World-class chefs team up for HANMI’s anniversary

For the first time on Saipan, top-caliber executive chefs and food and beverage teams from six resort hotels are coming together to prepare for a special event for the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands: the 20th anniversary dinner-concert to be held Saturday, Sept. 10 at Saipan World Resort.

Several meetings of HANMI’s Culinary Committee have been held over the past two months to discuss the eight-course dinner, which will feature “Island-Asian Fusion” cuisine, as well as table arrangements, the manner in which the food will be served, entertainment and other arrangements. The Culinary committee is chaired by HANMI vice chair Byung Kyu Park.

“It’s very exciting to see that the executive chefs and F&B teams from our resort hotels are working together to create and serve an amazing menu. This will also be a very special occasion with entertainment by Jake Shimabukuro, who is considered the best ukulele player in the world,” said HANMI chairwoman Lynn A. Knight.

The chefs involved in the special menu and preparations are:
* Hubert Friedle, Aqua Resort Club executive chef

* David Spitzer, Dai-Ichi Hotel Saipan Beach executive chef

* Gabriele Colombo, Hyatt Regency executive chef

* Robert Stern, Pacific Islands Club executive chef

* Christopher Adams, Saipan Grand Hotel executive chef

* James Birk, Saipan World Resort executive chef

Also in the committee food and beverage directors of various HANMI-member hotels, among them:

* Steve Balakrishna, PIC food and beverage director.

* Robert Baek, Saipan World Resort food and beverage director.

* Daryl A. Thong, Hyatt Regency assistant food and beverage director

The featured entertainer for the dinner, Jake Shimabukuro, is a master at the ukulele, known for his lightning fast fingers and revolutionary playing techniques that defy musical boundaries. Shimabukuro’s repertoire includes jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco and rock.

The Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1985 to provide a forum for the sharing of ideas and common issues for the CNMI’s hotel industry. Tickets for HANMI’s dinner-concert on September 10 are now available at a cost of $75. Seating is limited to 200 people. For more information or to make reservations, call 233-3773 or contact HANMI member hotels.