Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine September-October 2021 by Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine

MAUI NŌ KA ‘OI MAGAZINE

of sharing Maui stories

Ghosts and Legends

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021

Island Living PERFECT PLANTING GUIDE Summit to Sea SHELDON SIMEON’S Cook Real Hawai‘i ART & THE OCEAN Luxury Mākena Retreat PUTTING DOWN ROOTS Hawaiian Plants

VOL 25 / NO. 5

VOL 25 NO. 5 US/CAN $4.95

Maui Polo, Then and Now M AU I M AG A Z I N E . N E T

“Its authenticity, intimacy, hospitality, cultural integrity and sheer romantic beauty have made this Maui’s top lū‘au.” F r o m m e r ’s M a u i

H awa i i M a g a z i n e

“This is the best lū‘au on Maui. I rate it the best in the state.” Featured in:

Emeril Live National Geographic Traveler New York Times The Travel Channel K a h i l i A wa r d s

1999 “Show”, 2000 “Attraction” Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau

Voted “Best Lū‘au”by Maui Residents Zagat Sur vey

“Excellent” “Extraordinary to Perfection” For Reser ved Seats Call

(808)667- 0700 www.oldlahainaluau.com 1251 Front Street, Lāhaina Along the ocean in Historic Lāhaina Town

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Features

ISLAND BUSINESS ENDURING ESTABLISHMENTS We honor four more local businesses that have stood the test of time. By Sarah Ruppenthal

Looking up into the curl of a 25-foot steel staircase — inspired by Star Trek! At Home, p.54

MAUI STYLE MAUI POLO, THEN & NOW Polo has been a Maui mainstay for generations. See what it’s like to attend a match today. By Lara McGlashan

HAWAIIAN SOUL GROUNDED IN CULTURE Ancient Hawai‘i was deeply rooted in nature — and still is, thanks to places like Maui Nui Botanical Gardens. By Judy Edwards

Cover: While on a birthday staycation in Kā‘anapali with his family, photographer Andrew Shoemaker was walking to dinner when this sunset stopped him in his tracks. He felt compelled to shoot it, and thankfully had his camera handy! IG @andrewshoemakerphotography

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TRAVIS ROWAN

AT HOME MODERN FAMILY RETREAT Function meets family in this art collector’s oceanfront Mākena home. By Lara McGlashan

Kapalua Oceanfront Estate

Kahana Oceanfront Legacy Estate

Montage Residences Kapalua Bay

Kaanapali Coffee Farms Estate

Lanai Manele Resort Estate

Maui’s #1 Realtor® 2020* We Represent Maui’s Finest Oceanfront, Resort, and Estate Properties. * Realtor Association of Maui

“For us, our client relationship doesn’t end at the sale. It’s just the beginning.”

Mary Anne Fitch, R(B) 15747 - 808.250.1583 sold@maui.net | soldmaui.com Nam L. Le Viet, R(S) 61810 - 808.283.9007 nam@mauisold.com

(808) 669-1000 | 500 Bay Drive in Kapalua | Hawaii Life is a Founding Member of Forbes Global Properties

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Departments

MAUIMAGAZINE.NET Check out our online exclusives.

CONTRIBUTORS Some of the people who make us nō ka ‘oi (the best).

PUBLISHER’S NOTE By Diane Haynes Woodburn

TAG, WE’RE IT! A shoutout to our fans who get social.

TALK STORY Tales of Hawai‘i fresh off the coconut wireless. By Shannon Wianecki, Krista Garcia, Paul Wood and Rita Goldman

ENCORE! We’ve turned 25! Here are some of our favorite stories of issues past. By Rita Goldman

MĀLAMA MAUI These local businesses help care for our island. By Felix Sunny D’Souza

PAU HANA RUBBAH SLEEPAHS By Tom Stevens

Dining Stories by Becky Speere

FEATURE STAYCATION (ALL I EVER WANTED) Luxury accommodations and an in-room private chef experience are highlights of this getaway at the Montage Kapalua Bay.

68 70

GARDENING HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? No matter where you are on island, this chart will help you put down roots. By Angela Kay Kepler

MIXOLOGY LUANA LOUNGE Pesto’s premier herb bellies up to the bar for the Fairmont Kea Lani’s Basil Schmasil.

DINING GUIDE Hungry? Check out this short list of our favorite places to eat all over the island.

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RYAN SIPHERS

Chef Riko Bartolome prepared this broiled ‘opihi (limpets) dish with Kula corn potage, butternut squash and Moloka‘i sweet potatoes as part of a private in-room dining experience at the Montage Kapalua Bay. Dining, p. 66

BECKY’S BACKYARD BELE UNDER WRAPS Learn about this vitamin-rich superfood — and how to sneak it into your family’s breakfast!

TABLE OF CONTENTS → WEB

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Want more Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi? Go to our website for exclusive articles, recipes, contests, videos and more. Here’s what’s in store this issue.

POTTED PRIDE No yard to speak of? This indoor plant guide is your new go-to for greening up your living space. Mauimagazine.net/ garden-indoors

HOME GROWN Spruce up your garden! Here are the best things to plant, no matter where you live on Maui. Mauimagazine.net/ great-outdoors

FROM TEARDOWN TO TERRIFIC Be inspired to DIY by this amazing home transformation. Mauimagazine.net/ maui-beach-house

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VISIT OUR DIGITAL PLATFORMS

EMAIL US info@mauimagazine.net

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@MauiMag_Eats MNKOmagazine MauiMagazine MauiMag

ALL ABOUT TROUT Try this web exclusive rainbow trout recipe from chef Riko Bartolome. Yum! Mauimagazine.net/ trout-recipe

TOP LEFT: MATT FOSTER / TOP RIGHT: RYAN SIPHERS / MIDDLE & BOTTOM LEFT: JOHN GIORDANI | BOTTOM RIGHT: MIEKO HORIKOSHI

THE SPIRITS OF THE SEASON We have more ghost stories to share! Tita (a.k.a. Kathy Collins) and Hawaiian Islands Land Trust’s Scott Fisher recount some close encounters of the spooky kind. Mauimagazine.net/ ghost-stories

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HEIDI DOLLINGER

Realtor ® (B), RSPS, RB-23187 808.359.4245 heidi@islandsothebysrealty.com

© 2021 Sotheby's International Realty. All Rights Reserved. Each Sotheby's International Realty office is independently owned and operated, except those operated by Sotheby's International Realty, Inc. The Sotheby's International Realty network fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. All offerings are subject to errors, omissions, changes including price or withdrawal without notice.

MASTHEAD

There’s a saying known in the Islands: Maui nō ka ‘oi, Hawaiian for “Maui is the best.” We hope you think so, too. Publisher Diane Haynes Woodburn Group Publisher Michael Haynes Creative Director John Giordani

Editor-in-Chief Lara McGlashan

EDITORIAL

Consulting Editor Rita Goldman Dining Editor Becky Speere Website Manager Adelle Lennox Digital Media Manager Felix Sunny D’Souza Digital Media Contributor Tori Speere MARKETING & ADVERTISING

Sales Manager Brooke Tadena Advertising Sales (808) 242-8331 ADMINISTRATION

Controller Kao Kushner Subscriptions & Office Manager Nancy Wenske NEWSSTAND SALES & CIRCULATION

Subscription Inquiries Toll-Free: (844) 808-MAUI (6284) or visit Subscribe.MauiMagazine.net National MagNet, National MagNet, Disticor Magazine Distribution Services Hawai‘i MagNet In-Room Maui Circulation

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Felix Sunny D’Souza, Judy Edwards, Krista Garcia, Rita Goldman, Angela Kay Kepler, Lara McGlashan, Sarah Ruppenthal, Becky Speere, Tom Stevens, Shannon Wianecki, Paul Wood CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Mieko Horikoshi, Nina Kuna, Andrew Shoemaker, Ryan Siphers, Travis Rowan, Drew Sulock CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Matthew Foster E-MAIL: Info@MauiMagazine.net

Moving? Send address changes to: Haynes Publishing Group, 90 Central Ave., Wailuku, HI 96793. Please note: If your magazine is undeliverable, Haynes Publishing has no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year of notification. Publishers of Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi and Kā‘anapali magazines

90 Central Ave., Wailuku, HI 96793; (808) 242-8331. ISSN 2473-5299 (print) | ISSN 2473-5469 (online) ©2021 Haynes Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reprinted and/or altered without the written permission of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising matter. Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs are welcome, but must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The publisher assumes no responsibility for care and return of unsolicited material. Individual issues are available upon written request at $4.95 per issue plus postage. Yearly subscriptions: U.S., $24; Canada, $44; Foreign, $64. Payable in U.S. currency. MauiMagazine.net. Maui Nō Ka 'Oi Magazine is printed on acid- and chlorine-free paper from Sappi, an environmental leader whose paper products comply with the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

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Realtor ® (S) RS-61995 808.870.41141 wendyricepeterson.com wendy@islandsothebysrealty.com

JAMIE WOODBURN

Realtor ® (S) RS-63712 808.870.5671 jamie@islandsothebysrealty.com

CONTRIBUTORS

mana‘o radio

Here are some of the folks who make our magazine nō ka ‘oi (the best).

ListenerSupported

KMNO-FM

Tom Stevens was raised in pre-statehood Hawai‘i and has been wearing rubber slippers since 1948. He moved to Maui in 1974 to report for The Maui News, and some of the best stories from his “Shave Ice” column were made into a book of the same name. Stevens also freelanced for Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine and helped pen three travel books about Maui. Pau Hana (p.82)

Renowned photographer Andrew Shoemaker is eternally grateful for the opportunity to photograph some of the most beautiful places on earth, and strives to bring the viewer into the scene just as he sees it. Shoemaker recently opened a flagship gallery on Front Street in Lahaina. IG @andrewshoemakerphotography | andrewshoemaker.com Cover

Drew Sulock has always been inspired by nature, both above and below the sea, and loves that he is able to share his passion through photography. For this assignment, the Makawao resident didn’t have to travel far to capture the excitement and intensity of Maui polo. drewsulockcreations.com

Conservation advocate and writer Judy Edwards has worked to protect the natural world for all of her 27 years in Hawai‘i. Edwards works for a nonprofit that supports Hawai‘i’s national parks, and in her spare time, pens freelance articles to help foster a love of wildlife and of wild lands. Hawaiian Soul (p.44)

91.7 FM And Online At:

ManaoRadio.com

Maui Style (p.38)

Still non-commercial, non-profit, extremely eclectic.

Lara McGlashan has been a writer and editor for more than 25 years. She is currently the editor-in-chief for Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine, and the brand director and editor-in-chief for Oxygen magazine. In 2020, McGlashan finally realized her dream of living on Maui and currently resides in Kīhei with her son and cattledog. @laraoxyeditor Maui Style (p.38), At Home (p.54)

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The True Meaning of Island Living Two Spreckelsville Homes STEPS FROM THE BEACH

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Realtor® (S) RS-61995 808.870.4114 I wendyricepeterson.com wendy@islandsothebysrealty.com

TOP PRODUCER JULY 2021 Island Sotheby's International Realty

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

The Porcine Torpedo

hat should have been a gorgeous summer afternoon had turned into “The Day the Sky Broke Open.” The rain fell relentlessly, drenching the yard, the lawn and all of us as we prepared for a big lū‘au we had planned for my father’s birthday the next day. It would be held outdoors, and we hustled about the soggy yard, preparing for the arrival of more than a hundred friends and family. In the middle of the torrent, our friend Kimokeo delivered a 100-pound lū‘au pig we weren’t quite ready to receive. We looked around for a place to deposit our dinner-to-be. “How about that bench?” I suggested. The center of the long seat had been scooped out lengthwise to make it more comfortable for rounded bottoms; its shape also made it ideal for cradling a very large pig. “Perfect,” Jamie said, and they settled the pig onto the bench. This was my first close-up encounter with a lū‘au pig, and I found it a bit disconcerting. “Is that thing smirking?” I asked. Snippets of Lord of the Flies played in my head as the men began preparing the pig for the imu (underground oven). I left them to it and hastily retreated from the sodden affair to the cozy warmth of my kitchen.

A hui hou,

Diane Haynes Woodburn Publisher

“Is that thing smirking?” I asked. Snippets of Lord of the Flies played in my head as the men began preparing the pig for the imu. 18

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MIEKO HORIKOSHI

Welcome to our Island Living issue! This volume is packed with great stories, from an ultra-luxurious beach home in Mākena, to a (literal) down-toearth guide of what to plant, where and when. We have cowboys playing polo, Maui’s chef Sheldon Simeon sharing recipes, and friends telling ghost stories. What then, is the quintessential island living story? The one that gets retold time and again and which leaves you laughing until you cry. These stories define our friendships, and honor family and friends who have passed. This story is one of my favorites, and to this day I laugh out loud at the memory.

