StarChefs.com Rising Stars Revue

Dec 4, 2012
6:30 pm until 9:30 pm

StarChefs.com™, the award-winning online magazine for culinary insiders, is thrilled to announce its 2012 Hawaii Rising Stars Award recipients. The winners will be showcased at the StarChefs.com Rising Stars Revue on Tuesday, December 4, 2012, from 6:30pm – 9:30pm at Halekulani, hosted by Chef Vikram Garg of Halekulani and along with featured guest chef Chai Chaowasaree of Chai’s Island Bistro. The walk-around tasting gala will give diners the opportunity to experience Hawaii’s top restaurants and sample cocktails from the winning mixologist and beverage pairings from Host Sommelier Kevin Tomaya of Halekulani, in one location, for one night only. And we’re especially excited, as this is the first year StarChefs.com has held a Rising Stars Revue in Hawaii.

“With its bountiful local pantry and cultural variety, Hawaii is an ambitious melting pot of culinary talent,” says StarChefs.com Editor-in-Chief Antoinette Bruno. “Chefs there are taking time-honored customs and turning them on their heads to create a vibrant, exciting cuisine.”

“Hawaii is about creativity and custom,” says StarChefs.com Managing Editor Will Blunt. “From island to island, chefs are balancing sophisticated, modern innovations with an underlying celebration of local food culture.”

More than 50 Hawaiian candidates were considered through in-person tastings and interviews. The 2012 Hawaii Rising Stars Award Winners are:

CHEFS

Christopher Kulis, Capische? (Maui) - capische.com

Featured Dish: Australian Beef Carpaccio, Horseradish Aïoli, Radish, Lemon Oil, Fried Capers, and Parmigiano-Reggiano

Andrew Le, The Pig and the Lady (Oahu) - thepigandthelady.com

Featured Dish: Pho with Betelnut Leaf-wrapped Pork Sausages

Cameron Lewark, Spago (Maui) - wolfgangpuck.com

Featured Dish: Onaga Ceviche, Green Papaya Salad, Kaffir Lime, Coconut, and Passionfruit Flower

Nick Mastrascusa, Beach Tree (Big Island) - fourseasons.com

Featured Dish: Gnocchi with Oxtail Ragout

Wade Ueoka, Alan Wong’s (Oahu) - alanwongs.com

Featured Dish: Oxtail “Soup”: Oxtail and Corned Beef Roulade, Boiled Peanuts, and Shiitake Mushrooms

Jojo Vasquez, The Plantation House Restaurant (Maui) - theplantationhouse.com

Featured Dish: Australian Lamb Rack, Eggplant Purée, and Chickpea Cake

PASTRY CHEFS

Michelle Karr-Ueoka, Alan Wong’s (Oahu) - alanwongs.com

Featured Dish: Lilikoi Brûlée

Elizabeth McDonald, Honu Seafood & Pizza (Maui) - honumaui.com

Featured Dish: Vegan Chocolate Mousse Cake

SUSTAINABILITY CHEF

Quinten Frye, Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar (Oahu) - salthonolulu.com

Featured Dish: Octopus, Chorizo, Olives, Potatoes, Compressed Grape Tomatoes, Almonds, and Kahuku Corn Purée

ARTISAN

Doug Kocol, Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar (Oahu) - salthonolulu.com

Featured Dish: Pork Rillette and Soppressata

CONCEPT CHEF

Sheldon Simeon, Star Noodle (Maui) - starnoodle.com

Featured Dish: Hapa Ramen: Roast Pork, Poached Egg, Bamboo Shoots, Kamaboko, Bok Choi, Mayu, and Spicy Miso

COMMUNITY CHEF

Mark Noguchi, Pili Hawaii Catering (Oahu) - pilihawaii.com

Featured Dish: Ho’i’o Fiddlehead Ferns, Dried Cuttlefish, Kombu, Octopus, and Tomatoes

RESTAURATEUR

Ed Kenney, Town, Uptown Events (Oahu) - townkaimuki.com

Featured Dish: Cervena Venison Pipikaula with Bud Bucket Ice

MIXOLOGIST

David Newman, Pint + Jigger (Oahu) - pintandjigger.com

Featured Cocktail: The Whiskey Thatcher: Rye, Mint, Lime, and Flamed Pernod Rinse

HOST

Vikram Garg, Halekulani (Oahu) - halekulani.com

Featured Dish: Sumac-marinated Australian Lamb Chop and Chickpea-Tahini Purée

HOST SOMMELIER

Kevin Tomaya, Halekulani (Oahu) - halekulani.com

Beverage Pairings with winner’s dishes

FEATURED GUEST CHEF

Chai Chaowasaree, Chai’s Island Bistro - chaisislandbistro.com

Doug Kocol of Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar won the Artisan Award, presented by Hobart, for excellence in charcuterie. To augment our existing culinary and restaurateur awards, the following awards will be announced at the gala:  the Restaurant of Distinction Award, presented by Steelite International, will recognize the Rising Star chef and restaurant with beautiful plating with singular style. The Mentor Award, presented by Vitamix, will be given to one influential chef who has shaped a new generation of culinary talent, locally. And in StarChefs.com’s long-running tradition, guests will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite dish of the night. The Rising Star who gets the most votes will receive a brand new Jade Range 18” commercial plancha.

Tickets are $95 per person; VIP tickets are $125, including a private reception featuring sparkling wine and Chef Garg’s Petrossian Caviar and Lemongrass Panna Cotta, beginning at 5:45pm. Tickets can be purchased at www.starchefs.com/tickets or by calling 212.966.7575. A portion of the evening’s tickets sales will be donated to the charity and culinary school partner, Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiolani Community College.

Additionally, StarChefs.com will bring together Hawaii’s Rising Stars for a candid, informative, and often entertaining “How to Make It” panel, presented by HFM Foodservice and moderated by Antoinette Bruno. The panel will be held on Monday, December 3 at 11am at Kapiolani Community College (Ohia Building, Room 118). Students and working professionals will gain insight into the rewards and challenges of the culinary industry, as well as how the Rising Stars ultimately “made it” in the business.

The proud national supporters of 2012 StarChefs.com Rising Stars Awards are Meat & Livestock Australia, Steelite International, Hobart, Jade Range, Cervena Venison, Vitamix, Nordaq FRESH, Fresh Origins, and Verterra/Aspenware. Additionally, Rising Stars is made possible by the support of our local partners: Halekulani, HFM Foodservice, Hawaiian Airlines, HONOLULU Magazine, and Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiolani Community College.

About Rising Stars Revue

The Rising Stars Awards recognize up-and-coming chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists from around the country that represent future leaders of the national culinary scene. Each year, StarChefs.com selects four American markets in which to name its Rising Stars. Candidates are nominated by the StarChefs.com Advisory Board, previous winners, local media, and the StarChefs.com website, as well as through StarChefs.com’s editorial research. Winners are then chosen by the StarChefs.com editorial team.

About StarChefs.com

StarChefs.com™, the magazine for culinary insiders, has been serving the restaurant industry since 1995. StarChefs.com’s original culinary content is driven by in-person tastings and interviews across the world. Its mission is to catalyze culinary professionals’ success and give them the tools they need to overcome their specific challenges. In addition to featuring top chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists, StarChefs.com’s Culinary JobFinder is the leading job board connecting culinary and hospitality professionals to careers in the foodservice industry. StarChefs.com™ features more than 30,000 published pages of original, chef-focused culinary content, and it generates traffic of over 30 million hits a month and has been nominated for Best Web Site for Food and Nutrition by the James Beard Foundation.

Halekulani
2199 Kalia Road
Honolulu, HI
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