In last Saturday’s well-attended Ultimate Ocean Cocktail Competition, Ross Steidel of Perfect Pour Maui took First Place with his Poi Dog, a take on the Salty Dog with fresh squeezed local grapefruit, yuzu, Thai basil and peppercorn simple syrup with a salt and pepper rim. Steidel’s cocktail will be featured and served at the Sheraton Maui for the next year.
Second Place went to Jimmy Shoemaker’s energetic presentation and Pineapple Express, a refreshing pineapple and ginger beer cocktail. If you’re lucky, he might make you one when he’s bartending at Dazoo in Paia. And Victor Mendoza took Third Place with his Napili Tini. Mendoza makes cocktails at the bar in the Hyatt’s Maui’s new tower.
The title of Best Dish went to Hank Adaniya of Hank’s Haute Dogs in Kaka’ako for his Lobster Sausage Dog. The minced and seasoned sausage, simply sautéed in clarified butter and settled into a bun and then topped with relish, garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato and Takuan radish, had the perfect amount of pop and crunch to impress the crowds. Second Place went to Brandon Lee from The Pig and the Lady for his Local Tomato and Bread Salad, and its surprising and delectable grated white chocolate garnish. Sheldon Simeon’s Ay Kudesh! Garlic Noodles and Tocino Sweet Pork grabbed Third Place.
The competition extended into the teams of chefs and mixologists. The top honors for Best Pairing went Lee Anne Wong of Koko Head Cafe in Kaimuki Oahu for her Ni’ihau Lamb Laab. Wong served this Vietnamese ground lamb salad in a lettuce cup, and paired it paired beautifully with Daniel Vincent’s Cucumber Cooler, a cocktail infused with cinnamon, pineapple, cilantro and Chinese Five Spice. Wong says she loves to utilize the lamb raised on Ni’ihau, and thought this would be the perfect dish for the cocktail. Second Place went to Steidel and Lee, with Third going to Shoemaker and Adaniya.
The event raised a good chunk of change for local charities. Attendees could indicate which charity they could donate $25 of their $40 to, and any that did not indicate the donated amount went into a pot to be divided up equally among the charities. At the end of the day, $2,123.78 went to Grow Some Good, $1,541.92 to Hui O Wa’a Kaulua, $1,221.90 to Imua Family Services, $3,607.54 to Make-A-Wish foundation, $1,629.20 to Whale Trust Maui and $3,025.66 to Women Helping Women, for a total of $13,150 raised.
Team Pictures Below:
Allison Bellows’ Pele’s Pineapple, Waialua, Hawai’i – Will Chen, Fresh BOX in Manoa Oahu – Imua Family Services
James Shoemaker’s The Pineapple Express, Kihei, Hawai’i – Hank Adaniya, Hank’s Haute Dogs in Kaka‘ako – Hui O Wa’a
Daniel Vincent’s Cucumber Cooler, Austin, Texas – Lee Anne Wong, Koko Head Café in Kaimuki Oahu – Women Helping Women
Ross Steidel’s Poi Dog, Lahaina, Hawai’i; Brandon Lee, The Pig and the Lady in Honolulu Oahu; Make-A-Wish Hawai’i
Amie Fujiwara’s Waiona, Honolulu, Hawai’i- Sheldon Simeon, Migrant in Wailea Maui – Whale Trust
Ay Kudesh! Garlic Noodles (Pan Fried Iwamoto Saimin Noodles, Insanely Spicy Hawaiian Chili Pepper Sambal, Garlic Three Ways) with Tocino Sweet Pork (Sprite Marinated Duroc Pork Shoulder, Hawaiian Sun Guava Jelly, Pickled Kula Onions)
Victor Mendoza’s Napili Tini, Lahaina, HawaiiShawn Gavin, St. Regis Princeville Kauai – Grow Some Good
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