Later, having won the battle over both elements and pig, the men tromped into the house for dinner, dripping and drenched and full of machismo. We all sat down for dinner. “What did you finally do with the pig?” I asked. “It’s fine,” Jamie answered. “It’s on the bench by the imu.” “Aren’t you worried about the dogs?” I asked. At the time we had four — and three of them each weighed more than the pig. Jamie looked up from his plate, eyes wide with abject fear. He and our friend Kendall leapt up and bolted for the door. “Load it into the back of the truck!” Jamie yelled as they dove back into the downpour. He backed the truck into the yard and as close to the pig as possible and lowered the tailgate. I can only imagine the conversation between them as they struggled to lift the bench, slipping and sliding in the mud. The rest of us watched through the window as they managed to raise the bench, then step by step — and in a gingerly unison the Rockettes would have admired — minced toward the truck balancing the teetering pig. Jamie steadied the back end while Kendall hoisted the front up and over the lowered tailgate. I could have sworn I heard a grunt; I just didn’t know whose. They had it! Or did they? In cartoonish slow motion, the grinning pig began to slide down the bench, its concave shape now forming the perfect chute for slippery swine. Jamie struggled to restore equilibrium, but as the pig gained momentum, it became an unstoppable porcine torpedo. With its legs splayed open, the pig shot off the end of the bench and engulfed Jamie in a hooved embrace. I watched as my husband slipped and fell in the slick grass, and was pinned helplessly underneath the pig in very, very close quarters with its (ahem) nether regions. Not even the roar of the rain could quench our earsplitting laughter. “Someone help him,” I managed to plead, wiping tears from my eyes. Jamie survived the ordeal, and the pig came to a just and delicious end. Dad arrived the next day to celebrate his birthday in better weather, and the memories and laughter have remained with us, ever since.

Beautiful Oma’opio Ridge

124 Ikena Kai Place, Kula, Maui | $3,888,000 4 Bedrooms | 4 Bathrooms | Living 3,768 sf | 5.01 acres Breathtaking and energy-efficient home nestled atop Oma’opio Ridge. Situated on a greenbelt, this property conveys serene tropical vibes with gorgeous exotic landscaping and stunning Hawaiian Plantation Regional architectural styling. Relish in the hot tub, lanai, and sparkling pool, or entertain on the outdoor decks, while basking in the unobstructed and intoxicating Maui views. 300 pruned olive trees (ag land zoned-farm tax deductions), a Tesla power wall & PV system bring the electric bill to a minimum in this care-free, well-built home.

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MANAGING DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL LUXURY

Realtor-Broker, RB-17543 riette@waileahawaii.com 808.870.4073 | waileahawaii.com

RAPHAEL WELLERSTEIN

R(B) IN HAWAII AND WASHINGTON

Realtor-Broker, RB-19515 raphael@windermere.com 808.385.3992 | raphaelonmaui.com

TAG, WE’RE IT

Our readers are as obsessed with Maui as we are. We see you out there, exploring the island and snapping those Insta-worthy shots. Follow us on Instagram @MauiMag, tag #LoveMauiMag and we’ll share some of our favorite posts in each issue.

@rjwandering A celestial dreamscape

@taymjacks Hibiscus flower power. Those colors!

@ekoluphotography_ Bee-utiful ‘ōhi‘a lehua blossoms.

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@aaronlynton Jacaranda trees in full-bloom glory march along an Upcountry road.

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TALK STORY

Fresh off the coconut wireless

Story by Shannon Wianecki •••••••••••••••

Photo by Nina Kuna

IN SEASON

Autumn Harvest Pumpkins are synonymous with fall on the mainland, but in Hawai‘i, a different autumnal gourd ripens in the fields. The ipu, or bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), came to these islands with Polynesian voyagers in their ocean-crossing canoes. The flowering vine found fertile soil here and grew into a pillar of Hawaiian culture. Hawaiians of the past didn’t have ceramic bowls or plastic coolers; instead, gourds served as vessels for water, poi, dye and medicine. Fishermen stowed lures and hooks in small ipu that floated if knocked overboard. Lidded gourds were often wrapped in kōkō, decorative net carriers. Hawaiian farmers were known for their ipu nui — especially large gourds. Priests cut eyeholes in these hollowed, inverted gourds, wove tassels into the crown and wore them as ritual headgear. To this day, hula practitioners rely on ipu heke drums to create their rhythm; made from two gourds joined head to head with ‘ulu (breadfruit) gum, this instrument is unique to Hawai‘i. Dancers slap its sides and pound it against a woven mat on the floor to produce resonant beats. The ipu is a kinolau (physical manifestation) of Lono, the Hawaiian god of fertility and farming, and it appears in many legends. The famous gourd of La‘amaomao was said to contain all the winds of Hawai‘i, which could be called forth by chanting their lyrical names. Some people native to Ka‘ū on Hawai‘i Island believe they descend from twin girls who hatched from a gourd and became warriors. Ipu aren’t easy to grow nowadays; invasive fruit flies sting them. Farmers in Kula fastidiously tend their crops and coddle baby gourds, covering them with mosquito netting and rotating them daily to ensure that they grow round and even. Some farmers constrict the gourds to shape them as they grow; others decorate freshly picked ipu with ancient or modern flourishes. Drum makers reach through the gourd’s neck to scrape out the insides. The cleaner the gourd, the better the sound. “The first sound of a drum is like a baby’s first cry,” says kumu hula (hula teacher) Kapono‘ai Molitau.

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1/20/21 8:58 AM

TALK STORY → day

in the life

Story by Krista Garcia

Aloha is the Key Ingredient Sheldon Simeon, two-time Bravo Top Chef finalist and owner of Tin Roof Maui restaurant in Kahului, has always been a local favorite, but now he’s enjoying worldwide success with his bestselling cookbook, Cook Real Hawai‘i (Clarkson/Potter, 2021). “When I was approached to write the book I was like, I’ve never written a full paragraph in my life!” Simeon says, laughing. “But my coauthor, Garrett Snyder, was the perfect person to share my stories with. He was able to take my intimate memories and turn them into words.” Simeon’s collection of 100 recipes celebrates local-style Island cuisine, with dishes influenced by immigrants to Hawai‘i from Japan, Korea, Portugal, China and the Philippines. “I wrote down all the recipes I’d created over the years to pick from — from all my days at Star Noodle, Aloha Mixed Plate, Lineage and Migrant,” he says. Also included are several of his own family’s recipes which have been

passed down through generations, including Pork and Peas, Mochiko Chicken and Adobo. “My dad always spoke about my grandmother’s adobo,” Simeon says. “As time passed, the recipe changed and got kinda washed out, and I wished I could have learned it directly from her. But five years ago, I traveled to the Philippines where a local chef taught me the old way [to make it]. So many family recipes go astray, and I know how precious it is to have been able to preserve our adobo.” As part of a virtual book “tour,” Simeon is bringing his recipes to life with Cook Real Hawai‘i Live, an Instagram series filmed in his garage-turned-kitchen studio. Each week Simeon hosts a new guest and together they make recipes from the book and talk story. “When we cook ‘em real, that’s how you feel from the heart,” Simeon says. Visit Simeon’s social media for a schedule of upcoming episodes of Cook Real Hawai’i Live, airing Wednesdays at 4 p.m. HST. All proceeds from the sale of Cook Real Hawai‘i at Tin Roof Maui in Kahului (or at tinroofmaui .com) go to benefit the Maui Food Bank.

©MARYLANE STUDIOS 2021

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CANE & CANOE Enjoy classic favorites with a distinctively modern flair

THE HIDEAWAY AT KAPALUA BAY An ideal destination to stay awhile and return often

THE CLIFF HOUSE Where the past and the present meets aloha

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TALK STORY → jeepers

creepers!

Story by Paul Wood | Illustration by Matt Foster

Things That Go Bump When it comes to renting, possession is everything. I should have known right from the start there was something strange about that house. The ad said, “Wailuku. 4 bdrm. Rural setting.” Most Wailuku neighborhoods are built like plantation camps, miniature and close — so close that four bedrooms would require at least one person to share a mattress with the next-doorneighbor’s Pontiac. Plus, the rent was cheap. That was weird. I knew I was going to rent the place as soon as I saw the ad. The “rural setting” proved to be a nearly hidden dirt track near the mouth of ‘Īao Stream. The sprawling, out-of-plumb old house sat on a dried-up wetland area right in the blast of the sea wind — incessant, scalding, and gritty. The place was cavernous and dark, full of rooms and various floor heights, none of them level. One set of crusty windows looked seaward, where rank after rank of little combers constantly rattled a billion rocks. Another looked at the stream itself, once Maui’s greatest aquifer, now an arid concrete chute tagged with spray paint, with rusty shopping carts tossed into it. My neighbors were all Hawaiians, including a blind man who walked past every day, led by a disobedient white dog. The spooky stuff started happening almost immediately. Every night I would close the blinds in the bedroom; in the morning they would be open. Furniture would move around when no one was looking. One night some friends and I were sitting in the kitchen when a pantry door swung open on its own. I don’t mean a little wiggle. I mean a long, slow, deliberate all-the-way opening. We stopped talking and just stared at the door and then, darn it, the door deliberately swung itself shut again. The blind man, Frank, proved to be an amiable fellow who had lived his entire life in the neighborhood. One morning I invited him in for a visit. He came cane-tapping up the little wooden stoop while I held open the screen door. His dog almost refused to enter. Frank had to scold it into submitting, and it lay whining in a spot by the door. “Tell me about this house, Frank,” I said as I made coffee. He smiled. “The man who built it, his name was Kong. He lived here many years. Plenty kids.” And he told me this: Kong had once been some sort of caretaker of ‘Īao Stream. He knew every inch of its banks, and would travel by

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foot every day from here up into ‘Īao Valley and back. Then water policies began to change, and they started diverting water from the stream. They didn’t need Kong anymore, so he lost his job. As the stream started shrinking, Kong started drinking — an inverse-ratio sort of fate — and as the channel went dry, he became more and more mean and physically abusive. Things got so bad at home that his wife took revenge and killed him. “In his sleep,” said Frank. “Cut off his head. Right in there.” He waved his arm vaguely in the direction of my bedroom. I lived in that house for two years and never actually saw Kong. But he kept shifting the chairs, opening and closing doors, operating the light switches, and once locked me out of the house for an hour by jamming all the doors. I was never afraid of him. That’s just how it was. You may think I’m talking about a time long ago, in the hippie days or something. Not at all. Very few years have passed. I don’t know who rents the house now, but I’m sure that Kong still resides there — waiting, no matter how long it takes, to once again hear the rumble of unrestrained river water. Boo! This story first appeared in our Sept-Oct 2007 issue. We’re still skittish!

discuss what Uncle Roland had done. He’d been speeding home to catch the boxing matches on TV and didn’t see the girl crossing the street. He ran her over, and ever since, the girl’s ghost has been stuck to his Ford F100. Judy Edwards’s stories have often appeared in our pages, but she’d never told us this one before. Once, in the mid-’90s, I walked down to the old King’s Highway, a little past La Pérouse Bay, to visit friends camping there overnight. Both were new to the island, and at that time, the area was still a peaceful place to spend a starlit night. I stayed for a few hours, walked back to my car and went home, leaving them to the silence, warmth and breezes. The next time I saw one of those friends, TALK STORY → jeepers creepers! she told me they’d had a great night, but that something strange had happened after I left: She’d seen a line of men in the distance, walking on the King’s Trail and Compiled by Rita Goldman carrying flickering torches. “I could almost Illustration by Matt Foster see them, but not quite,” she said. “And they seemed to float along; I couldn’t see their feet at all.” I told her then about Hawai‘i’s night marchers, and she got very Paul Wood is not the only Mauian who has experienced the unexplainable. Here are some of the tales friends have shared big-eyed, realizing what she had seen. — starting with Maui actress and quintessential storyteller Editor’s note: Legend says the night marchers are the spirits of Kathy Collins, a.k.a. the Pidgin-speaking Tita. One time, after one of my performances as Tita, a kupuna [elder] ancient Native Hawaiian warriors heading to battle. Those encountering them are advised to get out of the way as quickly as possible, told me about a time the volcano goddess, Pele, saved her life. She and her husband were coming home from a party at Chang’s lie on the ground, close their eyes and be perfectly still. Beach in Mākena. The husband had had way too much to drink, but he insisted on driving, and weaved all over the road. The wife was Chief conservation officer of the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, not happy. Along the way, they see an old woman, holding what Scott Fisher, is a man of science, so you wouldn’t think he’d looked like a laundry basket, standing by the side of the road, and believe in ghosts. You’d be wrong. pull over to give her a ride. The woman climbs into the backseat, In 2008, during a beach cleanup in Waihe‘e Coastal Dunes, a sharpbut when the wife turns around to ask where she wants to go, the eyed student noticed that some iwi kupuna — human remains — woman has disappeared. The husband was so shaken up, he told had washed out of the bank from wave erosion. That happens often his wife, “You better drive.” That kupuna told me, “[That’s how] Pele after storms, and our protocol is to contact a local archeologist to ensure the bones are treated with respect. When I followed up saved our lives.” with the archeologist later, she delivered the sad news: the bones Editor’s note: Pele sometimes appears as a young woman or a were those of a young child. Later that week, my six-year-old daughter and I went camping crone standing beside the road, and drivers who stop to offer a ride are in for a shock when she vanishes. In this instance her disap- in Waihe‘e. We set up our tent maybe 100 yards from where the pearance was a blessing: It so rattled the drunken husband that iwi kupuna had been found, and around 10 p.m. we went to bed. he handed the wheel to his wife — likely saving them from a crash. When the moon was high, around 2 a.m., I heard the laughter of a child, circling around the tent. I thought it was my daughter, but she Professional storyteller Lopaka Kapanui lives on O‘ahu, but this was fast asleep right next to me. But the laughter wasn’t scary — it was more like happiness, perhaps for the recovery of the bones. spooky experience happened to him on Maui in 1971. In Hawaiian thought, the world is divided between the au, the When I was 10 years old, my hānai [adopted] mother and I visited her relatives in Wailuku. While the adults were inside, we kids played out- world we live in, and the pō, the darkness, the realm of the gods. In side. The grass at the end of the yard was so overgrown that at first I certain moon phases, our world and theirs connect. This, I believe, didn’t see the old, rusted Ford truck sitting there. I also hadn’t noticed was one of those times. the local Japanese girl, about my age, sitting on its hood. I walked Several times a year, Scott Fisher leads a moonlight hike over and asked her who she was. All she said was that she was stuck through Waihe‘e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge, sharing to the truck because it ran her over. Then she slowly dimmed out stories about its history, ecology ... and spooky occurrences. until she was gone. I found out later that the adults were meeting to Go to hilt.org/talk-story-on-the-land for more information.

