B on Hawaii

While we like to make a practice of covering events yet-to-come in order to give esteemed readers the opportunity to attend them, this “wrap up” of a just-passed culinary extravaganza from Jean-George’s Kauai Grill at the St. Regis Princeville is well worth the space. Trumpeting their one-year anniversary last week, the resort’s food and beverage team paired with Kauai Grill chef de cuisine Colin Hazama to bring locals and hotel guests a truly innovative menu that celebrated the notion of maintaining a Hawaiian ahupua‘a.

The fine folks at Mac 24/7—the late night eatery known for their gigantic pancakes and retro-chic diner decor—have sponsored AJ Goldman’s solo sail across 2,120 miles of Pacific Ocean.

In the last few years, this trio of creative-types have joined forces to give us two seemingly different films with a parallel message. One, a rare glimpse in to Bhutan's concept of "Gross National Happiness"; the second, an up-close and personal visit to a Kaua`i hippie commune in the mid-1970s. Having a hard time seeing the link?

On January 30th and 31st, The Mind Body & Spirit Exposition folk will host the Total Wellness Expo on the island of Kauai. The event, sponsored by Inspiration Wellness Journal, will feature Mater Zhi Gang Sha as the keynote speaker—a title that went to Deepak Chopra last year.

Colin Hazama, chef de cuisine of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Kaua`i Grill at the newly unveiled St. Regis Princeville may be the most fortunate 28-year-old chef in America. We sat down with Hazama at a table hovering over Hanalei Bay, just days before he was set to open the pinnacle restaurant at what is being hailed at Hawaii's most luxurious resort.

When Dana Roberts launched her Malie Organics line of spa products, she was looking to share the healing properties of botanical elements found throughout Hawai`i with those who would appreciate them most. She found a symbiotic partnership at Halele'a Spa in the St. Regis Princeville, where, as far as she knows, they are the only spa in the world to use taro for body treatments.

Jim Moffat has been quietly upping the ante on Kaua`i's food scene for nearly two years. Garden Isle residents, who have been forced to content with overpriced plate lunches, poor retail food outlets and semi-tolerable eateries, have been poised for a culinary boost—and Moffat is leading the charge.

It isn't every day that a swanky new boutique hotel opens on the islands. Heck, it isn't often that anything new opens in this economic climate. But it certainly isn't every day both these occur on the sleepy and reclusive isle of Kaua`i. We were eager to visit the Ko'a Kea Hotel & Resort in Poipu since writing about its architect last winter.

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.

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.