KAANAPALI – The state’s largest culinary celebration, the seventh annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, kicks off on Maui with a trio of diverse dining experiences October 20-22 in Kaanapali.

Local ingredients will take center stage as top names from food, wine and spirits showcase Maui as a culinary destination over the three-day kickoff for the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival (HFWF).

“Maui has played a key role in putting Hawaii on the culinary map, so it’s a natural place to launch the festival,” explained HFWF Chief Executive Officer Denise Yamaguchi.

“After all, it was at Shep Gordon’s Maui home 26 years ago where the idea for Hawaii Regional Cuisine was born. As the next movement, Hawaii Food & Wine Festival is proud to bring together local homegrown talents and world renowned chefs for a golf tournament, grazing event, and six-course dinner that all highlight Maui’s bounty.”

The festival begins Oct. 20 with the milestone 20th anniversary Roy’s Golf Classic, which was added to the HFWF lineup three years ago. Roy’s Golf Classic is a sold out tournament that raises money for Imua Family Services to help Maui families who face challenges with developmental disabilities.

“It’s an honor to see a charity golf tournament that started in 1997 continue to receive overwhelming support from the community, sponsors, chefs and volunteers,” says HFWF Co-founder Yamaguchi. “We’ve been able to raise $815,000 for local families over 19 years. It’s inspiring to see the impact that we can have as a nonprofit in support of valuable programs across the state.”

Yamaguchi will be a featured chef at Global Street Food, a walk-around event at the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa on Oct. 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. along with 12 other top chefs, including Gale Gand, David LeFevre, Raphael Lunetta, Spike Mendelsohn, Jonathan Waxman and local favorites Chris Kajioka and Ed Kenney.

The festival’s Maui kickoff wraps with Hawaiian Airlines Presents Lucky 7 at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa on Oct. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m.

This exquisite seven-course, wine paired dinner features six master chefs – including Niki Nakayama and Jason Neroni – to mark the seventh anniversary of the festival.

Chefs from all three events will take part in a meet and greet with media and fans at the Grown on Maui Farmers Market on Saturday, Oct. 21. Maui’s farmers and food producers will showcase locally grown goods at this open-air market by the Kaanapali Beachwalk in Whalers Village from 11 to 11:30 a.m.

Co-founded by two of Hawaii’s James Beard Award-winning chefs, Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong, HFWF celebrates the bounty of locally caught, grown or raised ingredients with more than 20 signature events on Maui, Hawaii Island and Oahu from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5, 2017. Maui beneficiaries include the Maui County Farm Bureau, Maui Culinary Academy, and Imua Family Services.

HFWF has raised $1.7 million for the state’s agricultural and culinary programs since its 2011 launch. For more information, visit www.HawaiiFoodandWineFestival.com.