B on Hawaii

At a recent food and wine festival on a neighbor island, we had the pleasure of meeting a woman whose family owns a mango farm, located on O`ahu's West Side. She shared with us the joy of picking mangoes from their 50-tree farm, the nuances of different varietals, and images of summer days spent with sticky mango juice dripping down her arms.

The Halekulani has relentlessly rolled out a number of culinary gems this week, reminding those bound for (or residing in) O`ahu that Kalia Road is the place to be for top-tier dining.

On Saturday, July 25, Southern Wine and Spirits of Hawaii's Director of Mixology Francesco LaFranconi will do his best Tom Cruise (in Cocktail, not Risky Business) impersonation as he pours with a heavy hand at Lewers Lounge in Waikiki. Between 7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m., the Halekulani hot spot will feature "live soul jazz" from the likes of Tennyson Stephens.

It has been confirmed: Jean-Georges Vongerichten will helm the Kaua`i Grill at the newly re-branded and revamped St. Regis Princeville Resort on Kaua`i when it opens this October. The resort will feature 251 newly designed rooms, including 52 suites, 3 additional restaurants, the 10,000 square foot Halele'a Spa and transformed banquet space for private affairs.

Git out yer cowboy boots and lo'i waders: This Saturday and Sunday marks the 37th annual Hawaii State Farm Fair, held at the Bishop Museum, on O'ahu. If you've never been, you're in for a treat. First and foremost, there will be no shortage of edibles to sample; from Ka'u coffee and Ho Farms tomatoes, to Naked Cow Dairy's flavored butters and abalone harvested on the Big Island of Hawai`i.

We’ve finally come down from the high that was the 28th Annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival. This event has truly evolved over the 5 years we’ve attended: Where the focus used to be on the master sommeliers and their wealth of knowledge, it has come to be a showplace for the incredibly diverse (and also evolving) class of winemakers located eastward across the Pacific.

This week marks the 28th Annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival; easily one of the Hawaiian Islands most prestigious, elegant and well-attended culinary events.

There must be something in the June air—that brings the world’s biggest filmmakers to Hawaii at the onset of summer. The 10th Annual Maui Film Festival begins next week, on Wednesday, June 17, and runs through Sunday, June 21, in Wailea, Maui.

On the South Shore of Kaua`i, chef Ben Takahashi of Shells Restaurant has announced a new “Kaua`i Farmers Market Special menu” that will change every Thursday and feature sustainable ingredients from the island.

Starbucks did it with coffee. Now, Philippe Padovani is going to do it with chocolate. The idea of taking an everyday staple and making it an indulgent—albeit attainable—luxury item, isn't new. However, the manner in which entrepreneurs elevate said item can make all the difference in the world.