Culinary artists will showcase their creativity with tastings of some of their most famous dishes in a walk-around format at the Grand Tasting Gala.

KAPALUA — Mark your calendar for the return of the Grand Tasting Gala at this year’s 42nd annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival — the first year since 2019 that the event will host the wildly popular Grand Tasting.

Hosted by The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, the Grand Tasting Gala will highlight the Kapalua Resort’s family of restaurants and special guests.

Participating Kapalua Resort Restaurants include Banyan Tree, Cane & Canoe, Honolua Store, Hua Momona Farms, Merriman’s, The Plantation House, Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar and Taverna.

Also featured will be special guest participants and friends, including:

TV’s famed “Top Chef” Guest Chefs Edward Lee, Kelsey Barnard Clark and Sheldon Simeon;

Master Sushi Chef Tsukasa Okino from Oahu’s Maru Sushi;

University of Hawaii Maui College Culinary Arts Program students and alumni Chefs Gary Johnson and Maui’s Chef of the Year, Taylor Ponte.

Specialty Food Purveyors will include Petrossian Caviar and a selection of their world-famous caviars from France’s House of Petrossian; Oysters Hawaii’s “Shucking Good Time,” featuring high-quality oysters and an array of locally sourced condiments; Maui Cookie Lab’s mobile cookie cart with freshly baked goodies; and Maui Gold Pineapple Company sweetest pineapple samplings.

In addition to premium wines from around the globe guests can enjoy handcrafted cocktails by House of Suntory, Makers Mark and OTR; a selection of Kona Brewing Company’s favorites; and non-alcoholic “Mocktails” by Seedlip.

Sponsor Wineries Justin Vineyards and Champagne Louis Roederer will be showcased along with featured winery partners Bernardus Vineyards, Bonny Doon Vineyards, Far Niente, Hertelendy, S.R. Tonella Cellars and The Vineyard house… and many more of the wine world’s most beloved brands.

All this against the magical and stunning backdrop of The Aloha Garden Pavilion’s ‘Canoe Hale’ ambiance, the evening will be capped off by the entertainment of local favorite Nuff Sedd.

In addition to the Grand Tasting Gala, a series of interactive experiences will be held over the festival weekend (June 8-11), including wine tasting seminars, brunches/lunches and intimate and exclusive winemaker dinners at resort restaurants.

A full schedule can be found at www.kapaluawineandfoodfestival.com.

Major sponsors for the 2023 event include Maui Visitors Bureau; Southwest Airlines; Kapalua Resort Association; Host Hotel The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua; Kapalua Golf; Tonnellerie O; Beam/House of Suntory; FIJI; and Kona Brewing Company.

Limited tickets are available for this more intimate and exclusive evening.

For additional event information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.kapaluawineandfoodfestival.com.

The Kapalua Wine & Food Festival was established in 1981 by the not-for-profit Kapalua Wine Society. The festival was created to educate and foster the appreciation of culinary exploration, fine wine and specifically Hawaii culinary products and purveyors, as well as showcase Maui’s natural beauty and promote tourism to the island.

This edu-culinary event, now known as The Kapalua Wine & Food Festival, is the oldest festival of its kind in the nation. For the past several years, the festival has been operated under the nonprofit Kapalua Maui Charities, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting University of Hawaii Maui College Culinary Arts Program.