Boo, Too!

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YEARS OF SHARING MAUI STORIES

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CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF MAUI NŌ KA ‘OI

Photography by Bob Bangerter, Kimberley K. Mullen & Mike Neubauer

KIMBERLEY K. MULLEN

All year, Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi has been celebrating a quarter-century of bringing you stories about Maui’s people, cultures, adventures, dining and more, printing a sampler in these pages and posting the full articles online. But enough about us — what about you? Which stories have stayed with you, and why? Go to MauiMagazine. net/25years and vote for your favorite. Here’s to another 25 years. Mahalo for your enduring support.

Story by Lehia Apana

2016 JUL–AUG In Case of Emergency

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2017 MAR–APR The Palm Whisperer

Story by SHANNON WIANECKI | Photography by ZACH PEZZILLO

MauiMagazine.net

5/21/16 6:12 PM

“Protecting multiple islands in the middle of the world’s largest ocean is no simple feat, but Maui County’s firefighters do it daily.” So began Lehia Apana’s tale of what it takes to keep Maui residents and visitors safe, often from our own poor judgment. “‘Firefighter’ is the official job title, but the men — and one woman — of the Maui County Fire Department do a heck of a lot more: dangling from helicopters for ocean rescues, using the ‘jaws of life’ to pull passengers out of crashed vehicles, and rappelling cliffs for recovery missions. “Add to that the fact that we’re on the most isolated island chain on Earth [one of which, Kaho‘olawe, is littered with unexploded ordnance from decades of use for bombing practice], and you begin to see why our firefighters have to excel at far more skills, in a variety of threatening situations, than most other firefighters do.” Besides interviewing firefighters, Apana went along on a training practice, and learned why, of the thousand or so individuals who apply for the job, perhaps 20 make the grade.

The Palm Whisperer 30

Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi » Jul–Aug 2016 Celebrating 20 Years!

5/21/16 6:12 PM

William Merwin was one of America’s most revered poets; his many honors included the National Book Award, two Pulitzers, and in 2010, designation as U.S. poet laureate. Maui knew him, as well, as a passionate advocate for Hawaiian culture and the natural world. “He arrived in 1976 — the same year the Hawaiian cultural renaissance began in earnest,” Shannon Wianecki wrote. “That January, activists protested the military’s bombardment of Kaho‘olawe by illegally occupying the island ... Merwin not only witnessed this revolution, he participated.” The following year, Merwin purchased 19 acres on Maui’s north shore, and over the decades transformed that ruined landscape of scrub and invasive species into what the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s Chipper Wichman declared “one of the planet’s great palm collections,” many of them rare and endangered species. In 2010, Merwin and wife Paula established the property as the Merwin Conservancy, which hosts a variety of arts and ecology programs. (MerwinConservancy.org.) Wianecki ended her story with this excerpt from Merwin’s poem “Place”: On the last day of the world/I would want to plant a tree. ISLAND PORTRAIT

Protecting multiple islands in the middle of the world’s largest ocean is no simple feat, but Maui County’s firefighters do it daily. From dousing flames, to diving underwater, to scaling mountains, rescuers must be prepared for anything— so they train for everything.

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Story by Rita Goldman

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BOB BANGERTER

Encore! 20162020

« ISLAND PORTRAIT »

2/1/17 10:54 PM

Palm reader: William S. Merwin has merged his love of poetry and plants, creating The Merwin Conservancy, a palm forest and future retreat for botanists and writers. Here, potting shelves teem with new life: keiki palms from around the world, including a species that was only recently discovered.

Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Mar–Apr 2017

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2/1/17 10:54 PM

SHOPPING * DINING * ACTIVITIES * MODERN ACCOMMODATIONS

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CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF MAUI NŌ KA ‘OI

2018 MAY–JUN Hōkūle‘a Comes Home

HAWAIIAN SOUL

“On May 1, 1976, Hōkūle‘a embarked from Maui’s Honolua Bay on her maiden long-distance voyage, bound for Tahiti,” wrote Catharine Lo Griffin. “It was the first time in 600 years that a Polynesian voyaging canoe — lashed together with six miles of rope and no metal fasteners or screws — had been launched from Hawaiian waters.” The journey confirmed that the seafarers who landed here more than a millennium ago did so intentionally, navigating solely by wind, waves and stars. Hōkūle‘a’s success disproved the western belief that such “primitive” people reached Hawai‘i by sheer luck, and with it, the “assumption of native inferiority [that] gave westerners license to misappropriate the land and disparage Hawaiian culture.” The voyage of Hōkūle‘a would launch a renaissance of Hawaiian pride and culture.

STORY BY CATHARINE LO GRIFFIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY NOVAK-CLIFFORD

After her three-year odyssey around the globe, Hōkūle‘a’s youngest crewmembers prepare to take the helm. 34

Hōkūle‘a approaches the East Maui coastline in November 2017 during her yearlong “Mahalo, Hawai‘i” homecoming voyage. At the helm for this leg of the journey is Hōkūle‘a’s youngest captain, Hāna native Nakua Konohia-Lind. Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi May–Jun 2018

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2019 JUL–AUG

ADVENTURE

Where the Wild Things Are Story by Lehia Apana | Photography by Mike Neubauer

“THEY’RE BACK.” The text arrives at 6:30 a.m. on a Wednesday, followed by the photo: snapped branches, yanked irrigation lines, and sludgefilled craters where neat rows of kalo and ‘awa plants used to live. The message is from my husband, Brad, who is walking our dog near the entrance to our farm on Maui’s north shore. No explanation needed. “They” are wild pigs. This isn’t the first time these destructive invaders have made a buffet of our growing beds. Resolved to take action, we call up a friend, who calls up his friend—because that’s how things happen in Hawai‘i—and by the following afternoon, reinforcements arrive in the form of an eight-foot-long, rectangular wire trap. We secure the contraption in a shady corner, tie the tripwire, and strategically place a trail of food scraps leading into the trap, à la Hansel and Gretel. “Call me when you catch something,” our new friend advises, and drives off. The timing was uncannily fortuitous: I volunteered to write this story, and was going on a pig hunt the very next day. Seriously. A few weeks previous, I contacted Lopaka Wilson, a hunter who grew up off-grid in a West Maui valley. Elder family members taught him to hunt, fish, cultivate and forage for food, and expeditions “into the valley” were the equivalent of a supermarket run. Lacking electricity, a cooler served as the family’s refrigerator.

Wild pigs threaten Hawai‘i’s landscape in various ways, most seriously by accelerating native plant extinction and soil erosion.

Leader of his pack: Lifelong hunter Lopaka Wilson directs his fourlegged companions across a river in search of an elusive boar.

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Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Jul–Aug 2019

2020 JAN–FEB

THE GREAT CHOCOLATE CHALLENGE

The Great Chocolate Challenge Yes, chocolate is yummy, but according to research, its flavanols also are good for your heart. Maui Ku‘ia Estate Chocolate devised a great way to show your heart by donating all the profits from your purchase to the Maui charity or nonprofit of your choice. Dining editor Becky Speere sweetened the deal and by asking some of the island’s finest chefs to share their recipes for scrumptious desserts. Learn how to make Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop’s chocolate goat cheese tart, Taverna’s flourless chocolate mousse cake, Pūlehu, an Italian Grill’s chocolate almond olive oil cake, and Ka‘ana Kitchen’s 1-2-3 chocolate mousse (mauimagazine.net/chocolatechallenge). Just be sure to eat your vegetables first.

TOP CHEFS SPILL THE CACAO BEANS ON FOUR SCRUMPTIOUS DESSERTS. NOW YOU CAN MAKE THEM, TOO.

Story by

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B E C K Y

S P E E R E

Photography by

M I E K O

H O R I K O S H I

heobroma cacao is Latin for chocolate, meaning “Food of the Gods.” Aside from cocoa flavanols being good for cardiovascular function and supporting healthy blood vessels and flexible arteries, chocolate makes you feel good. Incredible desserts such as these highlight local, farm-to-bar Maui Ku‘ia Estate Chocolates. Eating them will actually give you another way to “feel good”: MKEC returns profits from the chocolates they produce to community charities and non-profits. So enjoy, and know you’re doing your part to help Maui—with every bite! 82

The assignment: Partake in a pig hunt, then write about it. This subject hit home for Lehia Apana: Wild pigs were devouring crops that she and husband Brad had been growing on their nascent farm. “These indiscriminate rototillers root up and devour native plants,” she wrote. “Their muddy wallows are breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry avian diseases.” Apana’s guide, Lopaka Wilson, grew up in a family that lived off the land, and their adventure became a lesson in indigenous philosophy and culture. “Hunting was always about subsistence,” Wilson explained. “At our house, you didn’t go hunting again until the cooler was empty.” While won’t spoil the hunt’s outcome, check out dining editor Becky Speere’s story on preparing smoked links at MauiMagazine.net/portuguese-sausage.

MAUIMAGAZINE.NET

TALL, DARK & HANDSOME Farm-to-bar entrepreneurs intent on making the best chocolate in the world.

It was too hard to choose just a few of our favorites from the many stories we’ve shared over the years. Here are some of our runners-up for you to enjoy. Read them in full at MauiMagazine.net/25years. « ISLAND BUSINESS »

Kaonoulu cattle drive, July 2016

A hundred years after its founding, this Maui ranch’s lineage runs deep. STORY BY JILL ENGLEDOW | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BOB BANGERTER

KAONOULU’S

PEDIGREE

Story by edow Jill Engl phy by Photogra erter Bob Bang

Follow Kaonoulu Ranch’s family tree, and you’ll connect to generations of Upcountry Maui life. From the family that owns these rolling pastures on the slopes of Haleakalā, to those who have tended its cattle for a century, Kaonoulu spreads its branches far and its roots deep into the Kula soil. Sugar and ranching were Maui’s cash industries when

“

Kaonoulu got its start; pineapple was just beginning its rise. Now sugar is shutting down, and pineapple is grown only on a small scale, but Kaonoulu and other ranches remain, protecting thousands of acres of open space. Pronounced ka-ono-ulu (translated from Hawaiian as either “the delicious breadfruit” or “the desire for breadfruit”), Kaonoulu is perhaps less known to the Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi » Sep–Oct 2016 Celebrating 20 Years!

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Kaonoulu’s Pedigree (Sep-Oct 2016) DINING Becky’s Backyard

Mangoes were introduced into the Islands in 1824. Today no fewer than fifteen hybrid varieties are on the radar of the University of Hawai‘i’s College of Tropical Agriculture, and, like the ones above, in backyards all over Maui. The beauties at left are from Yee’s Orchard in Kīhei. Use your own radar to find them at groceries throughout the island.

