Turf meets Surf
Ka‘anapali Resort dishes up chef-collaboration dinner at Sheraton Maui on Saturday

The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali situated near Pu‘u Keka‘a, aka “Black Rock,” will set the stage for Turf Meets Surf chef-exchange dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Photo courtesy Ka‘anapali Beach Resort Association
Talk about multi-ethnic. When the Turf Meets Surf dinner transpires from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, it will be much more than just a land-and-sea affair.
Kaanapali chefs will cook up the colorful cuisines of Hawaii while visiting chefs from Alberta, Canada, will showcase their passion for traditional Portuguese and Iberian Coast cuisines.
Executive Chef Lyndon Honda of the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa will host the dinner at his hotel. Joining him will be Tom Muromoto, executive chef of Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, named the Best Chef on Maui in the 2017 Best of Maui contest held by this newspaper. The guest chefs are Lino Oliveira and Christian Mena of Edmonton, Canada’s Sabor Restaurant.
Prior to the dinner, the Maui chefs will lead tours to some of Maui’s historic sites, farms and eateries, and go fishing and diving with their visitors.
In addition to drawing inspiration from the rainbow of ethnic cuisines of Hawaii such as Portuguese fare along with Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Puerto Rican and Filipino food that arrived with immigrant plantation workers in the 19th century, the chefs will all create their menus around sustainable practices on land and sea, and farm-raised and farm-grown produce and proteins. They will take artistic license and modernize the menu to their liking.

Host Sheraton Executive Chef Lyndon Honda (in photo) and Ka‘anapali Beach Hotel Executive Chef Tom Muromoto (third photo) will collaborate with two Canadian chefs on a multi-ethnic land-and-sea feast that spans from Hawaii to Portugal. Tickets are $96 plus tax (gratuity included) and are available on www.eventbrite.com. Photos courtesy Ka‘anapali Beach Resort Association
At the dinner, each chef will prepare two dishes with dessert-bar temptations. Wines with each course will flow.
“There’s nothing better than enjoying a meal that transports you to a particular place,” explains Shelley Kekuna, executive director of Ka’anapali Beach Hotel Resort Association.
“I’m excited to taste the food and travel — if only for a few hours — to some very cool culinary destinations,” Kekuna adds. “Hawaii chefs are well-known for taking traditional flavors from Maui’s early immigrant countries and putting their own twist on it to provide an unforgettable dining experience.”
For pupu at the dinner, you may delight in miso-butterscotch bacon popcorn by Chef Honda and pastrami-cured ahi tartare on housemade bagel chips by Chef Muromoto along with Jamon Iberico (cured ham) by chef Oliveira. The modern Maui pupu and the traditional Spanish ham at the reception will be paired with Ulupalakua Melee red and white blends and uber-popular sparkling rose by MauiWine.
“No matter where you are in the world, the kitchen is the heartbeat of every home and being welcomed into a chef’s kitchen to collaborate and prepare a meal together is truly an honor,” says Oliveira.

Tom Muromoto
Oliveira will also make the first course of Eau Claire Gin-cured Kona kampachi with citrus-and-gin relish paired with Placido pinot grigio from Tuscany, Italy. And he’ll dive into land and sea with course four of Lopes Farm pork and clams escabeche, paired with Line 39 pinot noir harvested in Monterey, Calif.
“Something very special happens when chefs can gather together and share stories of their traditions, passions and inspirations that often results in incredible food and lifelong friendships,” he adds.
A topic he knows about. Chefs Oliveira and Mena go way back to the 1970s, when both of their families arrived in Canada to make new lives. Mena was from Chile and Oliveira from Portugal. They both grew up in a melting-pot neighborhood in Edmonton before pursuing other dreams.
Mena moved to Los Angeles to live his fantasy of starring in a Broadway touring production and landed a role in “Rent.” Oliveira moved back to Portugal. But both were called to Edmonton to embark on their restaurant, Sabor, which opened in 2007, and it’s gotten rave reviews. Sabor introduced Iberian and Portuguese flavors to Canadian prairie foodies. And nightly live music gives Mena’s friends a home to perform in when they aren’t touring.
“We’re really excited to host Sabor and Ka’anapali Beach Hotel’s skilled chefs, introducing an exclusive opportunity for guests to taste the bounty of Hawaii with dishes that celebrate flavors from Portugal and the Iberian Coast,” says Sheraton Chef Honda, who will dazzle diners with course two of the collaboration dinner.

Chefs Lino Oliveira (left) and Christian Mena of Edmonton, Canada’s Sabor Restaurant will join two of Kaanapali’s top chefs at Turf Meets Surf collaboration dinner on Saturday. Photo courtesy KBRA
Honda will put Creole-style Kauai shrimp on a plate with gumbo-stuffed Kauai prawn head, Andouille remoulade, pickled corn, frozen grated cream cheese, crushed Ritz crackers and shrimp-shell salt. The seafood or “surf” dish will be paired with Red Guitar tempranillo of Navarra, Spain.
Ka’anapali Beach Hotel Chef Muromoto is also pumped about the dinner.
“I am thrilled to be part of this collaboration with Chef Lyndon and Chef Lino all the way from Canada,” Muromoto says. “As a world traveler myself, traveling is displayed in the dishes.”
Muromoto will give a nod to the islands with braised short rib luau with dark greens in a coconut sauce. And he’ll create an ulu, or breadfruit, gnocchi to be paired with Avalon cabernet sauvignon from the Napa Valley in California.
“With this great opportunity to meet and collaborate with chefs from different areas, different backgrounds and with different pieces of knowledge, I believe we are going to present guests a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience right here at Ka’anapali Beach,” adds Muromoto.
The dessert bar will take it over the top with almond torte with pistachio ice cream; Pandan panna-cotta with honey-milk balls, mango and coconut; Nutter Butter tartlettes; and chocolate tortes.
“We look forward to welcoming guests to the Sheraton Maui, where they can gather, connect and talk story while enjoying a memorable meal,” adds Honda.