The crowd fills the Hilton Waikoloa for a taste.

WAIKOLOA RESORT – Fresh and nutritious Hawai’i Island food and the people who produce it were the stars of Mealani’s Taste of the Hawaiian Range, held Friday evening at the Hilton Waikoloa Village.

Over 75 stations featuring culinary creations, food producer booths and agricultural-themed displays welcomed hungry guests both inside and out at the resort’s conference center.

Each participating chef was assigned to prepare a whopping 100 pounds of a specific cut of pasture-raised beef—or locally sourced pork, lamb, mutton, goat or USDA-inspected wild boar. Organizers say most of the beef cuts were utilized, allowing chefs and attendees to get acquainted with not-so-familiar cuts… while at the same time having fun.

All the pasture-raised beef is sourced from local, humanely raised cattle that are free of antibiotics and hormones, organizers say.

In addition to “grazing” on expertly prepared beef sirloin, lamb or the infamous Rocky Mountain Oysters, attendees tasted samples at local food product booths and viewed educational displays on sustainability and agriculture.

For more information, visit TasteoftheHawaiianRange.com.

Sizzling meats at the Taste of the Hawaiian Range.