I wholeheartedly recommend Chef Rachel Erkan for any culinary needs! If you value high-quality,…read morefarm-to-table food, she's your chef. Her expertise shines through, especially knowing many ingredients came straight from her homestead--an impressive touch. With less than a month's notice, she crafted an unforgettable dinner for my intimate wedding, blending local and Mediterranean flavors seamlessly. Communication was prompt, and she handled dietary accommodations for my group with ease. Chef Rachel was professional, leaving the kitchen spotless, and the food? Some of the best we've ever tasted. Standouts included the tender, flavorful lamb--hands down the finest my group had ever had--the unique honey-cured egg yolk, and the pickled quail egg. The lilikoi curd was a revelation, and her macadamia nut baklava outshone any I've tried. Even the kulolo, a dish I grew up with, was exceptional. Every dish and sauce left us in awe. My family still raves about the meal, and Chef Rachel's work turned my wedding into a dream, ending with us blissfully full. Next time my husband and I are on island, we will be sure to check out what cooking classes Chef Rachel has going on at her homestead. Book her--you won't regret it!

We ordered our Thanksgiving meal from Chef Rachel. Pickup went smoothly, everything packaged…read morewonderfully. Easy directions and prep. Dinner was delicious, creative (loved the purple sweet potatoes and mushroom gravy) and my wife raved about the stuffing. It was so good and yummy, I commend Chef Rachel for knocking this meal out of the park.

Jasmine and her HeartBeet Catering team at Pu'uwai Gardens were outstanding. They acted as hosts…read morefor our wedding reception and we couldn't be happier with our choice. The food and venue were both incredible. Their team kept us on track throughout the night and acted as pseudo- day of planners. The team was incredibly responsive and patient with us as we made decisions about food, timing, and other vendors. They provided advice and answered all questions we had to help us create the perfect experience for us for our intimate wedding. We appreciated that everything could be handled in house by the HeartBeet/Pu'uwai team. They handled the bartending, cake cutting, servers, cleanup, and joined in some of the dancing! Plus, the food was INCREDIBLE. We had two kids, under 10, who can be picky, but they ate everything on offer! A true testament to delicious options that were curated for our event. We opted for family style, for our small group, and an extra protein because we couldn't decide on just one! The family style serving option helped us all feel at home, we loved it. Pu'uwai Gardens held a beautiful backdrop for the evening, including the covered area for eating and dancing, that included cute lighting, and the build in covered bar- stunning. The land and tress were also beautiful, as was the view of the water. The HeartBeet/Pu'uwai team overdelivered for our day and we are so grateful to have chosen them to host our reception.

Omg jasmine and her team deserve way more than five stars!!! The quality of her food and service of…read moreher team cannot be beat! Jasmine created the wedding menu of our dreams with fresh and local ingredients. She was super flexible with the ongoing Covid changes even days leading up to our wedding. Our guests were obsessed with the appetizers and said all the servers and bartenders were THE BEST and truly seemed to be having fun themselves. Hands down if you need a caterer - Jasmine / HeartBeetCatering are your choice! We plan to do it all over again in 5 years at the holualoa inn - see you there jasmine and team!! P.s. I'll add more pictures once i get the professional ones back!

The evening was beautiful; a great meal overall. The atmosphere is a bit casual with the use of…read morefolding tables and chairs; but the meal made up for the casual setting. Host just left without an introduction to the support staff and has a lackluster approach to sharing details of each item on the menu. We understand the chefs mission and want to support this vision. Unfortunately; not sure if the menu warrants a second visit. Hawaii has lots of beautiful sustainable food resources that are unconventional. I will caution the use of wild deer meat for carpaccio. There is a concern to cook game meat before eating it. Venison can carry pathogens that cause brucellosis, campylobacteriosis, and listeriosis, and freezing, drying, pickling, and smoking are ineffective at killing these bacteria.

Na'au celebrating the "guts of the heart and mind". Chef Brian Hirata and his team, seeking to…read morebring global awareness and appreciation of Hawai'i cuisine, has created this experience for the lucky few able to dine with them. Reservations are required. At this time each evening's seating is limited to 24 persons. What you will experience: A drive to a remote area just on the outskirts of Hilo; Driving through sugarcane fields and farm roads to get to current location at Whitehaven Farm. Location opens up to a beautiful and scenic area on the bluffs overlooking the ocean. Prix fix menu changes monthly, or for special bookings. Each dish highlighting sourced ingredients from Hawaii. Each dish with a story behind it as so magically described by Robert, our host for the evening (and also found on their website). Highlights in food for me were the local breadfruit appetizer duo made into tostone and hummus and garnished with green big island plums dressed as olives, also the salad created out of ho'i'o, pickled hapu'u hearts, and kimpira takenoko... so very creative creating an ahh or an ohhh in every bite. Wait a second, that big island kanpachi prepared two different ways, kauai shrimp croquettes in the most delicious lemongrass red curry brown butter reduction, the big island lamb served 3 different ways...tantalizing the taste buds. All so very memorable. Not to be outdone, a dark chocolate tart with whipped lemon chevre dessert finished the evening. No liquor sold here, you are welcome to bring your own with a modest $20/bottle charge. If there were only one suggestion it would be to finish off dessert with a nice french pressed cup of Kona or Hualalai or Ka'u coffee or cup of Big Island mamaki tea. Then I would know I was in heaven on earth. Bravo Chef Brian, former Chef of the Four Seasons Hualala'iand Instructor at Hawaii Community College Culinary School, and recent James Beard nominee. Thank you for your innovative creations while educating us about the beauty of Hawai'i Cuisine. Do I recommend? I recommend staying at the Whitehaven property (they also have cabins and rooms to rent) so that you can dine here every single night of your Hilo stay!