STORY BY BECKY SPEERE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TORI SPEERE

MMMMANGOES

Aunty Jane’s spicy mango bread (See recipe page 92)

The sixty-foot tree towered over the furo (Japanese bathhouse) of my aunt’s Hilo home, its branches the source of countless mangoes that had hit the corrugated metal roof like bombs. The fruit lay in different stages of decomposition, its fragrance perfuming the sultry air. Carefully searching the slippery mass for edible fruit, I inched my feet among the fallen and smashed mangoes to keep from sliding off the roof and landing ten feet below. Each time I found a perfect gem, I wiped it on my shirt, then tore through the waxy skin with my teeth, peeling it back slowly in long strips. I still remember the bright orange flesh and sweet juice running down my wrists and onto my clothing. I didn’t care. I was in mango heaven. But later in the evening, I began to itch. I raised my blouse to find splotchy red welts covering my belly. I now know that the fruit’s oil and sap

can cause skin rash, as well as more acute reactions, especially if you are sensitive to poison ivy or sumac . . . or overload your immune system and bathe in the juice, as I did. Since that day more than forty years ago, I’ve not had a single adverse reaction to mangoes. But I don’t eat five at one sitting, either. The mango (Mangifera indica) was brought to the Islands in 1824 from India and the Philippines, and it is one of Hawai‘i’s most popular tropical fruits. It’s also highly nutritious. In October 2015, Medical News Today reported that one cup of diced mango contains 100 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin C, 35 percent of vitamin A, 20 percent of folate, 10 percent of vitamin B6, and 8 percent of vitamin K and potassium—all packed into just 100 calories and half a gram of fat. (MedicalNewsToday. com/articles/275921.php)

Maui is host to some of the best mangoes in the Islands. The trees thrive in areas that receive around fifty inches of rain a year, and at elevations from sea level to 1,500 feet. In early spring, they flush a fiery red with new leaf growth. Flowers appear shortly thereafter, with pollinating honeybees in swift pursuit. On hot summer days, you’ll see mangoes growing in backyards, sometimes breaking branches that are pregnant with this succulent bounty. And there are so many ways to enjoy mangoes: blended into smoothies, baked in bread, stirred into salsa or folded into pancakes . . . even dehydrated and sprinkled with li hing mui powder. The list goes on and on. Just be sure you don’t go on and on, eating too many mangoes at once! In 1978, Auntie Jane gave me her recipe for spicy mango bread. You’ll find it on page 92, no roof-climbing necessary. Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Jul–Aug 2017

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MMMMangoes (July-Aug 2017)

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ISLAND BUSINESS

Part I:

The sun may have set on two of Maui’s main agribusinesses, but a local company is betting its future on energy crops. STORY BY TEYA PENNIMAN

On the slopes of Waikapū in Central Maui, young flowers perched atop thick green stalks track the sun’s arc from east to west. The immature plants have shifts for growing—one side gets longer during the day, while the other pushes up at night. The pattern allows petal heads to bask in the rays all day long, an adaptation that enhances photosynthesis and helps attract pollinators to the warm flowers. As growth slows and the stems stiffen, the plants lock into a perpetual sun salutation to the east.

CESERE BROTHERS

PICNICS, FARM TOURS, CLASSES & RETREATS

Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Jan–Feb 2018

MauiMagazine.net

Flower Power (Jan-Feb 2018) DINING Sawsawan (condiments) offer diners savory choices. Choose a vinegary dip for tender, rich pata (pig trotters), or sweet and sour for Shanghai lumpia. Bagoong, the raw, fermented fish in the center, adds an umami spark and saltiness ten times as complex in its flavor profile as patis (Filipino fish sauce). Traditional sides of tomatoes, onions and green-papaya salad cleanse the palate for the next scrumptious bite.

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Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Mar–Apr 2019

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Kamayan & Get It (Mar-Apr 2019) “Pōhaku [stone] finds out how disciplined you are,” says Hoaka. "It will find out how strong you are, no matter how small or how large. Patience, foresight, that’s the awakening, the resonance of the voice that’s heard within.”

SERVING HAWAI‘I SINCE 1990

CARVED in STONE THE LIFE of KĀLAI PŌHAKU HOAKA DELOS REYES HAS BEEN SHAPED by THE MEDIUM he SHAPES STORY STORY by by SHANNON SHANNON WIANECKI WIANECKI PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY by by BAILEY BAILEY ROBERTS ROBERTS

MAUI NŌ KA ’OI » MAY-JUN 2020

Carved in Stone (May-Jun 2020) Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep–Oct 2021

ISLAND BUSINESS

Enduring Establishments Story by Sarah Ruppenthal

This year, in honor of the 25th anniversary of Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi, we are celebrating beloved local businesses that have stood the test of time. Here are four more of our favorites.

MauiMagazine.net

COURTESY OF ABC STORES

Above: The second ABC Store on Maui ABC STORES Est. 1964 opened on Front Just about anywhere you go in Hawai‘i, there’s Street in Lahaina in 1984; the first an ABC Store — on busy street corners, near opened eight beaches, in shopping centers and hotel lobbies. months prior in The near-ubiquitous convenience stores are a Kā‘anapali. Left: local staple, as familiar as shakas and shave ice, Minnie and Sidney Kosasa in 1984. and it’s hard to imagine that at one point there was just one single store. Sidney and Minnie Kosasa opened the first ABC Store in Waikīkī 57 years ago. For Sidney, it was one of many milestones he was arguably destined to achieve. His Japanese immigrant parents, Morita and Mitsue, opened M. Kosasa Grocery and Butcher on O‘ahu in 1917. Two years later, Sidney was born in the apartment directly above that very store. Growing up, Sidney worked at the store and learned the ins and outs of the retail business. In 1942, he earned his pharmacy degree from the University of California, Berkeley — the same year Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the executive order that authorized the forced

COURTESY OF ABC STORES

Left: One of the first ABC Stores at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu. Right: Current president and CEO Paul Kosasa carries on his parents’ legacy.

removal and incarceration of all Japanese Americans on the West Coast. Sidney was sent to an internment camp in Northern California. There, he reunited with Minnie, whom he had met in college, and later they married. A year later, the Kosasas were released and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Sidney worked in a hospital pharmacy. The following year, the Kosasas returned home to Hawai‘i and Sidney became a pharmacist and a manager at a drug store in Honolulu. In 1949 the couple opened their own pharmacy, and by 1959, they owned a chain of drug stores on O‘ahu. During a trip to Miami Beach, Sidney noticed that tourists were buying their essentials at local convenience stores, not at hotel gift shops. This sparked an idea, and in 1964, Sidney opened a similar convenience store with fairly priced merchandise on Waikīkī’s main thoroughfare, Kalākaua Avenue. The Kosasas chose a name that anyone from anyplace could remember — and one that would always be at the beginning of the phone book: ABC. (Contrary to what some may think, it’s not an acronym.) It wasn’t long before one store became two, then 27, then 60. Today, there are 77 (and counting) ABC Stores with locations in Hawai‘i, Saipan, Guam and Las Vegas. The modern-day ABC store is not your run-of-the-mill corner shop. In addition to everyday items like groceries, liquor, toiletries, cosmetics and over-the-counter drugs, the stores carry all manner of beach gear, Hawaiian shirts and other clothing, flip-flops and souvenirs, just about anything a visitor — or a local! — could possibly need. The family-run company also has grown to include Island Gourmet Markets, Island Country Markets, Sueoka Market, Honolua General Store in Kapalua, and two restaurants: Basalt in Waikīkī and Lineage in Wailea. “My parents had incredible insight and vision for this company,” says son Paul Kosasa, current president and CEO of ABC Stores. “They instilled old-school values in their employees: work hard, be on time, be responsible and, most of all, take care of your customers. Providing excellent customer service along with a wide variety of merchandise is the key to our success.” ABCStores.com | IG/FB @abcstores

The company also owns and operates (from top) Lineage restaurant and Island Gourmet Markets in Wailea, and Honolua General Store in Kapalua. Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

Clockwise from top left: A lariat by Maui leatherworker Henry Silva offers a glimpse into Maui’s cowboy past. Branding was an all-handson-deck endeavor. Two cowhands survey a dairy-cow pasture, circa 1980; the Ranch was known for its quality dairy products, and even put out a cookbook. A herd of Maui Cattle Company livestock enjoy the day; Haleakalā Ranch helped establish MCC in 2002. Two weeks after its incorporation in 1888, Henry Perrine Baldwin bought stock in the company; two years later he was elected the first president of Haleakalā Ranch. Below: Before Haleakalā Crater became a national park, it belonged to the Ranch. In his diary (1916-1933), Sam Baldwin recorded many of his trips to the Crater to herd cattle and mend fences.

HALEAKALĀ RANCH Est. 1888 Spanning nearly 30,000 acres, Haleakalā Ranch was incorporated in the Kingdom of Hawai‘i during the reign of King David Kalākaua, and is one of Maui’s largest and oldest family-owned businesses. Shortly after its incorporation, Henry Perrine Baldwin was elected president of the Ranch, which at the time included Haleakalā Crater. In 1925, Baldwin’s sons Harry and Sam became president and manager, respectively, and during their tenure, brokered a land exchange that enabled what was then the Territory of Hawai‘i to acquire the crater. In 1961, congress designated the summit as Haleakalā National Park. The Baldwins also facilitated the planting of 10,000 trees, opened the first local dairy and introduced the sport of polo to Maui. Today, Haleakalā Ranch carries on its tradition of environmental stewardship. Among its many efforts, it granted more than 5,000 acres of native rainforest to The Nature Conservancy, created a 1,200-acre preserve to safeguard Haleakalā National Park, and is an active member of both the East Maui and Leeward Haleakalā Restoration Watershed Partnerships. HaleakalaRanch.com | FB @haleakalaranch | 808.572.1500

MauiMagazine.net

As part of its many conservation efforts, the Ranch joined with the Leeward Watershed Partnership to protect 43,000 acres of land from Makawao through ‘Ulupalakua to Kaupō.

BOTTOM: NATURE CONSERVANCY OF HAWAI‘I / ALL OTHERS COURTESY OF HALEAKALĀ RANCH

ISLAND BUSINESS

From left: David Gridley, founder; Maria Holmes, V.P. and director of sales and operations; and Grant Schule president and CFO. Top right: David Gridley and his mother, Marian, at the Maui Oma blessing in 1998. Right: Gridley began his roasting legacy using “Little Red,” a Sasa Samiac 40-kilogram roaster.

TOP: COURTESY OF OMA COFFEE / BOTTOM: COURTESY OF AZEKA CENTER

MAUI OMA COFFEE ROASTING COMPANY Est. 1998 In 1988, David Gridley landed a job in a local coffee shop and immersed himself in the art of roasting, cupping and brewing. He had a knack for developing new flavor profiles, and soon he was creating special roasts for local chefs by request. In 1998 Gridley opened his own shop, Maui Oma Coffee Roasting Company, and quickly became one of Hawai‘i’s top roasters, renowned for his highquality coffees and custom blends.

Today, Maui Oma sources beans from Hawai‘i and around the globe, and uses “Big Red,” a 60-kilogram Probat roaster, to produce its small-batch specialty coffees. And though Gridley retired in 2018, his passion lives on with president and CFO Grant Schule and vice president and director of sales and operations Maria Holmes. Purchase these time-tested beverages online or at The Country Market in Waikapū. MauiOma.com | 808.871.8664 | IG @mauiomacoffee | FB @mauioma

Above: Azeka Market, circa 1950. Right: Today, Azeka Center is split into two parts, which are located on either side of South Kīhei Road: mauka (toward the mountain) and makai (toward the ocean).

AZEKA SHOPPING CENTER Est. 1950 In 1950, Bill Azeka opened a small grocery store along South Kīhei Road. Azeka Market was a mainstay for residents and visitors alike and was famous for its barbecued ribs. Though the market eventually closed and Azeka himself passed away, the 10-acre shopping center still bears his name. Azeka Makai (toward the ocean) was built in phases starting in the late 1970s, and 20 years later, Azeka Mauka (toward the mountain) was erected directly across the road. These days, Azeka Center houses more than 50 restaurants,

shops and services, and is home to six ‘Aipono Award-winning restaurants: Coconut’s Fish Cafe, Fork and Salad, Nalu’s South Shore Grill, Nutcharee’s Authentic Thai Food, Miso Phat Sushi, and Roasted Chiles. It’s still a community gathering place, and hosts local events like kids’ art contests, car-wash fundraisers, Toys for Tots drives and the Kīhei Fourth Friday Town Party. 1279 & 1280 South Kīhei Rd. | azekashoppingcenter.com | 808.879.5000 | IG/FB @azekamaui Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

MAUI STYLE

Maui Polo’s Sunny Diller (far left), Hobbs Weymouth (right) and Bob Nooney (far right) surround a visiting player from O‘ahu as they gallop down the field.

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I U A M POLO

y for a t s main risland i u a n a M cent inte n its e e b a re hooled o has t o l A o . P tions e got sc a r e gen ment, w a ory. n t r s i u h o t -old y r u t cen Story by Lara McGlashan Photography by Drew Sulock

Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

hen you think of polo, what comes to mind? For me, it’s a Gatsby-like scenario of well-dressed socialites with elaborate feathery hats and fire-red lipstick, smoking cigarettes on long, slender holders; men with double-breasted suits and smartly waxed mustaches sipping a Rob Roy or a gin rickey or some other long-forgotten cocktail while watching a polo match with consummate boredom. Some iteration of this fancy fantasy must exist somewhere in some stuffy corner of the globe, but it is just about as opposite from Maui polo as you could imagine. I drove from Kīhei up to Makawao to see the last polo match of the summer season, the Manoa Cup. Since my mental image of polo involves some measure of formality, I had worn a mid-length casual dress (paired with flip-flops because, well, Maui), and as I pulled into the driveway leading to the grounds of the Manduke Baldwin Polo Arena, I wondered if I had underdressed. I hadn’t, not by a long shot. A man wearing a faded Hawaiian shirt, a dusty cowboy hat and a pair of jeans that had seen many a saddle met me at the gate and Right: Maui Polo players (in yellow) Hobbs Weymouth (left) and Christian Jenkins chase down the ball. Below: O‘ahu Polo’s team captain, Raymond Noh, vies for the ball against Maui’s Bob Nooney.

