Hawaii Food & Wine Festival's #HFWF19 Welcome Reception

Last night, Hawaii Food & Wine Festival's Oahu events kicked off with a Welcome Reception at the iconic IBM Building in Ward Village.

The Welcome Reception featured bites inspired by the Hawaiian plate lunch, as well as wines, beer, and specialty cocktails.

Tiparos Nam Pla Vinaigrette-Infused Crispy Pork Belly / Maile Sangoura - Maile's Thai Bistro

Smoked Hawaiian Kanpachi "Chazuke" / Lawrence Nakamoto - Neiman Marcus

Poke Sampler / Elmer Guzman - Poke Stop

Smoked Pork Belly Mole / Pablo Mellin - Roy's at Pebble Beach

Kalbi Jjim with Korea Pear Kimchi / Hyun Kim - O'Kim's Korean Kitchen

Hawaii Food & Wine Festival's events are such a great way to meet chefs, master sommeliers, winemakers, and mixologists from around the world, as well as try amazing food and wine, but at the heart of it all is the mission to "to attract national and international attention to the extraordinary culinary talent and the diversity of quality locally grown products to ensure Hawaii maintains its competitive edge as a world-class destination."

A disturbing 88% of food we consume is imported, according to Founder & CEO Denise Hayashi Yamaguchi, which is a frightening upward trend over recent years, and even more disturbing is how so many big names in local farming have shuttered.

In an effort to showcase the bounty of ingredients we have right here in Hawaii, and to decrease the dependence on imported food, the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival puts the spotlight on local products, as world-renowned chefs incorporate them into fabulous dishes. 

With every ticket purchase, guests not only have access to incredible food and drink, but they are also helping to support community organizations that focus on agriculture and culinary education.

I look forward to Hawaii Food & Wine Festival every year, not only because I get to indulge in delicious eats and drinks, but also because I always learn so much about the participating talent, the Hawaii-grown products, and the local programs that help to make the events such a success. 

There are still a few events with tickets available! For event and ticket information, click here.