Big Island TV Chef to Share Global Food Adventures

A local Big Island chef and host/producer of a cooking show—”The Culinary Edge TV”— will make appearances at two locations on the Big Island, sharing footage, stories, wisdom and recipes from his recent trip around the world.

Chef Ellard Resignato, a Big Island resident, will speak at Daylight Mind Coffee Co. in Kailua-Kona on Thursday, May 18, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., and at Kalani in Puna on Friday, May 26,  from 7:30 to 10 p.m.

“Food is an amazing way to connect with the vibrant cultures that exist on this Earth,” said Chef Ellard. “I just experienced this connection in so many ways and want to share it.”

The “Culinary Edge TV” is a cooking and travel show which airs on the Big Island (Na Leo TV Channel 54), in San Francisco (Channel 29) and on Youtube. The show captures the food people are cooking in their own backyards and kitchens.

“We’re less about restaurants and more about what auntie is whipping up that smells so good in the kitchen,” said Chef Ellard. “We also like to tell the stories of the people we connect with as we prepare and share a meal.”

The second season of “The Culinary Edge TV” chronicles Ellard and his co-host Bailey’s trip around the globe.

“We started in O‘ahu and made a right turn, visiting 11 countries in eight months and eating our way around,” said Chef Ellard. “We also learned a lot of interesting things and met many people who will be friends for life I suspect. It was epic.”

Chef Ellard came to the Big Island for the first time in 1998 and has made the island one of his homes. He splits his time living in Puna and in San Francisco. He has been a cook all his life, learning from cooks in his family, professionals in San Francisco and Hawai‘i and even from Director Francis For Coppola.

“Francis taught me how to cook meatballs, eggplant parmesan and cajun food,” Chef Ellard said. “I taught him how to cook gnocchi. I was fortunate to get chance to cook with him.”

“Hawai‘i is one of my homes because it has such a vibrant food and people culture,” said Chef Ellard. “I’m also very interested in people who harvest—fishing, hunting, foraging—and grow their own food. The Big Island has a lot of that. We’re also lucky because we have a real mix of Western, Hawaiian and Asian food cultures here.”

Chef Ellard will preview some of his favorite episodes and footage from the Big Island, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India and Cambodia. He’ll demonstrate and share samples of some interesting recipes he obtained while traveling.

“I’ll be featuring the coconut in some simple but delicious Sri Lankan ‘pūpū’ recipes,” said Chef Ellard. “We’re concerned about sustainability and how food can contribute or mitigate our current issues with climate change and food waste. There are great lessons to be learned about these issues from other cultures. I was surprised at how the Sri Lankans utilize simple, delicious, ingredients like the coconut in ways we do not here in Hawai‘i.”

He will also be sharing travel tips, wisdom obtained from the trip, and talking story from his food journey.

“The aim of our show is to inspire people to cook, eat, travel, learn, gain a deeper understanding of different cultures, be curious, connect and enjoy life,” said Chef Ellard. “It’s a delicious world out there.”

A donation of $5 to $10 is suggested.

For more information, go online.