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MAUI STYLE

Top right: Sunny Diller (right) muscles in on her opponent. Above (3): It’s a beautiful day to watch Maui Polo take on O‘ahu in the Manoa Cup match! Polo enuthsiasts young and old set up camp around the Manduke Baldwin Polo Arena in Makawao.

directed me to a parking area. I drove onto the grass below the arena and pulled in alongside a shave ice cart. A game was already in progress. I couldn’t see much of what was happening because of a high fence surrounding the arena, but I could feel a ripple of thunder pass through the ground as six horses galloped down and around the far turn in close quarters. I headed for the announcer’s stand — a simple, wooden platform with a roof and a loudspeaker — where I was to meet up with Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi publisher Diane Woodburn and Wendy Peterson of Ka‘ono‘ulu Ranch. I made my way past a long row of pickup trucks backed right up to the fence. Spectators sat in the truck beds in camping chairs and beach chairs and on towels, sipping drinks

and picnicking. A group of elementary-age kids kicked a soccer ball under, over and in between the parked cars. Everyone seemed to know each other, everyone was smiling, and nobody, but nobody, was wearing a ginormous feathery hat. I arrived at the announcer’s stand just as an airhorn went off, signaling the end of a chukker, which I would later find out is like a quarter or a period in other sports. “The polo club just finishing up their games, and the Manoa Cup match is next,” explained Wendy. “It’s the last game of the indoor season so it’s very exciting.” An indoor match being played outdoors? As it turns out, polo has two seasons, indoor and outdoor (which Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

O‘ahu and Maui teams battle it out at Kapiolani Park; Diamondhead makes for a dramatic backdrop.

Above (2): Since 1897, Sunnyside field in Hali‘imaile on Maui has been the site of many local and interisland polo matches. Here, teams and spectators convene at Sunnyside on July 4th, 1905. Left: Harold Alexander Baldwin (circa 1900) of Haleakalā Ranch and his three brothers were introduced to polo by thenranch manager Louis Von Tempsky on Christmas Day, 1887. Thus began a family legacy that would be passed down through generations.

1960 Maui Polo Interisland Champions (left to right): Henry Rice, Peter Baldwin, Richard “Manduke” Baldwin and Gordon Von Tempsky. This was the last polo match played at Kapiolani Park on O‘ahu.

Right: World War II meant a pause in polo play, but in 1950, indoor matches resumed with three-person teams. Here, Maui Polo’s indoor team poses for a snapshot (left to right): Gordon Von Tempsky, Richard “Manduke” Baldwin and Harold “Oskie” Rice.

Maui polo’s history spans many generations. “Polo was introduced by Louis Von Tempsky who was manager of Haleakalā Ranch operations at the time,” says Henry Rice, a fifth-generation Hawai‘i native, avid polo player and co-owner of Ka‘ono‘ulu Ranch. “From 1910 to 1930, it blossomed under the leadership of the Baldwin family and my grandfather, Harold Rice.” World War II pushed the pause button on the sport until 1949, and once it made a comeback, Maui polo became a force to be reckoned with. The club teams traveled interisland to compete, as well as to the West Coast, New Zealand and Australia. “Any team from O‘ahu was an arch-rival — well, really any visiting team for that matter,” says Rice, laughing. “But we always tried to give the [visitors] a little flavor of Hawai‘i. We made sure they had aloha shirts, and that they listened to Hawaiian music and relaxed a little. Once, we hosted a poi supper, but the visitors didn’t like it much. So we sat next to them and ate their poi!” Another time on O‘ahu, the Maui Polo team competed in a match against Prince Charles. “I can’t remember who won, but it was quite a party!” confesses Rice. In the 70s and 80s, the Baldwin and Rice families were joined by a new generation of players, including Bill Jenkins (who currently serves as Maui Polo Club president) and Herman-Louis DeCoite, who at the time was a ranch hand for the Baldwins.

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“We was all involved in rodeo,” says DeCoite. “One day a bunch of us were by Eddie Tam gym — there used to be a racetrack for people to ride horses — and we started messing around with cowboy polo. There was no rules. Just us hitting a volleyball with brooms trying to score goals. Some real polo guys saw us and asked us if we wanted to learn to play. And that was that.” DeCoite made a name for himself in the sport as both an athlete and a youth coach. “Wherever I went, I organized kids to play matches,” he says. “After I would leave, though, the people who run the clubs didn’t continue with it. Now, Maui Polo is the only club in Hawai‘i that teaches kids to play.” For centuries, polo was a man’s sport. “But in the 1980s women began to play,” says Rice. “We have had some very successful Maui women’s teams win some very important matches on the West Coast. It’s very exciting to see that transition.” More than 100 years after its introduction on Maui, polo is still going strong. “I am not sure what it is about Maui polo — maybe it’s pride, maybe it’s the history — but people know there is a standard we maintain that includes sportsmanship and fair play,” says Rice. “That, above all, is what I would like to see continue with the next generation.”

COURTESY OF HENRY RICE AND HALEAKALĀ RANCH

A L L I N T H E F A M I LY

MAUI STYLE

Above, left to right: Frank Crozier of Maui Polo. The George Manoa Sr. Invitational Polo Tournament trophy honors decades of winners. Bill Jenkins (left), president of Maui Polo Club and Raymond Noh from O‘ahu.

gets a little confusing, since here on Maui they are both played outside). Indoor polo, also called arena polo, is played on a smaller field (200 yards long, 75 yards wide) surrounded by a tall fence. The ball is larger and is filled with air, and teams of three players score by hitting the ball against the boards in a designated spot. Outdoor polo is played on a much bigger field (300 yards long, 150 yards wide), and the ball is smaller and made of hard plastic. There is no fence, and so spectators sit further away from the field (because a plastic projectile traveling at 30 miles an hour would make quite a dent in your person), and players hit the ball through two posts to score a goal. Speaking of goals, a loud THWACK shook the fence and the crowd cheered as one of the club teams scored. Another airhorn blast signaled the end of the game, which gave me the opportunity to become the Question Queen. Wendy, Diane and a number of other people in-the-know kindly answered my pedestrian equestrian queries:

from the ball. Your riding abilities help put the horse in that position, but after that it’s all about the horse. Do you have to train a horse specifically for polo? Yes. But some horses won’t do it. They don’t like to be crowded or touched by another horse. The announcer hopped back onto the loudspeaker, thus ending my Q and A; it was time for the Manoa Cup match to begin. From the elevated stand, I could see the entire arena, and armed with some new polo insight, was able to follow along much better. I got caught up in the battle for the ball. I flinched as a horse stopped short and its rider was almost catapulted into the fence. I cheered with the crowd when the Maui team scored — a nd actually understood why it was a well-earned goal. I was on the edge of my wooden seat as the teams had a shoot-out to determine the winner of the then-tied game. And I high-fived the clan in the announcer’s booth like we were old friends when Maui polo came out victorious. On the way home, I thought about the day, and realized why Maui polo has been so popular for so long: It’s different and it’s exciting, but most of all, it’s inclusive. Everyone is welcome — no hats required.

Are there positions in polo like in other sports? Yes, and these are indicated by the numbers on the shirts. For indoor polo, number 1 is the scorer, number 2 is the quarterback who gets the ball to number 1, and number 3 plays defense. I notice everyone is playing right-handed. Is that on purpose? In 1973, they instituted a rule that everyone has to play right-handed for safety, and to prevent collisions between horses and players. I see a lot of shoving and pushing as players try to get the ball — do people fall off a lot? Sometimes. When that happens, they pause the play so the fallen player can get back on. Do you ever get hit with the mallet? Both people and horses get hit from time to time.

Why is that player on a different horse now? You switch horses with each chukker to give them a break. How long is a chukker? Seven-and-a-half minutes. I imagine having the right horse is very important. Polo is about 80 percent horse. The horse pushes your opponent away

TAMARA MCKAY

How do you know where to go and where you’re supposed to be? You have to be going the same direction as the ball. If you deviate or cross over, you’ll cause a collision.

Three generations of Rice family members make a winning combination: “Team Oskie” in 2017 after winning the Oskie Rice Champagne Cup. From left: Freddy Rice, Henry Rice, McGrew Rice, Kaulike Rice and Daniel Miranda. Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

grounded HAWAIIAN SOUL

Kou blossoms and seeds

I remember reading a sailor’s account of a walk he took on a Hawaiian island after long weeks at sea. It was the early 1800s, post-Western contact but before the epidemics that would roar through the Hawaiian world like wildfire, emptying out its communities. That sailor walked all day, and not once did he lose sight of the orderly villages and farms that lay along the shoreline, as well as high on the slopes and hillsides. Hawaiians, though celebrated fishermen, were also deeply rooted in the uses and importance of plants. As inhabitants of the most isolated islands on Earth, they had to be. They carefully carried several plants to Hawai‘i from elsewhere in Polynesia — “canoe plants” whose uses and stories were essential. Other plants were endemic, and evolved to fit the island ecosystem precisely; their uses and stories would unfold as the need for them arose. But why would stories be essential? For a culture that had no writing and no history books for reference, stories were

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a way to personify and anchor in time the meanings and importance of events, people and, in this case, plants that fed, housed and healed the community. Pre-contact, Hawai‘i’s intense isolation made it a laboratory where evolution ran wild. Many plants arrived here via the wind and waves, or on the wings and feet (and in the digestive systems) of birds. They changed over time and became unique to this place. Without animals to chew or trample them, some plants lost their hardiness or their thorns or their “mintyness,” which in plants is a natural repellent. Now imagine those vulnerable plants when foreign invaders (people included) arrived. At Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, those precious endemics are sheltered, nurtured, cultivated and shared. The Gardens is also a haven for indigenous plants (those found naturally here, and also elsewhere) and is a locally famous repository of canoe plants and their intertwined histories. Here are just a few.

in culture The culture of ancient Hawai‘i was deeply rooted in nature, and still is — thanks to places like Maui Nui Botanical Gardens. STORY BY JUDY EDWARDS PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN SIPHERS

MA‘O (Gossypium tomentosum) Hawai‘i’s native cotton Cotton is not a plant you’d expect to find in Hawai‘i. Its vast continental history conjures images of industry and empire, slavery and war. But Hawai‘i’s native cotton has been here all along, dotting the coast and sunning itself, sometimes spreading up and out into bushes eight feet high or more, covered in fluffy white bundles. Hawaiians did not use cotton for cloth in the way western world did. They stuffed pillows with the bolls and used the leaves and flowers — with a little egg white thrown in — to make green or yellow dye for kapa (barkcloth). Dried ma‘o flowers were also used medicinally as a remedy for severe stomach cramps. The name ma‘o is a contraction of the Hawaiian ‘ōma‘o (green), and that is also the name of a native Hawaiian thrush with a greenish sheen on its feathers. Despite the impressive historical resume of its continental cousin, Hawaiian cotton actually saved the mainland industry when it was hybridized (bred into commercial strains). Why? Insects were not attracted to it in the same way. And so, like hula and surfing, ma‘o was a small but mighty Hawaiian contribution that helped shape the modern world. Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

HAWAIIAN SOUL

KOU (Cordia subcordata), a borage Based on fossilized pollen evidence, botanists determined that kou is a native Hawaiian plant. The modern world overlooked this tree, but the Hawaiian world treasured it. It was in a celebrated kou grove in Lahaina that the ali‘i (chieftess) Ka‘ahumanu gave permission to deliver the first Christian sermon in Hawai‘i, but today very few kou trees remain. I find them standing lonely and proud around former village sites on Maui, generally along the coast. There is something about the reddish-orange hue of the flowers that speaks to my heart — flowers that were prized in lei. One ‘ōlelo no‘eau (Hawaiian proverb) tells of a rude young chieftess who repeatedly demanded a lei kou from an old woman whom she misjudged to be a nobody. The crone was, in fact, a sorceress who called sharks down upon the imperious young woman as she reclined in a tide pool. Kou is best known for the beauty of its wood, with fine cream and caramel graining that swirls and pools. Beautiful and useful, kou wood was used to carve bowls and calabashes, which were prized because the essence and flavor of the wood did not taint the food held within. Carvers loved how easily it was worked. Parents would thoughtfully plant kou when children were born so that those children and then grandchildren would one day have the wood for carving. Kou seems to own the warm tones of the brown and red spectrum, and a dye extracted from carefully aged leaves was used to stain kapa. Fishing lines, like all cordage of that time, were made of organic fibers. Salt water was tough on these lines, but applying a kou dye strengthened and protected them. And as long as they don’t go around demanding lei of old women, fishermen should be safe from sharks. 46

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‘AWAPUHI (Zingiber zerumbet)

“shampoo ginger” Hike Maui’s deep valleys in late summer and you can’t help but see them — the plump, ovoid bracts of this introduced ginger’s flowering stems. They peep at you from beneath long, dark-green glossy leaves, decorated all over with tiny white or yellow flowers. Snap off the stem and give the bract a squeeze. Clear, fragrant juice the consistency of warm honey floods out. As a shampoo and body soap, ‘awapuhi was adored, and was important enough to be brought along in the settlement canoes. (The plant originated in India, and gradually seduced its way to Polynesia.) Like all gingers, ‘awapuhi’s roots, or rhizomes, are fragrant, but Hawaiians didn’t employ them in cooking. They did, however, use juice from the rhizome to ease stomachaches, and scented their kapa with dried and powdered rhizomes. (Imagine, ginger-scented bedding and clothes ... ) Hawaiians used ‘awapuhi and other aromatic plants ceremonially as a potent way to connect with the gods — as one cultural advisor put it, to “make the space appropriate for the akua [gods] to come.” Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

HALA PEPE (Chrysodracon auwahiensis)

Does hala pepe remind you of Dr. Seuss? Me, too. Those tousled heads seem animated. Ted Geisel never came to Hawai‘i, but I think he would have smiled to see hala pepe. Plant families are wacky. For example, hala pepe is technically an endemic asparagus. It’s also a sun-lover, standing glossy and proud between 2,000 and 4,000 feet upslope of the restless sea. Its name means “baby hala” for reasons obvious to those familiar with hala (Pandanus tectorius), the famous weaving plant of Polynesia which is also long-leaved but much hardier and found closer to the sea. A bath steeped with hala pepe leaves treated chills, headaches and fevers, and the bark, roots and leaves helped with asthma. Both the foliage and the pendant flowers — yellow-green to yellow-orange — found their way into lei, while the soft white-to-pink wood was worked into ki‘i (carved deities). Hala pepe is rare in the wild, but hula practitioners commonly grow it; it’s one of five essential plants that decorate the altars dedicated to Laka, the goddess of hula. Hala pepe also is a kinolau (earthly form) of Kapo‘ulakina‘u, sometimes referred to as “the first goddess of sorcery.” An unpredictable diety, she was somewhat tamed in the form of hala pepe. I have stumbled across hala pepe on sunny hillsides, tossing that wild and shiny green hair in the late gold light of day, performing a solitary hula for any gods who might be watching ... or maybe just for me.

