Considered by many to be Maui’s outdoor version of the Iron Chef competition, the Chefs’ Challenge is the Ulupalakua Thing’s most popular event. Last year, Wolfgang Puck’s Spago Chef de Cuisine Adam Condon knew that and decided it was time to enter.
Having only come to Maui a couple years before from the Big Island, Condon recognized that the Ulupalakua Thing was “the place to go”—a showcase for Hawaiian farmers, agricultural vendors and the celebrity chefs he’d read about. He was excited to “cook and have fun,” mingle with his new community and maybe even bring a little attention to his restaurant.
He looked forward to the challenge of doing something “new, not the norm,” working in an outdoor kitchen he was unfamiliar with, using surprise ingredients to create several courses on the spot and with the added pressure of doing it all in under an hour.
But then it rained. A lot. Event organizers scrambled to make provisions for the change in weather. At one point, Condon was asked if they should still go on, considering the detrimental effect water would have on preparation, ingredients and electrical appliances.
“I looked up at the tent,” he said. “It was completely bowed—filled with water—and I said ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ What more can you ask for than when people throw stuff at you like that? That’s why we’re in the restaurant business!”
He started to make wild mushroom agnolotti, but it started raining on the pasta dough. So he made these fat linguini noodles out of squash.
Despite forgetting to actually cook the rice he had in the rice cooker for dessert—forcing him to make a mock Fosters with carmelized apple-bananas, raspberry vinaigrette and some sort of lavender infusion—Condon won the Challenge. He thinks it’s because of the elk meatballs he prepared.
In the Chefs’ Challenge, there are two heats, each with two competitors. Each chef is allowed to have two assistants, as well as a list of possible pantry ingredients and a couple hints as to what main items they will be using. Will it be elk meat? Fresh ahi? How about pickled pig’s feet? You never know…
Then there are the vendor donated goods, like Olowalu Nui Farm tomatoes, Kula Country Farms’ raspberries, Ono Organic Farms’ apple bananas, Maui Kula lavender and Surfing Goat Dairy’s goat cheese, among countless others.
This year’s chefs include: Greg Gaspar from the Maui Prince Hotel, Makena Resort and Damian LaBeaux from Roy’s Kihei Bar & Grill in the first heat, followed by Keith Endo from Vino and Jake Belmonte from The Fairmont Kea Lani.
Chef Condon will be back this year to judge, along with Pamela Young and Guy Hagi. Condon says “freshness is best” and he’ll be looking for “creativity” as well as flavor and use of ingredients. He also has three tips for this year’s contenders:
“The microphones are good if you can walk through the dishes. Last year, Scott did that well and I think it was helpful. I wasn’t so good at that.
“Don’t try to plan too much. You never know what’s gonna happen.
“Simplicity is golden. You want to be able to taste the great products of the local vendors… with as few of the ingredients as you can. Too many can mask the flavor of the dish.” MTW