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Thirty
Three Chefs
Edited
by Lorry Kennedy and Nina Pfaffenbach
(2004 Hilton Waikoloa Village)
In
the grand scheme of cookbooks, Thirty
Three Chefs is just a small crumb on the kitchen
table—but quite a tasty one and created for a good
cause. Before we get to its raison d'être, though,
let's cut right to the meat, for us, the question-and-answer
inserts with Hawaii's famous and beloved chefs.
Says
picky George Mavrothalassitis, he became a chef to make
people happy; his last meal would be Choucroute Garnie from
Alsace. And the worst day in his life? Luckily, he doesn't
remember it. Then he offers up the recipe for his Yukon
Potato Crusted Opakapaka (pink snapper). “Mavro”
is one of thirty-three chefs portrayed via their favorite
dishes and sound bites. We'll share one more: D.K. Kodama
of the former Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar and
Vino
hates fasting. He seems like our kind of man. And who would
fast in a place that, as Emeril Lagasse notes in his foreword,
is surrounded by “a wealth of fresh fish, produce
and other unique foods such as limu (seaweed), waiwi (fruit)
and ohelo (berries that grow on the Volcano)… things
that are not available to us on the mainland.”
Thirty
Three Chefs celebrates this bounty as well as the tenth
anniversary of Hilton
Waikoloa Village's Dolphin Days and its culinary component,
the Great Waikoloa Food Wine & Music Festival. The recipes
cover plenty of fresh catch from crusted opakapaka to salmon
and moi (a type of Pacific threadfin served only to royalty
in old Hawaii)—crusted with macadamia and coconut
or fennel pollen, flavored with Darjeeling tea or served
atop a Thai-style paella. Enjoy the friendly faces, the
traditional but sumptuous food photography, the small glimpses
into the heads of these top toques and the wonderfully simple
dishes. The proceeds from the festival as well as this book
benefit Hawaii Shriners Hospital and Pacific Marine Life
Foundation.
(Updated:
01/06/09 SB)
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