Press Releases

Maui Gold® Pineapple Dessert Contest

To be Held at the Kapalua Seafood Festival
(Sunday, June 29 during the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival)

KAHULUI, HAWAI`I (June 19, 2008) —For 26 years, hundreds of wine connoisseurs and foodies have tasted premier wines with the bounty from the sea at the prestigious Kapalua Seafood Festival which takes place on the last evening of the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival. Is it so popular that Coastal Living Magazine just named it one of the “Top 10 Seafood and Wine Festivals in the United States.” To make the 27th annual event even “sweeter,” Maui Pineapple Company is hosting a Maui Gold® Pineapple Dessert Contest between local bakeries, restaurants and the Maui Culinary Academy. Pastry chefs will prepare a dessert that incorporates Maui Gold pineapple in it for judging and the winner will be announced at the Seafood Festival on Sunday, June 29 in The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua’s Aloha Garden Pavilion. The Maui Gold desserts will also be showcased at the Seafood Festival and guests are invited to sample the contestants’ culinary creations.

“I like using the freshest ingredients from fruits and vegetables grown locally, and when it comes to pineapple, I only use Maui Gold,” said Executive Chef Ryan Luckey of the Pineapple Grill Restaurant. “I won’t give away the dessert we are entering in the contest, but the Maui Gold® Pineapple Upside Down Cake is one of the favorites at our Pineapple Grill restaurant.”

The following restaurants, bakeries and culinary academy will be participating in the contest:

Pineapple Grill at Kapalua, Executive Chef Ryan Luckey, Kapalua Resort
Gourmet Catering & Tropical Desserts by Vasi, Haiku
Cravings Bakery, Kahului
The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua led by Executive Chef John Zaner
Merriman’s Kapalua led by Executive Chef George Gomes Jr.
Maui Community College- Maui Culinary Academy, Bakery Department led by Pastry Chef Teresa Shurilla

The desserts will be judged on overall taste, texture, visual presentation and incorporation and innovation of the recipe with Maui Gold pineapple.

Maui Pineapple Company proudly donated all Maui Gold pineapples necessary to make the contestants’ desserts.

Festival Host Fred Dame, Vice President of Events Management at Kapalua Resort Nancy Cross, and celebrity chefs Pano Karatassos, Frank Ostini and Mary Clarke will be judging the dessert contest. The winner will be announced at the beginning of the Kapalua Seafood Festival. A First Place blue ribbon will be on display next to the winning dessert the entire evening.

The grand prize winner will receive a gift certificate for two to enjoy eco-adventure experiences from the new Kapalua Adventures, valued at almost $800. Located at Kapalua Resort, Kapalua Adventures’ Mountain Outpost features one of the largest zipline systems in the United States with eight dual-track ziplines, two suspension bridges, a comprehensive ropes challenge course, a four-station climbing tower and giant swing.

The Kapalua Seafood Festival will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on June 29 at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. Tickets are $145 per person. To purchase tickets or for more information, call toll-free 1-888-665-9160 or direct (808) 665-9160 or visit kapalua.com.

Maui Pineapple Company, Ltd. is a subsidiary of Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc., a land holding and operating company dedicated to agriculture, resort operation and development of holistic communities. Maui Pineapple Company originated nearly a century ago. The company’s signature Maui Gold® pineapple is known for its premium quality and a naturally sweeter aroma and taste. It is available in Hawai‘i, the West Coast and Midwest regions of the United States. It can also be bought online at mauipineapple.com.

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Media Contact:
Teri Freitas Gorman
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Maui Pineapple Company, Inc.
808-877-3858
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