KAPOLEI — West O'ahu foodies, take note. The popular Taste at Kapolei is Oct. 4 at the fourth lagoon of the Ko Olina Resort, as it has been the last seven years.

This year, however, Taste at Kapolei is independent of other food and wine events with which it has been associated in the past.

Those events — the more exclusive Kapolei Uncorked! and Kapolei Chef Showcase — were split from Taste at Kapolei and incorporated into the new three-day Hawai'i Food & Wine Paradise event that was held recently, also at Ko Olina.

While there's been some confusion about the now-separate events, organizers for both say the split was amicable. They also say that there is room for two Kapolei-based gourmet events each fall, and that badly needed charities are still receiving proceeds from the gatherings.

D. Keola Lloyd, who created Taste at Kapolei, Kapolei Uncorked! and Kapolei Chef Showcase, said breaking out the two latter events and starting Hawai'i Food & Wine Paradise LLC gave him the freedom to pursue a longtime personal goal of creating a weeklong international food and wine destination event.

"In pursuing this as my dream of creating a food and wine event, I just believed this was the way to go," he said.

Lloyd said he's been able to achieve that with American Express Publishing as title sponsor.

Meanwhile, proceeds from activities during the weekend of Sept. 13-14 will result in $100,000 for college scholarships given to West O'ahu high school students through the Kapolei Rotary Foundation, just as was previously done following the old three-day Taste at Kapolei event, Lloyd said.

An additional $50,000 is going toward scholarships for students enrolled in the Leeward Community College and Kapi'olani Community College culinary arts programs, as well as the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, Lloyd said.

Taste at Kapolei is now being run directly by the Kapolei Rotary Club through the Rotary District 5000 Foundation and is independent of the Kapolei Rotary Foundation, said new Taste chairwoman Sonya Mendez.

"Our club members felt it was extremely important to continue with Taste at Kapolei, which has developed into a meaningful community event. ..." Mendez said.

The Honolulu Advertiser helps sponsor Taste at Kapolei.

Proceeds from this year's Taste event will go to Leeward high school students in the culinary arts and digital media fields, support Rotary-sponsored community service clubs such as Early Act and Interact, assist workforce programs for West O'ahu residents through Ko Olina Charities, and fund local grassroots community organizations, Mendez said.

Lloyd said he wishes his former partners at Taste and the Kapolei Rotary Club well.

"They're supporting the community, and so am I," he said. "I believe there's a place for us both."

Mendez said the Kapolei Rotary Club also wishes success for Lloyd and his event.