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Hawaii's Big Island Festival

"Survivor" Chef Offers Unique Adventure Tasting Event

If you've ever tasted something irresistibly delicious, but impossible to identify, then you're ready for Keith Famie's Adventure Tasting. In this, the most unique event of Hawaii's Big Island Festival 2003 (November 5-9), nationally recognized Chef Keith Famie will present an eating challenge for a few adventurous guests.

For the lunchtime event, Famie and his team of chefs will put together an interactive meal in which teams of six to eight try to identify exotic and unknown foods. The last round will bring Adventure Tasting finalists onstage to see who will become the ultimate "Tough Smell Taste" survivor. Prizes will be awarded to three winning survivors. "I encourage friends to get together to form teams and buy a whole table," suggests Famie, "although it will be a great opportunity to get to know new people as well. The most important thing is that our 'contestants' come with a sense of adventure and appreciation of fine food." Famie promises a culinary journey into the world of adventurous ingredients, and that all foods are normally eaten somewhere around the globe.

Keith Famie's Adventure Tasting will take place at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows on Sunday, November 9, at 11 a.m., the final day of Hawaii's Big Island Festival. The five-day Festival also offers wine seminars, spa activities, cultural events, and golf.

Chef Famie is the host of the Food Network's Keith Famie's Adventures. The television series enabled Famie to travel the globe in search of new cuisines and cultures. Says Famie, "You really haven't been there until you've eaten the food!" which is also the name of his recently published book by Random House. He is a former cast member of NBC's Survivor 2: The Australian Outback in which he survived to become one of the final three contestants. Famie is a former "Best New Chef" as selected by Food & Wine Magazine; his restaurant Les Auteurs was recognized by Esquire Magazine as one of the "Best New Restaurants of the Year."

Chef Famie is looking forward to his return to the Big Island and an opportunity to explore what he's missed in years past. "As a chef and extreme traveler adventure junkie, Hawaii's Big Island Festival offers not only an incredible variety of food tasting opportunities but also one of the most adventurous places on our planet to let loose and explore," said Famie.

Adventure Tasting will be held at the award-winning CanoeHouse, the signature restaurant of the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows. This open-air oceanfront restaurant offers a sumptuous menu of Hawaii Regional Cuisine and a striking vista of the sunny Kohala Coast. The luncheon is November 9, from 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. The cost is $75 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity.

Hawaii's Big Island, youngest and largest of the Hawaiian Islands, is known for its awesome diversity. Home to 11 of the world's 13 climate zones, the Big Island offers such varied environments as the dramatic Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the Kau Desert, the lush Hamakua coast and tropical Hilo town. The Kohala Coast, on the leeward side of the island, boasts year round sunshine, crystal clear waters, and sweeping mountain to ocean views. Known as the island's luxury travel destination, the Kohala Coast is home to Hawaii's Big Island Festival and just minutes away from Kona International Airport.

For up-to-date event information and schedules of all events, visit www.BigIslandFestival.com. To request a brochure or register by phone, call 808-934-9044 or 1-866-424-FEST. Event tickets range from $55 to $125 for day packages (seminars, demonstrations and tours) and $65 to $105 for evening culinary events. Festival passes are also available. Admission to the Festival Pavilion at Mauna Lani Resort on November 7 and 8 is free.

Hawaii's Big Island Festival is a production of the Big Island Group (BIG), a promotional alliance that includes the Big Island Visitor Bureau, County of Hawaii, leading Kohala Coast resorts, corporate and community sponsors. Participating resorts and sponsors include Hawaii Tourism Authority, Big Island Visitors Bureau, County of Hawaii, American Express Travel Services, The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii, Waikoloa Kings' Shops, Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, The Villages at Mauna Lani, Hilton Waikoloa Village, Kona Village Resort, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Waikoloa Beach Marriott, and the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows. To book Hawaii's Big Island, call American Express Travel Services at 1-888-AXP-0091.

Edited by Dave Shultz

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