Jess, owner and private chef was amazing to work with. We are pescatarian and she customized our…read morewedding menu. It was an small intimate dinner. The entire menu was executed flawlessly. She was a pleasure to work with and she was so calm and professional during our wedding and dinner. She sourced fresh local ingredients and had incredible plate presentation. I would use her in a heart beat again!

Jess's cooking is by far the BEST vegan food I've ever had, and I've been vegetarian for twenty…read moreyears. She catered for our yoga retreat on the big island and provided 3 meals a day for more than two weeks, and I was astounded by how creative, tasty, and aesthetically gorgeous every meal was. We crowned her the sauce queen, because every meal had such unique and delicious sauces that we almost wanted to drink them. And the desserts were to die for! I felt so light and healthy by the end of the retreat, while fully nourished and never once hungry. Each meal was better than the last, and I didn't want to go home and have to cook for myself after! And best of all, she totally lives the earth conscious vegan lifestyle herself, so all meals are prepared with minimal waste. I can't recommend her highly enough. If you get the chance to enjoy one of her meals, take it!

Chef Louie and her team delivered another unforgettable evening! From the curated menu we planned…read moretogether to the beautiful table settings and drinks, every detail felt personal. She easily accommodated a dietary restriction, and her upfront communication - menu, itemized costs, and contract confirmed by email - made everything stress-free. The food was exceptional: fresh produce from her own garden (the garnish on the chicken shooters was amazing!), tropical fruits she introduced us to and wove into the meal, and dishes I'm still thinking about days later. She even snapped photos of us during the event without being asked. Chef Louie embodies the warmth of Aloha, and she just keeps getting better - even after her Iron Chef win!

Katherine organized and provided an amazing dinner experience for our large family at our beautiful…read moreBig Island rental house, in celebration of some notable birthdays. Not only was the food outstanding, but she also arranged for outdoor seating, flowers, leis, a musician, a photographer and an after-dinner fire show. All were great. She is a friendly and likable person, with great culinary and organizational skills. She easily accommodated various dietary restrictions and preferences among our large group, and everything was delicious. Our family will never forget this memorable evening.

I was treated this past weekend to a four day and three night learning workshop held at a private…read moreranch. Chef Kaimana was hired to cook for us the entire time breakfast, lunch, dinners and appetizers. He accommodated our groups from packing complete to go lunches for our day excursions returning back to our lodgings with fabulous locally sourced fish, beef and chicken and fresh vegetables for our delectable dinners. Every dish was flavorful, colorful and garnished perfectly. In addition Chef Kai was friendly and pleasant, someone you can easily trust in an intimate gathering. I highly recommend this talented chef to complete the special event you are hosting.

From the owner: Chef Kaimana creates unique private dining experiences and event catering menus highlighting the…read moretraditional and fusion flavors of Hawaiian cuisine. Highly versatile in his culinary experience, Chef Kaimana is one of Big Island's standout chefs.

I booked Gabrielle to prepare two dinners for our group at our rental house and after the first, we…read morewere all incredibly excited for the second! Being a chef myself, I feel like I may have thrown down the gauntlet for her with asking her to create meals that were high end, telling a hawaiian story using local ingredients. Boy did she deliver! Everything she put out was visually and tastefully stunning and I feel like she really understood the assignment. Furthermore, the sense of ohana that she brought really was above and beyond and she really provided the luxury of feeling completely spoiled. You MUST try her Lillikoi Mouse!

Caution we paid for three meals and only got one. Communication was spotty. Here's the scoop:…read more I booked dinner for Monday 4/11, brunch Thursday 4/14 and dinner for the same day. I spoke with Gabrielle weeks before we arrived and we planned the meals. She emailed me a confirmation and I sent her 50% via Venmo. Big mistake! The day of the first meal I hadn't heard for from her so I text and called her and learned that she would be sending her sous chefs because she was overbooked. The meal was excellent, her sous chefs set the table beautifully, asked us details about about the meal such as food allergies and preferences. The food was delicious. It was great. The morning of the next two meals I couldn't reach her. No one showed up. I texted her and let her know that by my calculations she still owed me $600. She called and explained she had a personal emergency. I'm waiting for her to Venmo me. Update- After returning home we received a Venmo for the $600 so we are set.

Chef Paul was fantastic to work with for my sister's 50th birthday celebration. He was responsive…read moreand was able to accommodate her dietary restrictions (gluten free & vegetarian). He had a special lei made for her too! Food was delicious. It is scary to book someone, never meeting them in person, but I would highly recommend Chef Paul!

We had such a great experience with Chef Paul. He was friendly, professional, and knows his craft…read morewell. He delivered an incredible 6 course meal for our group of 6 and we loved every bite of it.