Ritz-Carlton Maui Adds Four Celebrity Chefs to Summer Dinner Series

The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua said it will bring four prominent chefs to its summer Kapalua Wine & Chef Series, a set of one-night dinners at Banyan Tree, the resort’s coastal restaurant overlooking the Pacific in Kapalua, Maui. The events begin June 13 and continue through Sept. 12, each pairing a four-course menu with wines selected for the evening and limited to guests 21 and older.

The resort said the series is meant to move from the spring program’s focus on island cooking into a broader look at global cuisine. The summer lineup includes Andrew Yeo on June 13 with Spence Vineyards, Richard Sandoval on July 11 with Far Niente Vineyards, Kristen Kish on Aug. 8 with PlumpJack Estate Winery and Sheldon Simeon on Sept. 12 with Duckhorn Vineyards.

Yeo, who has worked in Michelin-starred kitchens and is known for Cantonese cooking shaped by his Singapore roots, will join The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua’s executive sous chef John Moreno and specialty chef Jayshree Nathoo for a Chinese-Indian menu. The resort said the dinner will combine refined Cantonese dishes with Indian street food influences and be matched with wines from Spence Vineyards.

Sandoval, a James Beard Award semifinalist who operates more than 60 restaurants across four continents, will lead the July dinner with the resort’s executive chef Glenn Thompson. Sandoval is known for what he calls an “Old Ways, New Hands” approach, using traditional Latin ingredients with modern techniques. The resort said that dinner will focus on Latin-Asian flavors paired with wines from Far Niente.

Kish, who won Season 10 of Top Chef and now appears as host of Top Chef: Carolinas, will take over the August event. She is also a co-founder of Kish Aperitif and the chef-partner of Arlo Grey in Austin. Guests at her dinner will receive signed copies of her memoir, Accidentally On Purpose. The resort said her menu will reflect her style of soulful, contemporary cooking alongside wines from PlumpJack Estate Winery.

Simeon, one of Maui’s best-known chefs and a two-time Top Chef fan favorite, will close the series in September. He is the chef-owner of Tin Roof and Tiffany’s and has built his reputation around food rooted in Hawai‘i’s mixed cultural traditions. Guests at his dinner will receive signed copies of his cookbook, ‘Ohana Style: Food from Hawai'i, for Your Family. The resort said Duckhorn Vineyards wines will be served with a menu centered on local flavors.

The dinners are part of a broader effort by luxury resorts in Hawai‘i to use visiting chefs and wine programs to draw both travelers and local diners during the summer season. The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua said reservations can be made through OpenTable or by phone at 808-665-7089. More information is available through Banyan Tree Kapalua’s website and Instagram account.

The property sits on 54 acres within the larger Kapalua Resort on Maui’s northwest coast. It has 468 guestrooms and suites after a recent redesign, along with six dining venues, a spa, meeting space and access to golf courses and outdoor activities.