The chefs from three of Wailea's premier restaurants will once again combine their talents and resources for the school garden movement on Maui.
It all started in April, when the chefs led a workshop with more than 700 students on healthful recipes at the Kihei Elementary School campus.
"We hosted the workshop on the nearly quarter-acre of garden space in the heart of the campus," says Kirk Surry, coordinator of Grow Some Good. "Students harvested and prepared fresh ingredients."
Article Photos
Spago’s Chef de Cuisine Cameron Lewark roasts a whole lamb at an outdoor event this summer. On Saturday at his restaurant, he’ll team with two other top Wailea chefs to cook a four-course feast for school gardens.
The Maui News / CARLA TRACY photo
The Grow Some Good chefs then held a private fund raiser for the school garden at Ferraro's Bar e Ristorante at Four Seasons Resort Maui in May, followed by a similar but public affair at Capische? in the Hotel Wailea in July.
Coming up at 6 p.m. on Saturday will be the next Grow Some Good dinner at Spago, lobby level at the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea.
"This is the third of four events where each chef transforms school garden-grown ingredients into incredible dishes," Surry continues. "The Grow Some Good dinners are such great opportunities to taste cuisine from three of Wailea's top chefs in one evening."
Participants include host Chef de Cuisine Cameron Lewark of Spago, and Nicholas Porreca of Ferraro's Bar e Ristorante and Chris Kulis of Capische?
The four-course menu begins with Haiku tomato, Hana pohole ferns, and Surfing Goat Dairy cheese salad with garden radishes and lemongrass drizzled with grilled Maui Kula onion vinaigrette.
The next course will be lobster consomme with Kona lobster tail and Hamakua mushroom and lobster knuckle ravioli.
The entree will be mahimahi two ways: steamed in ti leaves with fragrant Thai herbs, green chili and cilantro nam pla; and braised Szechuan style with shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy. The dessert will be warm chocolate purse with strawberry sorbet and caramel ice cream.
"Each course will be paired with a unique beverage that exemplifies the same vein of thought: Organic, hand made and as natural as possible," says Spago's General Manager Jacques Perwin.
"We are planning it to be very interactive as both the chef and myself will be on hand as each course is served to explain it and answer any questions."
"All net proceeds support school gardens and community outreach to establish more locally sustainable, affordable access to fresh fruits and vegetables and improve nutrition for Maui families," says Nio Kindla, garden educator, Grow Some Good.
"Chefs have also co-created recipes during harvest workshops, where students learn how to prepare healthy, delicious dishes with produce they've grown themselves," Kindla continues.
"We do gardens with mini terraces and each one represents a different country's foods," says Surry. "For instance, we have a Filipino garden with wing beans, calabasa, and bitter melon."
The chefs have also created a green bean teepee, under which kids walk and pick beans off of the bamboo poles. Another fun idea is the green smoothie garden, which grows kale, mint and other greens to add to cold whipped drinks.
"Kids may not want to eat a salad, but they sure love to slurp a smoothie," says Surry. "We have a canoe plant garden with the foods such as kalo that arrived here with the Polynesians."
"Fresh fruits and vegetables should be for everyone, not just for those who can afford to buy them at stores. So we're sharing with parents how to grow food and giving them starter plants to take home."
Cost of Spago's dinner is $98 per person, which includes four-course meal, dessert and wines. For reservations, call 879-2999 or RSVP@growsomegood.org.
