A Taste of the Island at the Waimea Ocean Film Festival

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A Taste of the Island

Oh it's so Ono (delicious), I was asking about the various ingredients to this amazing sushi roll made with Unagi, Fuji apple with a Szechuan sweet sauce - a burst of flavor oozing with sweet and savory sensation. The roll was one of three different tastes offered from Sushi Rock at the Taste of the Island celebration at the luau grounds at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.














There were some wonderful tasting samples expertly prepared by the Mauna Kea Resort, Gill's Lanai, Palani French Bakers, Red Water Café and All About Chocolate. Needless to say, I came early so I could enjoy the sample bites while trying some of the sample brews offered by the Big Island Brewhaus.

Here are some of the highlights of the Taste of the Island event:

Palani French Bakers offered two different types of bruschetta with celery , asparagus, cucumber and olive oil along with a savory tomato and olive oil version. Both were piquant, light and refreshing bites - perfect for an evening gathering.













Gill's Lanai offered gooey and crispy quesadillas with a mango salsa and spicy chimchi, another excellent combination of a sweet and sour with crunchy texture.







Mauna Kea Resort gave us some 5 spice chicken sliders with sriracha aioli - quite savory with a nice kick after you bite right into the sandwich.








Red Water Café presented a soothing coconut ginger and basil Thai curry over rice...so good that you almost want to get seconds and the flavors were quite sublime.






All about Chocolate offered so many different types of chocolate bites...it was almost sinful offering so many samples and I did try many of my favorites: truffles, macaroons and of course, chocolate, chocolate cake - all yummy!












Wonderful Hawaiian music accompanied the evenings festival along with an amazing sunset and view!

While the sun was starting to set , beautiful music and special guests were presented throughout the evening along with acknowledgements and stories shared about the the Waimea Ocean Film Festival. It was a very successful film festival and the dining celebration capped an amazing week of awe inspiring and beautifully crafted films with film makers from around the world. I really enjoyed watching these movies and the Taste of the Island was a fun tasting event at the Mauna Kea resort, I'm looking forward to next year's plans already!


 

Waimea Ocean Film Festival

 

Waimea Ocean Film Festival

This is my first time attending the Waimea Ocean Film Festival on Hawaii Island starting January 2nd to the 10th.  I am excited to be attending this well anticipated movie festival and seeing some first rate films that celebrate exception stories featuring the ocean environment, surfing and Hawaiian culture in general, it will be an amazing week long movie fest. I'm looking forward to seeing many films filled with inspirational topics especially films on the changes in the environment, the ocean and also Hawaiian culture all important facets of living in Hawaii.
 
This year there will be various presentations for the public to enjoy and also participate in including: breakfast talks, panel discussions, special event speakers and exhibits at various locations. There will also be a wonderful talk story experience connecting with the film makers that I want to participate in and learn more about their particular films and the production process.


Along with the movies, a grand opening and ending party will also be open to the open to participate in. Opening night celebrations feature A Taste of Hawaii dining experience at the Mauna Kea luau grounds with many local restaurants participating and offering delicious samples of local and fine dining small bites.





While I'm going to the festival, I will be staying at the Hapuna Prince located at Hapuna beach on the scenic Kohala  coastline. It's one of my favorite places to enjoy the fantastic swimming pool and amenities including the gorgeous white sandy beach. Here's a few pictures of the hotel and beach facilities below, pretty nice don't you think?

 

 

This should be an exciting week packed with engaging films, speakers and special event, I hope I get to see most of the special presentations.  For the latest updates on films, speakers and activities, follow the festival on Facebook, www.facebook.com/waimeaoceanfilmfestival, visit www.waimeaoceanfilm.org or email info@waimeaoceanfilm.org.