EMERIL LAGASSE TO BRING LOUISIANA CREOLE FARE TO THE KAHALA FOOD & WINE CLASSIC, JUNE 12 AND 13, 2009

The Big Easy" to Feature Signature Dinners, Emeril Cooking Demonstration and Wine & Cigar Tastings

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Food & Wine Classic Room and Event Packages Available

HONOLULU, HI (May 14, 2009) - The Kahala Hotel & Resort will host one of the world's most influential icons of American food, Chef Emeril Lagasse, at the Kahala Food & Wine Classic, June 12 & 13. The resort's popular Food & Wine Classic will also feature wine selections from award winning Schrader Cellars and cigars from Davidoff.

Chef Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of ten restaurants, including three in New Orleans (Emeril's, NOLA and Emeril's Delmonico). He will open his eleventh restaurant, Emeril's Chop House, on May 22 at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Pennsylvania. He is a national TV personality and best-selling author of 13 cookbooks, including New New Orleans Cooking, which introduced his creative take on Creole cuisine, and his latest book, Emeril at the Grill, which was released on April 28. Lagasse's corporate office in New Orleans is home base for his restaurant operations, a culinary test kitchen and a boutique store for his signature products.

The Kahala Food & Wine Classic and Emeril will deliver the sights, sounds, and flavors of New Orleans at the following events:

The Essence of Emeril Opening Night Dinner
Friday, June 12, $250 per person
6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Registration and Reception
7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Outdoor dinner, Kahala o Ke Kai Lawn
Chef Emeril will present the essential flavors of New Orleans Creole and Cajun cuisine combined with the majestic red wines of Schrader Cellars. Cigars will be available from 10 p.m. - midnight.

Emeril Cooking Demonstration
Saturday, June 13, $100 per person
11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Maile Ballroom
Live cooking demonstration with Chef Emeril featuring a showcase of New Orleans delights including beignets ("French malasadas") and chicory coffee. Emeril will be available to answer questions from the audience following the demonstration.

Wine-ology Wine Tasting
Saturday, June 13, $50 per person
2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Waialae Ballroom
Wine tasting with Napa Valley vintner Fred Schrader and winemaker Thomas Brown of Schrader Cellars. The tasting will feature a selection of Sonoma Coast Pinots from Schrader Cellars and Rivers-Marie Winery paired with tapas.

The Art of Blending and Tasting Cigar Session
Saturday, June 13, $30 per person
1 p.m. - 2.30 p.m. Kahala o Ke Kai Lawn
Join Davidoff's Michael Herklots as he dissects the delicate blending of the finest tobaccos. Cigars included.

"New" New Orleans Cuisine Dinner
Saturday, June 13, $250 per person
6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Registration/Reception Maile Pre Function Area
7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Maile Ballroom
Celebrate the elegance and splendor of "New" New Orleans cuisine prepared by Chef Emeril. Paired with the award winning wines of Schrader Cellars, the food, wine and celeb-appeal of Chef Emeril offer a truly unique Big Easy experience.

Mississippi Smokin' (After Hours)
Saturday, June 13, $45 per person
10 p.m. - 12.30 a.m. Koko Head Lawn
Guests can enjoy the elegance and pleasure of Davidoff Cigars with "stickman" Michael Herklots and a glass of liquid gold.

Event prices listed above do not include tax and gratuity. Kahala Food & Wine Classic room and event packages are available. For more information on packages, call The Kahala at (808) 739-8888 or toll-free (800) 367-2525; visit www.kahalaresort.com; or contact your travel agent.

The Kahala Food & Wine Classic is a themed culinary weekend featuring globally renown chefs and winemakers in intimate settings. The two-day celebration includes gala dinners, dynamic cooking classes, wine tastings and cigar seminars. Past Classic events took guests on culinary journeys through Miami, Australia and Japan. The Kahala also hosts monthly themed menus at Hoku's and Plumeria Beach House, focusing on unique ingredients.

For more information on the Kahala Food & Wine Classic or to reserve your space at The Big Easy, call the Kahala Hotel & Resort at 808-739-8760.

- About The Kahala -

With 338 newly renovated guestrooms, the Kahala Hotel & Resort is an exclusive oceanfront destination resort known for its impeccable service and hospitality. Just minutes from Waikiki, yet offering the peace and serenity of a neighbor island experience, the Kahala has been Honolulu's social address for weddings and gatherings since its opening in 1964. Captains of industry and celebrity guests continue to call the Kahala their home-away-from-home in Hawai'i.

The Kahala has five restaurants including the award-winning Hoku's, a spa, and a lagoon that is home to six Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. The resort is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and Preferred Hotels & Resorts. It has long been recognized internationally as an icon among luxury resorts for over 45 years. It recently completed a US$52 million renovation of its 338 rooms and suites as well as meeting space and public areas.

For more information, please contact the Kahala Hotel & Resort at (808) 739-8888 or toll-free at (800) 367-2525; or visit their website at www.kahalaresort.com

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