawaii. The Kohala Coast is known for its world-class shoreline, as well as for cultural and archaeological gems nestled between centuries-old lava fields. The resort’s contemporary style contrasts with lush, manicured gardens and the endless blues of the sky and the ocean. Four reimagined dining venues are inspired by the island’s bounty.”
“The award-winning 18-hole Hapuna Golf Course was designed by Arnold Palmer. Two swimming pools, a 6,800-square-foot freeform family pool and an adult-exclusive infinity pool, overlook Hapuna Beach. A WestinWorkout Center and Crossfit Studio are complemented by the Hapuna Spa for rejuvenation and relaxation. Choose from 249 oversized guest rooms, including 17 suites.”
Mahalo nui loa to The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort for graciously hosting the “SoCal Restaurant Show” for the third year at the Big Island Chocolate Festival
Presented by the Kona Cacao Association, the 2019 Big IslandChocolate Festival (8th Annual) is an annual fundraiser that benefits five local non-profits and Hawaii cacao farmers. This fun, participatory and engaging two-day festival is set for April 26th & 27th at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort on Hawaii Island’s Kohala Coast.
Their signature fine-dining restaurant housed in its own building on the lush property is Meridia. The views of the picture postcard white sandy beach and ocean at Sunset are spectacular. The chef of Meridia, Chris Galindo, will be a guest on the show on Saturday morning, April 27th when we’re live from The Big Island Chocolate Festival.
Tom previews The Festival’s sweet indulgences for us.
This year’s event theme is “Lavalicious-A Chocolate Salute to the 100th Birthday of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park” and culinary stations will be judged on their depiction of the popular park, plus a host of “best” culinary categories: savory, plated dessert, bon bon, bean-to-bar, Hawaiian cacao and People’s Choice.
More chocolatey fun includes a tasty mole and salad bar, chocolate body painting, live music and dancing, a silent auction, wines, cocktails and handcrafted beer using cacao nibs from Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory.