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HAWAIIAN SOUL

‘ILIMA (Sida fallax), a hibiscus By and large, the story of native Hawaiian plants is a tale of losing ground to aggressive alien species, the trampling and teeth of introduced animals, and the gradual loss of cultural meaning. Bright, dusky-orange ‘ilima is an exception; it’s actually listed as “a common plant found on all of the Hawaiian Islands.” I know it as the tiny, glowing flowerheads that nod hello from the driest edges of southwestern Maui. Miraculously, Indian Axis deer — an introduced plague — won’t eat ‘ilima, even in those parched areas where they have munched the life out of every other remaining plant. Sometimes it grows low to the ground (‘ilima papa) and sometimes it is a spindly but hardy bush. Pre-contact, ‘ilima was also the name for the flat land near a village, and the plants there of the same name were carefully tended as a source of flowers for lei — which sounds breezy and easy until you learn that it takes 500 to 1,000 ‘ilima flowers to make one, single strand! The ali‘i (chiefs) favored the red and yellow flowers in their lei ‘ilima, so much like the bright tones of their treasured feather lei. The flower’s shades had names — kuakea for light yellow, ‘ilima lei for deep gold, ‘ilima ‘ula‘ula for bronze and ‘ilima kolī kukui for rusty red — a distinction that tips you off to the value of, and affection for, this plant. Hawaiians also kept ‘ilima near the family compound for its purgative and medicinal qualities. Sturdy, velvety ‘ilima leaves were the toilet paper of Old Hawai‘i, and crushed blossoms were given to new babies to stimulate their first, well, poops. Similarly for adults, ‘ilima sap and warm seawater went up there to encourage (ahem) things to come out. Women in labor drank a slimy concoction of pounded flowers to help ease childbirth. While one source says that ‘ilima treated “general weakness,” I myself admit to a general weakness for the plant, stubbornly growing out there in the kīpuka (oases) of the lava fields — little gold and orange sparks, which are fortunately still common.

Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

KŌ (Saccharum officinarum) sugar cane

For more than a century, “king sugar” was Hawai‘i’s major export crop, but those waving fields of sugar cane are now history. Many people assume that Maui’s vast green acres of kō began with the Polynesians who brought it to Hawai‘i, but commercial cane is a Western hybrid, homogenous and hardy. The varieties of sugar cane grown by Hawaiians were softer, the insides easier to chew. They were usually planted around gardens as an edible, beautiful windbreak, with stems striped or smudged with green, yellow and white, purple and pink. Hawaiians chewed the stalks on hot afternoons, or used the juice in cooking. Kō softened the taste of bitter medicines, and harnessed the body’s rapid metabolic absorption of sugar to get those medicines quickly into the bloodstream. The outsides of cane stalks are sharp, and so could be carved into arrows for the popular sport of pana‘iole — shooting rats. The long leaves were used as thatching, and the charcoal from burnt kō made a black kapa dye. As with all canoe plants, this list of uses is just the beginning, since a valuable place in the voyaging canoes was earned by a plant with multifaceted uses. Kō means “fulfilled,” and as a kinolau of the god Kāne, sugar cane is used in the ‘awa ceremony to sweeten the bitter drink, and again in the closing, so that the last prayer will be answered. Cane was also used in hana aloha (love magic). In one example, a lovesick person consulted the kahuna (priest or healer), who advised the eating of the pilimai and manulele sugar cane varieties. The yearning lover then blew in the direction of the beloved, trusting the god manifested as the wind to carry the love mana (spirit or power) along. Caressed by this sweet wind, the beloved would fall helplessly in love in return.

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HAWAIIAN SOUL

PUA KALA (Argemone glauca), Hawaiian poppy The harsh, coastal lava fields of Hawai‘i bake in the sun, with edges sharp enough to cut. In the summer, heat ripples over the rocks. Yet here and there the vivid white face of the pua kala flower bobs jauntily atop a spiky blue-green stalk, cheerful and defiant in an unforgiving and desolate environment. Pua kala means “prickly flower,” and it is one of the few native plants with natural defenses. Nick it (carefully, without sticking yourself) and you’ll find the bright yellow sap that Hawaiians used to treat toothaches, ulcers and nerve pain — thanks to the opiates found in poppies worldwide. In the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant, every life form on the land had a twin in the ocean, and for pua kala, that twin was the spiky seaweed limu kala. Both plants were woven into ho‘oponopono (forgiveness and release) ceremonies, which, when you think about it, is another way of easing pain.

Maui Nui Botanical Gardens is a green and soothing treasure in the windy heart of Kahului. Its mission is to preserve native and Polynesian-introduced plants and their cultural heritage. The grounds house a genetic repository unlike any other, where visitors can learn about landscaping and xeriscaping. The Gardens also provides access to plants for cultural practitioners. Enjoy a stroll through the Gardens and discover the history, stories and uses of Maui’s indigenous plants. Call or visit their website to join a tour, sign up for a workshop and learn about volunteer opportunities. 150 Kanaloa Ave., Kahului (across from the War Memorial Stadium) | 808.249.2798 | mnbg.org | IG/FB @mauinuibg Our thanks to kumu hula Pueo Pata for his cultural insights on the plants featured in this essay. This story first appeared in the Sep-Oct 2016 issue. Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

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AT HOME

MODERN FAMILY

A seating area with a sofa and midcentury modern chairs by RH offers unparalleled ocean views. Local Ha‘ikū artists Dennis and Lucretia Holtzer carved the chaise lounge from a mango tree trunk. Sturdy plexi-resin cubes by Timothy Oulton house a jumble of eternally frozen black sticks — perfect to withstand roughhousing kids (as well as unruly grown-ups).

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RETREAT Story by Lara McGlashan Photography by Travis Rowan

Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

Above: A familyfriendly living space featuring Sunbrella-covered furniture by RH is the perfect place for movie night. The built-in shelves display a collection of turnof-the-century Bakelite radios — all in working condition — as well as a blownglass sculpture by Dale Chihuly. Left: A pair of brilliant red and yellow oil paintings by Gabrielle Anderman add warmth to an otherwise monochromatic kitchen. Opposite: Designer Tim Tattersall planned the home around an existing 25-foot-high spiral staircase.

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AT HOME

t’s a picture-perfect day in Mākena, with a crisp, Disney-blue sky. The swirl of trade winds whisks away the heat as I drive through the gated entry to an intimate housing complex. I park and walk down a tunnel of tall Hawaiian ginger to the home’s front door; the verdant green leaves wave me in, and heavy red flowers nod hello. Designer Tim Tattersall and the homeowner greet me in the entryway. Just inside, I see the standout architectural feature of the main floor: a 25-foot-high steel staircase around which the home was created. The gently curling center column reaches toward the domed ceiling like a flame, and wide treads splay outward — a deconstructed daisy. “The previous owner was a big Star Trek fan,” explains Tattersall. “The staircase was inspired by the series, as well as the three niches in the upstairs atrium — the nooks you’d stand in to be ‘beamed’ to a planet’s surface.” As we move into the open-plan living area, Tattersall explains the concept behind his design. “I wanted to curate a modern space for an art collector in a home that was otherwise cold,” he says. And in this he succeeded: large propeller-like fans spin beneath a rich wooden ceiling which caps the entire front room and the patio just outside. In the direct center of the space, a 10-foot table crafted from a single live-edge slab of monkeypod waits for diners. “It’s unusual to have a dining table in the middle of a large room, but here it creates a natural separation between two distinct seating areas,” says Tattersall. “We very much wanted this house Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

AT HOME

Top: Beautiful tile work, a two-person steam shower and an amazing ocean view make this master bath a showstopper. The light fixture by Daniel Liebskind floats like a cloud just above the deep soaker tub. Bottom: Muted gray wallpaper adds a measure of serenity to the master bedroom. A painting by Aboriginal artist George Tjungurrayi hangs above the custom-built TV cabinet.

to be family-friendly and make it appealing for the grandkids,” adds the homeowner. “We added many features to that effect.” Case in point: the seating area to the left of the dining table. A large white sofa and overstuffed chairs, by the upscale-furnishings company RH, are piled with blue and white cushions and look inviting, but also — speaking as a mom — risky. “How do you keep these clean with all the visiting grandkids?” I ask, imagining the horror of flying grape juice and thick splats of pizza sauce. “All the furniture is covered with Sunbrella fabric,” says Tattersall. “Spills bead up and roll right off. It costs a little more up front, but it lasts for years and still looks like new.” The seating area to the far right features more indestructible Sunbrella-clad furniture and what appears to be a large wooden sculpture. “Go ahead and sit in it,” urges the homeowner. I do and find that it’s actually a chaise lounge with curves in all the right places to support your legs, arms and lower back. The piece was created by a local couple in Ha‘ikū, Dennis and Lucretia Holtzer, who carved it from a large mango tree trunk. On the wall above the chaise hangs a flat-screen monitor with an endless video feed: an aerial view of two men sweeping trash hither and yon. Upon further study, I notice the men are sweeping the trash in a particular pattern and suddenly realize it’s a clock — an art installation created by Marten Baas. “Do they ever stop sweeping?” I ask; surely while filming a 24-hour sweepathon the men must have had to use the facilities. “Well, once we saw one of them leave for a short period of time and then come right back,” says the homeowner. “But that literally only happened once, and it never happened again!” The entire back wall of the home folds open to create an airy indoor/outdoor living space, and Tattersall leads me onto the patio. To the right is a well-appointed barbecue area, to the left a fire pit surrounded by comfy seating. A sparkling infinity-edge

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AT HOME

Tattersall filled the three “beam-me-up-Scotty” niches on the second floor with curated artifacts: handmade wooden paddles by Mel Ross, a tiki totem carving by Folau Tupou, and didgeridoos from Australia. A wave-like sink washes across the entire back wall of the first-floor half-bath.

pool is adjacent, and beyond, a yard of neat-and-tidy grass. “We call this cashmere grass — it’s so soft,” says the homeowner. At the bottom of the “cashmere” hillside is a gate, allowing entry to a protected cove and a slim crescent of biscuit-colored beach bookended by craggy black lava outcroppings. Back inside, we move through the kitchen, a crisp, modern space with large, stainless-steel appliances. A kidney-shaped glass countertop juts out from the island to allow for barstool seating; its twin in light-fixture form hangs above, illuminating the island through swirled glass.

Around the corner and tucked behind the staircase is a clever half-bath. The sink looks like an ocean wave, rising and curling and spreading across the dark-blue tile wall. The flip of a switch transforms the floor into a living ocean. Fish, turtles and other sea life react in real time with anyone entering the room — darting away as footsteps disturb their virtual sea-surface and sending concentric ripples outward. Down the hallway to the left is a multipurpose media room with plush lounge chairs and a cabinet against the wall. Tattersall opens its top and sides to reveal its alter ego: a hideaway bed.

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Clockwise from top: Comfortable seating surrounds a patio firepit — ideal for kicking back and watching a Maui sunset. Built-in bunk beds transform a workout room into sleeping quarters for visiting grandkids. Looking down through the central curl of the staircase seems more nautilus shell than Star Trek.

