Chef Fest Preview Dinner at The Beverly Wilshire
One of my favorite things to do in the summer is dine al fresco with close friends and family. There's nothing I love more than gathering good company together for some delicious food and wine outdoors on a summer day as the sun starts to set. I I was fortunate to be invited to a preview dinner at the Beverly Wilshire for Chef Fest where we dined on amazing culinary creations from Executive Chef Thomas Bellec and Pasty Chef Chris Ford. The dinner was a preview of the menu for Chef Fest, which takes place September 17-20 on the Big Island at Four Seasons Hualalai.
The dinner took place at the Secret Rose Garden at the Beverly Wilshire which will be open to the public at the end of June. Its a beautiful location at the rooftop of the hotel overlooking Rodeo Drive.
All ingredients of tonight's dinner were flown in from the Big Island. The culinary team at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai are leaders in sustainable dining. All of the Resort's restaurants highlights local ingredients, 75% of which come from Hawai'i. Eat local and support local!
Hamakua Coast Wild Board Terrine
First dish of the night. Served with a macadamia nut and poha berry marmalade and preserved kumquat. The pigs used to make the terrine were raised on the North Shore eating only Macadamia Nuts. The kumquats were pickled and preserved for 9 months!
Sake + Soy Cured Kona Kampachi
Served with compressed royal hawaiian pineapple, ni'oi chili, avocado mousseline, shiso seedling. The yellowtail was wrapped in seaweed and then marinated for a day in barrels that had previously been used to age sake!
Glazed Keahole Lobster Tail
Served with house-made lemongrass BBQ sauce, puffed rice, seaweed. The lobster was poached with butter and is from a part of the Big Island that is dedicated to raising sustainable and local seafood.
Local Grassfed Beef Tenderloin
Served with Kona coffee and pepper jam, hamakua ali'i mushroom brown butter, organic carrots.The kona coffee jam was smoky and peppery.
Hawaiian White Tea Mousse
Served with mango-pineapple gelee, valrhona passion fruit chocolate, topical caramel, choux.
Executive Pasty Chef Chris Ford knocked it out of the park with this beautiful culinary creation.
Special thanks to Executive Chef Thomas Bellec and Pasty Chef Chris Ford for putting in so much thought and curation into their dishes. Thank you to Beverly Wilshire and Four Seasons Hualalai for hosting the perfect summer gathering. If you're making a trip out to Hawaii in September, be sure to check out Chef Fest for a world class culinary experience.