Hawaii’s Back yard Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

Big Isle festival showcasing
top new chefs

Kristin McGrath has her dream job. She grew up in Illinois and Indiana where she recalls "much of the landscape consists of flat fields of corn and soybeans as far as you can see." Today, the director of Hawaii's Big Island Festival makes her home in lush Hilo, and she couldn't be happier.

Hawaii's Big Island Festival Place: Events will be held at various resorts along the Kohala Coast. The festival headquarters will be at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. When: Nov. 3 to 6 Admission: Tickets to festival events are available online or by phone. All events are available for purchase individually, or you can purchase a Platinum Pass for $400 per person. The pass includes the festivals most popular events: the Upcountry Chef's Tour, Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs 2004 Culinary Demonstrations and Wine Pairings, the Wine and Beverage Seminar Series, Grand Tastings and Under the Hula Moon. Packages: Rental car, five nights accommodations and hotel room tax packages are available. For details, check out the festival's Web site or call American Express Travel toll free at (888) AXP-0091. Call: (808) 934-9044 (in Hawaii) or toll free (866) 424-FEST E-mail: info@bigislandfestival.com Web site: www.BigIslandFestival.com

"I love Hilo's sense of community, the farmers' market, even the rain," says McGrath. "One of my favorite spots is Liliuokalani Park, where on a sunny day you'll get a magnificent view of Mauna Kea across Hilo Bay. The Big Island's beauty still amazes me every day!"

McGrath is looking forward to sparking that same sense of wonder and excitement in the 2,000 people who are expected to attend the third annual Big Island Festival Nov. 3 to 6. "The aim of the festival is to take visitors on a culinary and cultural journey of the Big Island," she says. "I can't think of a better job than this -- acquainting visitors with the home that I love. Over four days we'll spotlight the best the Big Island has to offer in the way of golf, spas, Hawaiian culture, tropical agriculture, natural beauty and world-class wine and culinary events."

The festival will welcome eight of the 10 Best New Chefs named by Food & Wine magazine in 2004, including 27-year-old Melissa Perello of Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco, one of America's youngest culinary stars and the only female in the esteemed group. The Best New Chefs are chosen each year after Food & Wine solicits extensive nominations from prominent restaurant reviewers, food writers, industry professionals and chefs nationwide. The magazine's editors travel around the country to evaluate the nominees firsthand before selecting the winners, each of whom has served as an executive chef for less than five years.

"Our association with the Best New Chefs is a wonderful collaboration," says McGrath. "This year's winners are looking forward to discovering new exotic ingredients they can use in their restaurants on the mainland, and we are looking forward to their interpretation of our local foods in creative new ways. Many of them have never been to Hawaii, so it's our pleasure to welcome and introduce them to our beautiful home."

HAWAII'S BIG ISLAND FESTIVAL A farmer's market stirs up interest in Big Isle produce.

NOTABLE BIG ISLAND chefs also will be showcased, including Mike Fennelly of Restaurant Kaikodo, Joshua Ketner of Hilo Bay Cafe, Amy Ferguson of Oodles of Noodles, Daniel Thiebaut of Daniel Thiebaut Restaurant and Kenichi Kanada of Kenichi Pacific. A hub of activity will be the festival pavilion where culinary demonstrations and wine pairings, seminars and tastings will be featured along with more than 50 displays of fine products, including works crafted from native woods, hand-printed linens and silks, one-of-a-kind blown glass creations and original paintings with Hawaiian themes.

The perennially popular farm tours will introduce participants to the Big Island's incredible bounty, including strawberries, vanilla, chocolate, rambutan, shiitake mushrooms, macadamia nuts and ocean-farmed lobster, moi, abalone, Dungeness crab and oysters.

"It wasn't so long ago that consumers used to only be able to see these items in the grocery store," points out McGrath. "But in the past few years, the concept of ag-tourism -- tourism working hand in hand with agriculture -- really has come to the forefront in Hawaii, especially on the Big Island.

"On the festival's farm tours, people will visit the farms and orchards where products are grown, harvested and processed. They also will be able to meet and chat with the innovative, hard-working farmers who are leading the state's ag-tourism movement."

HAWAII'S BIG ISLAND FESTIVAL Hawaii's Big Island Festival is not limited to culinary events. Cultural entertainment and demonstrations also abound.

While the Big Island Festival is being billed primarily as a culinary adventure, health and healing is another important theme that will be explored. For example, the "Spirit of the Big Island: Hidden Journey into Yoga, Self and Nature" excursion will take participants to a quiet, lovely beach where a Hawaiian ceremony and chanting will be followed by meditation and yoga exercises that are appropriate for all levels of experience.

Afterward, a light snack will be served as the group is entertained with Hawaiian storytelling. The activity will culminate with snorkeling and an inspiring closing ceremony.

"The festival gives me an opportunity to share everything that I love about the Big Island, including the aloha and spirituality of its people," says McGrath. "It's my job to ensure guests have a wonderful time learning about the diverse aspects of a spectacular destination. What could be better than that?"

Festival highlights

Highlights of this year's Hawaii's Big Island Festival. Event prices range from $10 to $125 per person. Visit www.BigIslandFestival.com for more details.

Nov. 3

» Spirit of the Big Island: Hidden Journey of Yoga, Self and Nature. Repeats Nov. 6.
» A Rural Renaissance Experience Tour
» Upcountry Chef's Tour (opening evening gala)
» Iron Chef Yutaka Ishinabe Dinner. Repeats Nov. 5.

Nov. 4

» Malama Koukino and Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos
» Come and Taste the Difference Tour
» New Waves at Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Tour
» Mauna Kea Beach Hotel's Pacific and Asian Art Tour. Repeats Nov. 5 and 6.
» Best New Chef Dinners, featuring Scott Conant, Scott Dolich, Rob Evans, Marc Orfaly and Bradford Thompson

Nov. 5

» Festival Pavilion. Repeats Nov. 6.
» An Eruption of Flavor Tour
» Best New Chefs 2004 Culinary Demonstrations and Wine Pairings
» Grand Tasting I
» Best New Chef Dinners, featuring Eric Michel Klein, Melissa Perello and Mat Wolf.

Nov. 6

» Golf Shoot-Out
» This is Gourmet Chocolate and Coffee Country Tour
» Wine and Beverage Seminar Series
» Grand Tasting II
» Under the Hula Moon (closing evening gala)