“Radd Haferkamp built this cabinet and the custom walnut TV lift piece for the master, both of which I designed,” says Tattersall. “There’s also another hidden surprise to see when we go upstairs.” With that we head up, following the curl of the iron flame. “We had to reconfigure the entire second floor to work with the homeowners’ vision,” says Tattersall as we enter a room on the left. “For instance, this used to be an open outdoor area which we enclosed to make an office and …” he pulls a handle to reveal another clandestine bed, “… it’s also a bedroom.” Next door is the master bedroom, a large, comfortable space with a brilliant ocean view and the aforementioned TV cabinet. The highlight, however, is the bathroom. A white soaker tub stands front and center atop black, gray and white tiles with a circular pattern. More dusky-gray and white tiles

march up and down the wall in a chevron pattern, and overseeing the scene is a white light fixture which looks decidedly like a pixelated cloud. A large steam shower with clever self-dimming windows is big enough for two, and to the right, a luxurious sauna. We return to the atrium and pass by the Trekkie-inspired wall niches. Beyond, the hallway leads to a number of bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as a workout room with warm floor-to-ceiling cabinetry. “Here’s the surprise,” says Tattersall, pulling on a handle. Down comes a bunk bed, then another and another — for a total of four secreted beds, a dream come true for kids of all ages. On the way back downstairs, I notice a pair of oils by Gabrielle Anderman; the dark, monochromatic shapes make me think of massive mushrooms and dandelions gone to seed. “It was a challenge to find fabric, furniture, art and patterns that would complement a 25-foot steel spiral staircase,” says Tattersall ,showing me out. “I love the feeling of ‘exhale’ I get every time I walk in — it’s magnificent, yet warm and welcoming all at the same time. It is beautiful, and it works.” Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

Staycation (all Luxury accommodations, heavenly spa service and an in-room private chef experience are just a few highlights from this gastronomic getaway at the Montage Kapalua Bay. Story by Becky Speere | Photography by Ryan Siphers This page: Every table at Cane & Canoe affords a view across the Montage’s stunning grounds and to the sparkling sea beyond.

COURTESY OF MONTAGE KAPALUA BAY

Opposite: A rich, masterfully prepared custard beneath a paper-thin crust of caramelized sugar arrives served in a dashi-simmered Maui onion boat.

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DINING

I ever wanted)

e have it all to ourselves — the cedar-wood sauna, the jetted whirlpool and the bamboo rainfall shower — and my husband Chris and I smile at one another as we enter the private hydrotherapy sanctuary at the Montage Kapalua Bay Spa. We dry-scrub one another with a gentle exfoliant that smells of honey, citrus and maile, and rinse away any remaining stresses from our week with each of the available treatments in this self-guided Art of Spa journey. It is the perfect way to begin our staycation. Though reluctant to leave at the end of the hour, we extract ourselves from the spa and go to The Hideaway, the Montage’s lower-level bar. We toast to our getaway with a Maui-Kine Mai Tai topped with a generous dark-rum float, and an Awesome Blossom, the hotel’s take on a Moscow Mule, made with fresh lime juice, spicy ginger beer and a candied hibiscus blossom. Though the bar-food menu looks tempting,

we abstain in anticipation of the highlight of our respite: a private, in-room, chef-curated dinner complete with wine pairings from chef Riko Bartolome. We arrive at our residence and find Bartolome is already at work in the marble and cherrywood kitchen. “Hi, Chef!” I say. “It smells amazing in here!” adds Chris. He looks up from his smoking saute pan and smiles. “Whenever you’re ready, we can begin. No rush.” As Chris and I change clothes, I recall the last time I had Bartolome’s food — just a month prior at the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival held at the Montage’s Cliff House venue. It was an epic luncheon of elegant food and an incredible selection of champagnes. It was, without a doubt, one of my finest and most memorable meals on Maui to Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

Seared lamb tenderloin served with a hoisininfused demi-glace was the perfect foil for a soy-braised vegetable medley of turnips, bunapi mushrooms, asparagus and Mauigrown romanesco cauliflower.

Right, from top: Toasting the good life with a Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé from Napa Valley. Fresh Kula corn potage, Moloka‘i sweet potatoes, butternut squash and broiled ‘opihi constitute chef Bartolome’s deconstructed corn chowder. A dollop of Grand Marnier and citrus sabayon added to a Maui Ku‘ia Estate Chocolate souffle is heaven on earth. Smooth, charred mango served alongside crunchy macadamia nut and maple syrup baklava and creamy balsamic butter was a splendid symphony of textures.

date. However, I fully expect tonight’s dinner will surpass it with ease. We sit at the table and Bartolome pours us each a glass of Taittinger Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé. “I hope you enjoy the omakase (chef’s choice) menu and wine pairings that we’ve selected for you tonight,” he says as he delivers the first course. “This tomato gelée is my take on gazpacho, perfect for the warm days of summer.” He sprinkles a few drops of chili-pepper water on top of the gelée with a pipette and we dig in. The freshness of the tomatoes is the perfect foil to the bright, fruity flavor of the sparkling wine. Next up is what I would call “Onion4” — a tender, dashi-simmered onion boat infused with creamy Maui onion custard, tangy onion marmalade and a puff of onion foam on top. I am in allium nirvana. The next course features one of my favorite seafoods: ‘opihi (limpets). I grew up eating these fresh off lava rocks worn smooth through

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DINING

RIGHT (3): COURTESY OF MONTAGE KAPALUA BAAY

“When I cook for friends and loved ones, it’s an expression of self. Chefs express their love through their food.” Chef Riko Bartolome

the millennia; today, they arrive broiled with pillars of Moloka‘i sweet potato and butternut squash and drizzled with a light citrus vinaigrette. Accompanying the dish is a simple yet delectable chowder made from Kula corn, onions, garlic and butter. “I think the richness goes well with the buttery notes of this Nickel & Nickel Truchard chardonnay,” says Bartolome. Rich and buttery — two of my favorite flavor profiles. The next course is a Kulahaven Farms rainbow trout filet seared simply in butter, salt and pepper, and served on a bed of toasted Marcona almonds and coriander seeds. As we cleanse our palates with a nibble of pink grapefruit, fennel and ogo (Maui’s mahogany-colored seaweed), Bartolome pauses a moment. “How are you two doing?” he asks. “Getting full?” “Do you mean are we tapping out?” I ask, laughing. “We’re seasoned diners! We can do this!” adds Chris. Bartolome smiles. “For the next course, I’ve made hoisin lamb.” I am beyond delighted. I had this dish in 2014 when the Montage first opened and Bartolome was executive chef. The rare slices of lamb loin carry a hint of Chinese hoisin sauce and curry, the Yunnan flavors marrying well together. Our Red Car Syrah from Sonoma stands up against the rich spices, and smooths out their piquancy. The last two courses — baklava made with macadamia nuts and maple syrup, and a Haleakala Creamery goat-cheese sorbet — are a match made in heaven with another glass of the Taittinger sparkling rosé. And for the grand finale: a souffle made with dark Maui Kui‘a Estate Chocolate piping hot from the oven. Bartolome dusts it with powdered sugar, carefully makes a hole in the crispy top and pours in a citrus and Grand Marnier sabayon. “Because of the acidity of the liliko‘i [passionfruit] and calamansi fruits, I’ve paired this with a tawny port,” he says. Chris and I savor each bite as Bartolome wraps things up in the kitchen. He delivers a final treat — dark chocolate truffles and French-press coffee — and takes his leave. “I’ve enjoyed our conversation and want to thank you for allowing me to cook for you,” he says. We thank him heartily in return, and after our final sips of coffee, go to bed sated and smiling. The next morning, we meet executive chef Eric Faivre for breakfast at Cane & Canoe, a lovely open-air dining venue which looks out across a series of step-down infinity pools and out over the ocean. We tell Faivre of our incredible in-room dining experience as I dive into a gorgeous lobster eggs Benedict, and Chris cuts into a thick slice of avocado toast — homemade nine-grain bread spread with avocado mash, dukkah spice and fresh tomato halves. Afterward, we walk along the coastal trail at the edge of the resort, marveling at the view across the channel of our neighbor islands, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i. We arrive at the Cliff House and watch bathers enjoy the aquamarine water below, basking in the beauty of the day. “I think it’s time for us to go swimming, too,” I say to Chris. We check into the activity center and are shown to our canopied daybed located right next to the adults-only Serenity Pool. The crisp, fresh linens are a

From top: Enjoy an unparalleled view from an oceanfront Grand Residence at the Montage Kapalua Bay. Amenities include a gourmet kitchen, hardwood floors, high-end furnishings and a deep soaker tub. A series of step-down pools culimates in this serene lagoon.

cool respite from the sun, and we recline with a sigh. After some wine and a cocktail, we decide it’s time to eat again! I order a medium-rare Wagyu beef burger with sharp cheddar cheese, bacon and a thick slice of beefsteak tomato. Chris has a grown-up grilled cheese sandwich made with Brie de Meaux, mozzarella, provolone and Gruyére cheeses and applewood-smoked bacon on house-made artisanal sourdough. We request a late checkout and enjoy a lazy afternoon together. On our drive home, I replay our Montage staycation bit by bit, and bite by bite. The luxury accommodations, the heavenly spa service and the food — oh, the food! Everything exceeded my expectations and will absolutely go down as one of my favorite Maui experiences of all time. 1 Bay Drive, Kapalua | 808.662.6600 | montagehotels.com | IG @montagekapalua | FB @montagekapaluabay Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

Bele Under Wraps Story by Becky Speere | Photography by Mieko Horikoshi On a recent visit to Polipoli Farms in Waiehu, I spotted a 12-foot-tall bele bush, aka Tongan spinach. “It’s what Tongans use instead of taro leaf,” said farm owner Lehia Apana. “My brother is a fireman and he made lau lau* for dinner one night for his crew. They loved it and they had no idea it was bele, not taro.” Bele (Abelmoschus manihot) is a veritable superfood. It provides twice as much protein as spinach, as well as vitamins A and C, riboflavin, thiamine, iron and other essential minerals. It is also used medicinally, and is reputed to relieve throat irritation, skin rashes and cold symptoms. Years ago, I had a bele bush in my garden and tried sneaking its leaves into veggie wraps to feed my family, but they deemed it too “wild and foreign,” and there were no more takers after that. The chickens loved it, though, so they were treated to lots of homegrown organic greens for a spell. But after hearing this story of under-the-radar bele usage, I was determined to try it again. So I departed Polipoli Farms with a big stack of green bele leaves riding shotgun. Once home, I retreated to the kitchen. I didn’t have the ingredients for lau lau, so I decided to test-run the bele disguised as spinach in eggs Florentine the next morning. I washed the bele, melted butter in a large pot and sauteed some onions and garlic. I tossed in the bele and five minutes later, the mass had *Lau lau is a Hawaiian dish made with pork or fish that is seasoned, wrapped in taro leaves, and then steamed. Counterclockwise from top right: Rich green bele leaves are chock full of vitamins and minerals. I picked the best leaves from a tall bele bush at Polipoli Farms to take home. Bele can be used similarly to spinach. Here, I chop, saute and cook it down for breakfast the next day.

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BECKY’S BACKYARD

Sauteed Bele

Makes 4–6 Servings | Prep Time: 20 Minutes INGREDIENTS 1 pound bele, thoroughly washed 4 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ medium onion, diced 1 clove garlic, chopped salt and pepper, to taste lemon wedge, optional DIRECTIONS Remove stems from bele leaves and discard. Melt butter over medium heat in a deep pot and add onions and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add bele and toss with tongs until leaves are coated with butter/onion mixture. Cover and cook 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (to taste). Serve with a lemon wedge, if desired.

DISHWARE BY JOYCE CHIN @SIGUECERAMICS

cooked down to about three cups and resembled spinach in every way. I placed it in a container and put it in the fridge. The next morning, I asked my husband, Chris — who is also known at home as the Hollandaise King — to make eggs Florentine to top my homemade English muffins. “The spinach is already cooked and in the fridge,” I said casually. “You just have to warm it through.” When we sat down to eat, Chris commented: “This spinach is really good, and the dish was fast since it was already precooked. We should do that more often.” It was then that I disclosed the secret identity of the “spinach,” and Chris couldn’t believe it was true. That afternoon, I pureed the remaining bele and added shrimp stock, a light roux, sherry and cream to make shrimp bisque. It was broke-da-mouth delicious! Spinach is difficult to grow at our 350-foot elevation, so bele will be a good substitute. Since it can be propagated with cuttings, I plan to avail myself of more from Polipoli Farms on my next visit!

Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

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Excellent, except in winter.

Excellent all year.

Excellent. Plant in spring; too cold in winter.

Very good all year.

Thrives all year.

Excellent all year.

Excellent all year except winter.

Beans (bush and pole)

Beets

Bok choy (tatsoi)

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrots

Celery

Chayote squash

Collard greens

Corn, sweet

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANGELA KAY KEPLER

Does well.

Asparagus

UPCOUNTRY 2000-4000 FEET

When you live on an island with as many microclimates as Maui’s, the secret to growing vegetables has everything to do with location. We asked Dr. Angela Kay Kepler, a consummate Maui gardener, to help us plot the perfect plants for a Maui vegetable garden — no matter where on the island you’ve set down your roots.

Very good, except in winter.

Wonderful. Provide some shade.

Not recommended.

Good all year. Needs some shade.

