8th Annual
Kona Chocolate Festival & Symposium

History

Starting with the spirit of Aloha, the Kona Chocolate Festival was a combination of traditional Hawaiian Luau – a gathering of community around food and music – and a traditional Southern Cook-off inspired by great chili cook-offs of the southern United States. The organizers, created an event that jammed with music, brought the community together, and had a cook-off – only this cook-off was all about Chocolate.

The Kona Chocolate Festival became known as the rockin’est chocolate party in the islands and the event has grown each year in scale and scope. There has been a Chocolate Symposium added to the Festival as a way to give back to the community with educational chocolate events. The Symposium is three days of workshops on chocolate, cacao agriculture, demonstrations in chocolate working techniques, and tours of local chocolate factories and cacao farms – the only cacao growing farms in the territorial United States.

The Kona Chocolate Festival has recently been adopted by the Na‘alehu Theatre non-profit organization to benefit culture and arts and economic development projects on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The rockin’ party is known as the Gala Benefit Evening and hosts up to thirty regional Chefs in a chocolate cook-off competition from sweet to savory. There is live salsa music all night, a silent auction with everything from scuba dive and kayak trips around the island to roundtrip airfare and hotel packages for the Hawaiian adventure traveler, all to be bid on in support of education.

During the Gala Benefit evening there is cultural entertainment, chocolate body art, chocolate fountain, chocolate Chefs, wine, champagne, and beer, and more chocolate than you can imagine. There is an Aloha Circle Sponsors VIP area with full dinner and reserved seating. And there is general admission to the festival chocolate competition and all night salsa music and this year a special treat, Grammy award winner Cyril Pahinui.

Experience the delight of chocolate in Hawaii; experience the Kona Chocolate Festival in tropical Kailua Kona of the Big Island Hawaii.

Images of Festivals past...

2005 Kona Chocolate Festival Slideshow.

 

 

2006 Chocolate Taste-Off Competition Winners:

Judges’ Selection 1st Place:

Kira Gerrits, Amateur Entry – “The First Word in Chocolate,” a serving of spiced liquid Guittard Chocolate. Kira is a graduate of Kona Pacific Waldorf School and is currently a 10th grader at Hualalai Academy.  The winning entry was so-titled because the amateur chef’s first word as a baby was “coco.”  A special thank you to Guittard Chocolate for their generous donation of the dark chocolate that was used.

Judges’ Selection 2nd Place: 

Ziggy Nago – “Hawaiian Chocolate Medley.” Ziggy works is a chef-in-training at the Four Seasons Resort, Hualalai (he entered independently).

Judges’ Selection 3rd Place: 

Evie Morby, Evie’s Organic Café & Bakery– Chocolate Passion.

Judges’ Selection 1st Place Savory: 

Chef Scott Kihara, Fujimama’s Restaurant & Bar – BBQ Smoked Ribs with a Chocolate-Zinfandel Barbeque Sauce.

People’s Choice 1st Place: 

Chef Darin Aiu, Chef Mikel Lamb, Don the Beachcomber, Royal Kona Resort – Don’s Beached Turtle.

People’s Choice 2nd Place: 

Chef Jeff R. Walters, Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows – Godiva Chocolate Parfait.

People’s Choice 3rd Place: 

Cathy Smoot Barrett, Kailua Candy Company – Dark Chocolate Chambord Mousse with Hawaiian Chocolate Truffle.

People’s Choice Amateur: 

Harland Hays – Honoka’a Chocolate Euphoria.

 

2005Chocolate Taste-Off Competition Winners:

Judges Picks:

Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, Mauna Lani Mocha Parfait – Judge’s Pick #1

Kailua Candy Company, Cathy’s Chocolate Mai Tai – Judge’s Pick #2

Sweet Ohana Candy Company, Tropical Fruit Truffles – Judge’s Pick #3

People’s Choice:

Nottage Cottage, Kona Coffee Toffee – People’s Choice #1

Kailua Candy Company, Cathy’s Chocolate Mai Tai – People’s Choice #2

Sweet Ohana Candy Company, Tropical Fruit Truffles – People’s Choice #3

Other Awards:

Captain’s Table Catering, Duck Breast with Blackberry-Chocolate Sauce – Best in Savory Category

Mal’s Heavenly Apples, Big Kahuna Chocolate Apple – Judge’s Pick Amateur

Connie Young & Gigi Goochey, Lavender Truffles – People’s Choice Amateur

Chocolate Guy Hawai'i – Special Recognition for Outstanding Participation