Kōloa Landing Resort at Poʻipū announced the full celebrity chef lineup for the Sixth Annual Kaua‘i Poke Fest, a community-centered culinary event that brings together local flavors, visiting chefs, kamaʻāina and visitors.
James Beard Award-winning Chef Sam Choy will host the event on June 19 and 20. He also will lead a live poke-making demonstration alongside Michelin-Starred celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse, two-time “Top Chef” finalist Chef Sheldon Simeon and acclaimed Las Vegas culinarian Chef Ronnie Rainwater.
Event proceeds benefit Kauaʻi nonprofit organizations, with this year’s festival supporting the Alzheimer’s Association, Hawaiʻi Chapter in recognition of Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month.
“Kaua‘i Poke Fest has really grown into something special for our island — not just as a food event, but as a way to bring people together and give back,” Aaron Bambling, general manager of Kōloa Landing Resort, said in a press release. “We’re grateful to the celebrity judges and participating chefs who join us each year and help elevate the experience while also bringing awareness and support to an important cause.
“It’s a fun, high-energy weekend that celebrates our community and one of Hawai‘i’s most iconic dishes.”
More than 1,000 pounds of premium 100% Hawaiʻi-caught ahi tuna sourced from locally-owned Kauaʻi Fresh Fish will be used. There also will be live Hawaiian entertainment, local vendors and a hosted bar. The weekend opens on June 19 with the exclusive Poke Masters’ Table Dinner, a multi-course evening featuring all four celebrity chefs plus the 2025 Poke Fest champion, Mark Oyama.
The main festival follows Saturday, June 20, bringing together professional and amateur competitors vying for the coveted Crystal Poke Bowl, more than $10,000 in prizes, and the title of Kauaʻi Poke Fest champion. Oyama will return to defend his title.
CHEF LINEUP
Chef Sam Choy: Host, Poke Demonstration, Celebrity Judge
Known as the Godfather of Poke, Chef Sam Choy is an internationally recognized Hawaiian celebrity chef celebrated for his colorful personality, exceptional creativity, and deep roots in Hawaiian heritage cooking.
A four-time James Beard Award nominee for Best Pacific Regional Chef — winning in 2004 — Choy has authored 16 cookbooks, spent more than two decades in the kitchens of noted hotels and resorts across Hawaiʻi and the mainland, and currently hosts the weekly cooking show “Sam Choy’s In The Kitchen.”
Chef Emeril Lagasse: Celebrity Judge
One of the most recognized names in American food, Lagasse has spent decades championing the bold, ingredient-driven cooking rooted in place, tradition, and technique—values that closely align with Hawai‘i’s culinary heritage.
The founder of The Emeril Group and chef and proprietor of restaurants across New Orleans and Las Vegas, Lagasse is a pioneer of American food television, having hosted more than 2,000 shows on the Food Network and starred in the award-winning Amazon original series “Eat the World.”
His flagship New Orleans restaurant earned two Michelin stars in October 2025. A James Beard Foundation ‘Humanitarian of the Year’ honoree, Lagasse has also dedicated significant resources to food education through the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, which has awarded nearly 500 grants totaling over $22 million to schools and children’s charities.
Chef Sheldon Simeon: Celebrity Judge
A two-time Top Chef finalist (Seasons 10 and 14) and Fan Favorite winner both times, Simeon is one of Hawaiʻi’s most celebrated culinary voices. Based in Maui, Simeon is known for his
“Hawaiʻi Classics” cuisine and is the author of the cookbooks Cook Real Hawaiʻi and ʻOhana Style.
He and his wife, Janice, own and operate Tiffany’s Maui, featured on the New York Times’ 2023 list of the 50 best restaurants in the United States. A James Beard Award nominee, Simeon is widely recognized for his commitment to local ingredients and his support of Hawaiʻi’s farmers, fishermen, and artisans.
Chef Ronnie Rainwater: Celebrity Judge
A graduate of the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Ore., Rainwater has spent more
than two decades working alongside Lagasse in Las Vegas, rising from executive sous chef to
overseeing all of Emeril’s Las Vegas concepts, including Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House and Delmonico Steakhouse in Las Vegas.
Known for his love of simple, fresh ingredients and ambitious nightly tasting menus, Rainwater brings serious fine-dining credentials to the Kauaʻi Poke Fest judging panel.
For more information about Kōloa Landing Resort or to purchase tickets to Kauai Poke Fest, please visit www.kauaipokefest.com or www.koloalandingresort.com.
