Lenore Klass of Kōloa, Kaua'i, is preparing to compete in the 2010 Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Fla., where 100 home cooks from around the country will vie for a $1 million first prize. For the competition, which requires participants to use ingredients from specific brand-name products, such as Jif Peanut Butter, Klass will prepare her banana-peanut butter cream tart. This also makes her eligible for a prize from the makers of Jif.

Klass, a retired financial officer from Klass Corp., has been baking since she was a young girl and says she often uses apple bananas from her own trees for this recipe. The Pillsbury Bake-Off takes place April 11-13.

Information: http://www.pillsbury.com/bakeoff.

BUSINESS COLLEGE BENEFIT

TASTE WINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

The 10th annual Executive Vineyards wine-tasting takes place at 6 p.m. March 11 at The Kahala Hotel & Resort and benefits the University of Hawai'i-Mānoa Shidler College of Business endowed scholarship fund.

Hundreds of wines from around the world will be served. Food will be by The Kahala Hotel & Resort restaurants — Hoku's, Plumeria Beach House and The Veranda.

Tickets are $75 until Feb. 26, when the price rises to $85. Premium tickets, which include the private wine seminar and sampling with food pairings, are $95 pre-sale, $105 after Feb. 26; only 60 premium seats are available. Information: www.shidler.hawaii.edu.

— Wanda A. Adams