Big Island Chocolate Festival names winners, awards scholarships to student chefs

A free student chef competition and a new cacao farmers market turned the 13th annual Big Island Chocolate Festival into more than a tasting event at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. The April 23-25 gathering put Hawaii Island cacao, resort pastry teams and culinary students on the same stage, while three college teams walked away with a combined $5,000 in King’s Hawaiian scholarships.

The college competition drew 22 students from Maui College, Kapiolani Community College and Leeward Community College, with plated desserts judged on an American Culinary Federation rubric that weighed taste, texture, appearance and creativity. First place and a $2,500 scholarship went to Hawkins Ko and Chase Ignacio of Kapiolani Community College. Rhiannah Ulit and Ralf Bartolome of Leeward Community College took second and $1,500, while Eden Chung and Daniel Tada of Kapiolani Community College earned third and $1,000.

The scholarship money matters as much as the trophies. Farsheed Bonakdar said, “These students are the future chefs of Hawaii.” That message fit a festival built to raise funds for local culinary programs and student chefs, while also giving the island’s food service pipeline a public showcase in front of resort operators, farmers and visitors on the Kohala Coast.

The awards also shined a light on the island’s cacao economy. Martin Mazzanti of Ocean Grace Farms in Kalaoa-Kona won Best Cacao Bean, a recognition that can boost a farm’s visibility with buyers, chefs and visitors looking for a local origin story. In the bean-to-bar category, Bruce Trouyet and Maria de los Milagros Miceli of Four Seasons Resort Lanai won first place, Ken Melrose and Connie Melrose of Primavera Farm in Kealakekua placed second, and Daniel Sampson of the Fairmont Orchid finished third.

People’s Choice honors went to the Fairmont Orchid for Best Savory, Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa for Best Sweet, and Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection for Best Decorated Booth. Those awards give the winning properties a marketing edge that extends beyond the festival floor, helping turn chocolate into room-night appeal, dessert sales and repeat attention for island businesses.

The festival also featured a guided farm tour, agriculture seminars, culinary demonstrations and a gala, along with the new free Chocolate Farmers Market that showcased local cacao growers and chocolate makers. The Kona Cacao Association, which says it has worked since 2011 to grow a recognizable Hawaii Island chocolate brand, used the event to connect farms, chefs and consumers while supporting Kona Dance and Performing Arts, the ACF Kona Kohala Chefs Association, Center for Spiritual Living Kona and participating culinary students.