Maui chefs fundraise for Bahay Kubo repairs
Maui chefs team up at UH-Maui College fundraiser for Bahay Kubo Filipino Heritage Building in Iao Valley
Just like Kepaniwai Cultural Heritage Park in Iao Valley boasts quaint villages that represent Maui’s various ethnic cultures, The Field and the Harvest event coming up at 6 p.m. Saturday in Kahului boasts chefs from different backgrounds.
The chefs will come together to benefit the Bahay Kubo Filipino Heritage Building in Kepaniwai as the terrible flood that struck there last September caved in part of the roof and the bamboo wall was diminished from the massive rains.
“The Field and the Harvest is a benefit event highlighting over a dozen of Maui’s hot young chefs,” says culinary instructor Jake Belmonte.
“It will be held in the main dining room of University of Hawaii Maui College’s Paina Building in Kahului that houses the Culinary Arts Program.”
“We realized we needed to pull together as a community, because if a disaster happened elsewhere, we would do it again, just like how we pulled together for Project Kokua for Hawaii Island in 2014, Kokua for the Philippines in 2013, and Kokua for Japan in 2011. This time around, it’s in our own backyard.”
On top of all of the chef stations, Field and Harvest will have roast suckling pig, or Filipino lechon.
Chef Charles Andres of Humble Market Kitchin by Roy Yamaguchi will do authentic Filipino pork dinakdakan, an Ilocano dish of pork pieces tossed in calamansi dressing with garlic-fried rice.
Jeff Scheer of The Mill House at Maui Tropical Plantation in collaboration with 2016 UH-MC alumni A.J. Arellano will do pork shank rillette with adobo glaze and atchara, or pickled green papaya, wedged in sweet pandesal rolls.
Larry Badua of Badua’s Creperie & Grill will shred lamb shanks to fill crepes with a Kaldereta-style stew.
Isaac Bancaco of Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in collaboration with 2010 UH-MC alumni Jonathan Pasion will tempt with Kona kampachi with banana blossom, fried coconut milk, annato sili oil, long-bean adobo, kamote and calamansi.
Lyndon Honda, the new executive chef of Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, will entice with matcha-green tea, unagi and foie-gras pate on chicken skin-crackers with Persian barberries.
Kyle Kawakami of his own Maui Fresh Streatery food truck will roll in with sisig, seared scallops and balatong puree served with bagoong, a fish condiment, aioli and crispy parya leaf.
Joey Macadangdang of Joey’s Kitchen in West Maui will do scallop and pork molos, or won tons, served with fried garlic chips, kinchay (similar to parsley), and sili, or chili, oil and negi.
Geno Sarmiento of Nick’s Fishmarket will lure you in with seared diver scallops, parmesan risotto, braised pork belly, adobo sauce and gremolata.
Jojo Vasquez of Plantation House with his student apprentice Motley Adovas will do kare-kare arancinis with oxtail bagoong rice.
Chris Schobel of his Fat Daddy’s Smoke House will impress with longanisa sausage corn dogs with pickled vegetables and spicy ketchup. Other participants are Jeffrey Valdez, 2016 UH-MC alumni and chef of Tin Roof; and farmer James Simpliciano of Simpli Fresh Produce. As icing on the cake, Madame Donut of Donut Dynamite will do pandan coco-rice donuts with glazes and puffed rice.
“Kepaniwai is probably the only place in Maui showcasing the villages of the different cultures that migrated here in the bygone era, the plantation era. Our roots, our food and most especially our aloha are all connected. The desire to want to help each other in an unfortunate situation like this, is when we realize that we still have the values we were taught growing up, and in return, we do what needs to be done, as it is the right thing to do,” concludes Belmonte.