CHEF ISAAC BANCACO, HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUA‘A
“I believe in our farmers and share in the pride they have in their products.”
Grand Wailea
3850 Wailea Alanui
875-1234, ext 4949
Warm Upcountry Brussel Sprout Salad with Fingerling Potatoes sweet soy glaze and Bacon Lardons
Our locally sourced Brussel sprouts are quartered and crispy fried with French fry-sized fingerling potatoes until golden brown. While still sizzling, they’re then tossed with rosemary, parsley, bacon, red peppers and mixed with our secret seasoning and sauce.
Growing up I couldn’t stand Brussel sprouts. I was almost force fed them as a child and still can remember that blue and white frozen box of Brussel sprouts that got pulled from the freezer as my mom tried to create a nutritious, last minute dinner. As I talked to our local farmers and discussed what they were comfortable growing, Brussel sprouts came up as a “can do” item and I jumped at the challenge to create a compelling dish that put them at the forefront. In all, it took about 12 versions and four months to land upon our current menu preparation–a lot of work for an item I once had a deep aversion to.
I really view my job as a chef to be the liaison between grower and guest and then guest back to the grower, each relationship equally important. Our guests need to know which products are grown with the highest quality on Maui–after all, that’s what they expect from our island restaurants. But equally important, our growers need to know what varieties, qualities and quantities of products our guests are demanding. Without a strong chef/grower relationship this type of communication wouldn’t be possible.
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