Last night was the official kick off of the “Hot and Hip Honolulu” press trip at Rum Fire, a trendy restaurant located on the water in Waikiki.
As I’ve mentioned before, I was invited on a press trip to Oahu by the Oahu Visitor’s Bureau along with other writers, bloggers and media personnel. The press trip hopes to highlight Oahu as a destination that has a bit of everything, including lots of adventure, fine dining, excellent hotels and a vibrant nightlife. Up until now, everything you’ve seen me blog about since we arrived in Hawaii was part of the four-day vacation Ryan and I planned for ourselves before the press trip began, but from here on out, all of our time in Hawaii will be spent enjoying pre-determined activities planned by the Oahu Visitor’s Bureau. I am excited and feel honored and grateful to be here!
When we arrived at Rum Fire, we were greeted by Roy Yamaguchi, the famous celebrity chef and creator of Roy’s Restaurants. He is also one of the masterminds behind the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival and a former contestant on Top Chef Masters.
When Roy took the microphone, I smacked Ryan on the arm and said, “Oh my gosh, that’s the Roy! From the restaurants!” I didn’t get a chance to speak with him directly, but he seemed very laid back and personable.
After the welcoming words, we enjoyed some specialty drinks and mingled with all of the other people at the event.
My drink of choice for the evening was a vodka-based drink with hints of citrus and watermelon. It was refreshing, light and perfectly sweet. When it comes to cocktails, I’m a vodka girl and this one was right up my alley.
The event included various stations of food prepared by local chefs. I had a wonderful time speaking with the chefs, learning about their cooking style and eating some incredible local cuisine.
Many of the chefs spoke about the use of local ingredients and said they enjoy preparing fresh food with vibrant flavors using seasonal ingredients they can find on the island.
I had the best time talking to other press trip attendees last night. I spoke with a woman who writes for a newspaper in New Zealand, a freelance travel writer who used to write for Bride’s Magazine and now contributes to Passport Magazine, a man who writes for Via Magazine (AAA’s west-coast magazine) and the blogger behind Food, Wine, Travel who came all the way from Australia. Such a fun mix of people!
My favorite dishes of the evening included the grilled Kona lobster prepared by Chef Jon from Azure and twice cooked wagyu beef prepared by Chef Darren of Kai Market,
Dessert was also phenomenal and my favorite sweet treats included a Kona coffee mousse cup, chocolate dipped macadamia nut cookie and coffee coconut pudding.
I left the event feeling like quite the full and happy little camper. More press trip adventures to come!
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