today was EXCEPTIONALLY hot. the last couple of days were hot, but there's a difference in hotness walking around town going in and out of stores and at an event, on the beach, with no shade with thousands and thousands of people!
first, denise and i went to a fun & fit kids event for #sobewff at jungle island, miami's zoo. it was really cool seeing the festival put together an event for the kids and families to enjoy. that's definitely something that we want/should to incorporate into our festival.
they had fitness activities for the kids to teach them to be active and healthy.
those are actually just white styrofoam planters! creative right??
teaching you to grow your own veggies.
how appropriate!
although i thought it was weird that tony the tiger was short.
like really.
cooking class for the kids~ notice there are no parents close by? that's because they weren't allowed in the there! they are all standing along the staircase behind the window to the right!
ok, now on to the HOTTEST part of the day. denise and i made our way back towards the beach to attend the whole foods grand tasting event.
notice that sign says "village" - believe me you.
it WAS a village.
what a production - i was just in awe!
want to buy a cook book and get it autographed?! you can do that!
this is just the beginning of the "village". probably about 30 booths of sponsors showcasing their product.
this is looking into the entrance of the tents.
YUP, tents - plural.
i took this picture so i can show you what an awesome venue this is - literally on the beach, overlooking the white sand, blue water and sky. whaaaaaaaat!!!??
this is inside the first tent. there is another one!
denise and i left early after we made our round through the two tents because it was too hot, long lines and lots and lots people. regardless, i was so impressed with the caliber of the event and how well each event was executed.
and to give you a better idea of how ginormous this event was, this is the directory of all the sponsors, food and beverage, wine, liquor, beer vendors that were present at this grand tasting.
it's jaw dropping!
moving on... the last event of my stay in miami. the tribute dinner to nobu and christophe navarre. this event is similar to our halekulani event we have at the hawaii food & wine festival, except they probably have an extra 50-100 attendees, they have a live auction and we don't tribute anyone...
the event was held at the ballroom at loews.
beautiful set up with elegant center pieces.
mistress of ceremony was ms. martha stewart.
decked out in dashing sequin black leggings and sequin silver jacket.
fab. she rocked it.
denise and i before the dinner started.
it was nice to be at an event, sitting down, being served and not sweating!
first course: scottish langoustine in sea water gelee, uni custard and nori tuile
by daniel boulud
i didn't like that this first course on the table prior to us sitting down, but surprisingly, it worked out to its benefit - it was so delicious! the uni custard with the crisp caviars, gelee and a full, flavorful piece of uni. mmm. perfection.
second course: homemade tofu with orange miso
by yoshihiro murata
interesting... with the terrazas reserva torrontes wine pairing, it tasted great, but on its own, i felt the orange overpowered the miso and you couldn't really taste the creaminess of the homemade tofu.
third course: steamed pork, crab and vegetable dumpling with mushroom sauce
by yuji wakiya
another interesting dish from my motherland. the dumpling was steamed in the cellophane, which i'm sure shocked the americans, but i must say, the flavor of the dumpling with the mushroom sauce was very japanese and i enjoyed it a lot.
(yuji wakiya will be joining us in september!)
fourth course: scallion crusted madai, congee and abalone salad with korean miso sauce
by roy yamaguchi
there's a reason why i always say roy is the shit. 'nuff said.
fifth course: lemongrass braised short rib with kabocha squash puree and maitake risotto cube
by fredric delaire
risotto cube, amazing. add maitake, even more amazing! the short rib was very tender and well prepared. well done.
dessert course: matcha parfait with almond praline, sesame, kumquat and soy caramel
by johnny iuzzini
thank goodness i'm not doing that "no dessert" crap anymore! this dessert was fabulous. all the components eaten together just enhanced all the flavors and was a party in my mouth! the parfait was creamy, the almond praline was perfectly crunchy, that soy caramel was... so good. the kumquat on its own was waaay too sour for me, but like i said, together with everything was delicious!
nobu-san graciously accepting the tribute. he is an amazing man.
group photo - used the panorama on my iphone, but half way through the group put their hands up so that's why the picture is like that!
this is nobu's acceptance speech - it was very heartfelt and sincere.
i hope you'll take the time to watch the whole thing. i think you'll appreciate him too.
i'm bummed it's blurry, but i love this picture.
nobu calls me aya-chan :)
see you in september.
what an amazing experience #sobewff was. i am very lucky to have been able to travel to miami and have the opportunity to check out how other festival does things. again, at the end of the day, it's all because of roy. i'm not sure that i personally would want the hawaii food & wine festival to be on south beach's scale, however i hope we can execute amazing, well planned, beautifully designed, impressive events highlighting hawaii and all the bounty that comes with. i hope the festival will be able to educate attendees about hawaiian culture through our daytime programs with kamehameha schools and let them experience hawaii at its roots. i hope that we can instill an appreciation for locally grown products and those hands that have prepared it. i think what differentiates our festival from many others is that we have a very unique product - the state of hawaii and its people who are passionate about supporting "local", taking care of our ʻaina, growing our future culinarians and aloha spirit. if we can share that passion with the rest of the world where maybe, just maybe a few chefs can take that back home to the mainland and share with their team or attendees have a better appreciation for hawaii and the importance of its culture and history, i think the festival has done its job. and as a result, if we're able to donate $200,000+ again in 2013 to our local beneficiaries, even better.
my flight back to hawaii was dreadful. 17 hours of traveling is very tiring. the only thing i had looking forward to my three hour layover in la was hanging out with my parents eating my in n out burger. priceless.
