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STAR-BULLETIN Get a taste of more than 200 premium sakes at the Joy of Sake Friday.

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Taste the joy at sake festival

If sake brings you joy -- or if you think it might -- the Joy of Sake mega tasting session is designed for your happiness.

The event, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Hawaii Convention Center, will feature more than 200 premium sakes, including the gold and silver winners of the 2005 National Sake Appraisal, all up for the tasting.

Several local restaurants will provide sake-friendly appetizers, in part to cushion the effects, but also to help teach the complementary nuances of sake-food pairings.

Tickets are $65, available at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, Fujioka's Wine & Spirits and Marukai. Or buy online at www.joyofsake.com. Call 945-7633, ext. 45.

Coobook for a cause

Actor Morgan Freeman is coordinating a celebrity cookbook -- "Morgan Freeman and Friends: Carribean Cooking for a Cause," to benefit the Grenada Relief Fund, his charity set up after Hurricanes Ivan and Emily ravaged the Caribbean island last year.

The book is to be published by Rodale Inc. next year.

Chefs for Hope

A group of local chefs has joined forces to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina. "Chefs for Hope" takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 19 at Aloha Tower Marketplace.

Tickets go on sale today, at $150. Corporate tables are $5,000 and $10,000. Proceeds will go to the Salvation Army Katrina Relief Fund.

Participating chefs include Chai Chaowasaree of Chai's Island Bistro, Russell Siu of 3660 on the Rise, D.K. Kodama of the Sansei restaurants, George Mavrothalassitis of Chef Mavro, Alan Wong of Alan Wong's restaurants, Hiroshi Fukui of Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas, Doug Lum of Mariposa, Colin Nishida of Side Street Inn and Guillume Burlion of Diamond Head Grill.

Tickets are available at Chai's at Aloha Tower.

Call 585-0011.

Lunch relief

In another benefit effort to support hurricane relief, Tiki's Grill & Bar will donate 10 percent of lunch proceeds Saturday and Sunday to the Red Cross.

The restaurant, in the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach hotel, will also accept donations through the weekend. Call 923-8454.

Cooking demo

Wade Ueoka, chef de cuisine for the Pineapple Room at Macy's Ala Moana, hosts a free cooking demonstration at noon Saturday in Macy's fourth-floor demonstration kitchen.

Ueoka will explain how to prepare Seared Ahi and Crusted Opakapaka with Nametake Risotto. Call 945-5894.

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