Grows all year; needs new plot each time. Try Nantes Half-long, Pot ’o Gold Hybrid and Scarlet Nantes.

A winter crop; plant seeds/seedlings in October.

Can last up to three years. Rain and clouds in winter slow growth.

Very good, especially in winter.

Does well if given new soil with each replanting. Grows all year; slower in winter.

Excellent all year; less productive in winter.

Does well; needs lots of weeding.

DOWNCOUNTRY WINDWARD 0-1000 FEET

Listada de Gandia — heirloom eggplant

Very good; better in winter here than in windward areas.

Worth a try; give some shade.

Not recommended.

May be good in shade. Can be bitter.

Not recommended.

Not recommended, but if you want to try, plant in winter.

Generally too hot; try in winter.

Try in winter.

Grows all year. Give new soil with each replanting.

Good all year.

Spears will be thinner, more water required. Can grow close to the ocean in salty soil.

DOWNCOUNTRY LEEWARD 0-400 FEET

Packman Hybrid broccoli

Assorted squash

Corn caterpillars may infest plants; remove old stalks from property. Fertilize heavily when corn is kneehigh; mulch around stalks.

Replant every year. Stalks curl around; give them space.

Mild succulent squash, delicious leaves. Harvest young.

Keep moist. Cut central, youngest stalks for use.

Keep moist by mulching with a fine layer of grass clippings. Slow-growing. Prefers light, rich and sandy soils. Dig deep and aerate well before planting seeds.

Try Copenhagen Market and Premium Late Flat Dutch varieties.

Don’t let heads flower or go to seed; will result in fewer edible heads. Fertilize well.

Detroit Dark Red is best. Needs ample water. Rootknot nematodes a problem below 1,000 feet.

White- and purple-flowering varieties are best. Don’t plant scarlet below 3,500 feet.

Grows year-round; needs sandy soil. Cut back once or twice a year and add ample fertilizer. Weed and water frequently.

COMMENTS

Pot o’ Gold carrots

How does your garden grow?

More luck here than elsewhere, except in winter.

Excellent all year

Excellent, except in winter.

Excellent all year.

Excellent, except in summer.

All types excellent, less so in winter. Only Maui area producing good bulbs.

All types excellent all year.

Winter squash like butternut good, except in winter. Zucchini and summer squash better here than downcountry.

Good all year. Keep dry and grow in fairly poor soil.

Very good all year, less so in summer.

Very good all year, except winter.

Cucumbers

Daikon (winter radish)

Eggplant

Kale

Lettuce

Onions

Soybeans

Spinach

Squash

Sweet potatoes

Swiss chard

Tomatoes

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANGELA KAY KEPLER

Very good all year, except winter.

Very good all year, excellent in cooler months.

Not worth the effort.

Kabocha is delicious, productive all year. Vines may last three years. Other types less productive; forget zucchini and summer squash.

Not worth the effort.

All types excellent all year.

Green onions excellent all year. Plant every couple of months.

Excellent, except in summer. Pick heat-tolerant varieties.

Excellent all year. May last two to three years with care.

Excellent all year.

Taste and texture inferior to Upcountry.

Worth trying.

Very good all year. Fewer fruit flies; try medium-sized varieties like Early Girl.

Too hot in summer. Good in winter.

Excellent all year.

Fewer fruit flies here, which means better luck with squash.

Not worth the effort.

Try all year; summers may be too hot.

Green onions excellent all year. Plant every couple of months.

Plant leaf variety in cool months. When it’s hot, plant in light shade.

Climate is a bit hot, but worth a try.

Excellent all year.

Not recommended.

Fewer fruit flies and fungi here. Worth a try.

Fruit flies ruin large varieties like Big Boy or Beefsteak. Most reliable: cherry or patio tomatoes, e.g. Large Red Cherry. Supersweet 100, Tommy Toe, Roma usually OK.

Keep moist. Don’t overfertilize; roots burn easily.

Purple-fleshed Okinawan/Moloka‘i sweet potato is delicious. Plant from cuttings, never from tubers; a larval insect burrows into the flesh. Replant in a new location each time because of this insect.

All members of the squash/cucumber family do poorly because of fruit flies. If you grow zucchini, try Embassy Hybrid from Park Seed.

For bulb onions (Upcountry), let top leaves die back and fold over before harvesting.

Recommend Mānoa, Black-seeded Simpson, Red Sails and Buttercrunch.

Try lacinato, an Italian kale with dark blue-green, tasty leaves. Dwarf Blue Scotch and Red Russian also good.

Somewhat drought-resistant. Recommend Black Beauty and heirloom Listada de Gandia varieties.

Needs cold climate for best taste.

Problems with fruit flies and leaf fungi (powdery mildew). Choose thick-skinned varieties like Japanese Climbing.

GARDENING

A naturalist, organic farmer and awardwinning author, Dr. Angela Kay Kepler also is the world’s leading authority on Hawaiian and Eastern Pacific bananas. She and husband Frank Rust coauthored the definitive book on the subject: The World of Bananas in Hawai‘i: Then and Now (2011, University of Hawai‘i Press). Its 612 pages and 1,900 color illustrations catalog virtually every edible and inedible banana in Hawai‘i, including spectacular ornamentals and the little-known ma‘i hāpai, or “pregnant” banana, whose fruit grows inside the plant’s trunk. The book also lends insight into Hawaiian culture, examining traditional foods, chants, legends, crafts and even how parts of the banana plant were used to weave everyday clothing. A recipe chapter features all manner of dishes, from banana mayonnaise to meatplantain casserole and everything in between. This “banana bible” won the 2012 Ka Palapala Po‘okela Award for excellence in natural science. It’s available for purchase at uhpress.hawaii.edu. ($80).

Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

MIXOLOGY

Herbal Essences

Story by Becky Speere

The reopening of the Luana Lounge at the Fairmont Kea Lani perfectly coincided with the arrival of our friends from California, who came to Maui to celebrate their birthdays. “Let’s meet at the hotel’s new poke bar, Pang’s Poke, and celebrate,” I suggested. A gentle breeze wafting through the portico carried with it live music as we valeted the car. We sat down and perused the new menu, and were delighted by the creatively named cocktails such as Moana Mist and Painkillah. My husband, Chris, ordered the Angel’s Share Old Fashioned while I ordered

the Makalapua, a mix of Maui-made Ocean Vodka, hibiscus syrup and fresh fruit juices topped with lavender bitters. Our friends ordered mai tais shaken with local Agricole rum, lime and curaçao and declared them amazing. And we were all especially impressed with the ice cubes: each was embossed with the Luana name and logo. Flush with drinks, we were ready to dine, and ordered ‘ahi poke bowls, tiger shrimp, eggplant and seafood cocktails, as well as a Maui Cattle Co. beef burger brought over from the Burger Bar at the Fairmont’s AMA Bar & Grill. Tummy sated, it was time for a

new cocktail — the Basil Schmasil. Mixologist Chris Mikow came to greet our table. “I love this,” I said, holding up my drink. “It’s balanced and herbaceous. How did you come up with it?” “I was discarding a lot of fresh basil picked from the hotel garden that was meant for a cocktail no one was ordering,” he said. “I felt challenged to create a gin-based drink utilizing that basil.” After much tweaking, Mikow devised the Basil Schmasil, which quickly rose to the top of the cocktail list. Visit Luana and try one for yourself!

Basil Schmasil 4–5 fresh basil leaves, plus 1 for garnish 1½ ounces Botanist Gin ¾ ounce Velvet Falernum ¼ ounce simple syrup ¾ ounce fresh lime juice 2 large dashes Angostura bitters 1 scoop ice Muddle basil in a tin shaker. Add remaining ingredients and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with basil leaf.

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SEA-TO-TABLE CUISINE On Napili Bay

AWARD

WINNING

Hawaii Magazine’s Third Annual Reader’s Choice Awards: Named One of the Top Five ”Best Hotel/Resort Restaurants” and "Best for Breakfast" in the state of Hawaii

OCEANFRONT Rated “Excellent” by Zagat

Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Happy Hour

DINING

Maui No Ka Oi Magazine’s Annual Maui Restaurant 'Aipono Culinary Awards: Best Ocean Front Dining: Gold

and Rosé all Day

Celebrating Over 55 Years of Aloha at Napili Kai Beach Resort 5900 Lower Honoapiilani Rd • Napili • Maui • Hawaii 96761 • 808.669.1500

Hours and More Information at SeaHouseMaui.com

Dining Guide B=Breakfast BR=Brunch L=Lunch H=Happy Hour D=Dinner N=Dinner past 9 p.m. R=Reservation recommended $=Average entrée under $15 $$=Under $25 $$$=Under $40 $$$$=$40+ =‘Aipono Readers’ Choice Award winners for 2020

WEST SIDE

and açai bowls are made with fresh ingredients. Daily specials. American. B, L, $

A‘A ROOTS Napili Plaza, 5095 Napilihau St., Ste. 3, Nāpili, 2982499 Vegan cuisine made with the freshest Maui produce. Try the açai bowl, soba bowl with peanut sauce, or bagel sandwich with hummus, avo and veggies. International. B, L, $

CLIFF DIVE GRILL Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, 2605 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 661-0031 Order Hawaiian-style edamame, a juicy burger, or fish tacos to accompany your poolside mai tai or Black Rock Lager. Hawai‘i Regional. L, D, $–$$

ALALOA LOUNGE The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua, 669-6200 Creative farm-to-table cocktails, mocktails and an exciting selection of savory dishes from the menu, such as huli huli chicken, sushi and stone-oven pizza. International. D, $–$$

THE COFFEE STORE Napili Plaza, 5095 Napilihau St., Nāpili, 669-4170 Stop in for coffee and a muffin and you may just end up staying for lunch — or longer. (They’re open until 6 p.m.) Great service, fresh-baked goods, yogurtgranola parfaits, chia pudding and to-go items. Coffee Shop. B, L, D, $

AMIGO’S 658 Front St., Lahaina, 661-0210 Authentic Mexican fajitas, tostadas, flautas and Amigo’s famous wet burritos. Kid-friendly. Mexican. B, L, D, $ AUNTIE’S KITCHEN The Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas, 6 Kai Ala Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-3259 Saimin, burgers and fresh-fish plate lunches mingle with 2020 ‘Aiponowinning poke. Local Mixed Plate. B, L, D, $–$$ THE BANYAN TREE The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., 6657096 Start with an heirloom tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella. Then a Hawaiian cioppino full of treasures from the sea in a tomato-fennel broth, or lobster agnolotti. End with warm Valrhona chocolate cake. Great cocktails. Italian. Hawai‘i Regional. D, $$–$$$$ BREAKWALL SHAVE ICE COMPANY The Wharf Cinema Center Shops, 658 Front St., #104, Lahaina, 661-4900 Grown-up shave ice? You bet! Cool off with one of the best snow cones on Maui and discover your favorite flavor. Treats. $ CANE & CANOE Montage Kapalua Bay, 1 Bay Dr., Kapalua, 662-6681 Try the avocado toast and mimosas for breakfast, and prime select steaks with horseradish créme fraiche for dinner. Lunch at the Hāna Hou Bar includes Wagyu bacon-cheddar burgers and vegetarian selections. Kid-friendly. Pacific Rim. B, D, $$$–$$$$ CAPTAIN JACK’S ISLAND GRILL The Wharf Cinema Center Shops, 672 Front St., Lahaina, 667-0988 Choices include sirens’ shrimp, Black Bart’s BBQ chicken salad and Black Beard’s Philly cheesesteak. American. L, D, $–$$ CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE 811 Front St., Lahaina, 661-4855 Wake up to oceanfront views with a cuppa joe and a luscious breakfast. For lunch, try the poke, wings, onion rings or a hefty cheeseburger. For dinner: the Aloha Fish and Fries. International. B, L, D, $–$$ CHOICE HEALTH BAR 1087 Limahana Pl., #1A, Lahaina, 661-7711; Second West Maui location: Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali All juices, smoothies, salads, soups

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COOL CAT CAFÉ The Wharf Cinema Center Shops, 658 Front St., Lahaina, 667-0908 Burgers, chicken and more in a ’50s diner atmosphere. Kid-friendly. American. L, D, $ DOWN THE HATCH The Wharf Cinema Center Shops, 658 Front St., Lahaina, 661-4900 Mermaid fries with cheese and lava sauce, towering shrimp cocktails, fresh island fish and lots of aloha. Great shave ice, too! (See Breakwall’s listing.) Hawai‘i Regional. B, L, H, D, N, $$ DRUMS OF THE PACIFIC Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-4727 Enjoy a traditional imu ceremony and Hawaiian cuisine, plus the dances and music of Polynesia. Kid-friendly. Lū‘au. D, R, $$$$ DUKE’S BEACH HOUSE MAUI Honua Kai Resort & Spa, 130 Kai Malina Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 662-2900 Imagine Old Hawai‘i while dining on crab-and-macadamia-nut wontons or prime rib at this open-air beach house. Kid-friendly. American/Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $$ FEAST AT LELE 505 Front St., Lahaina, 667-5353 This classic beachfront lū‘au explores the cultural and culinary world of the Pacific Islands. Open bar. Lū‘au. D, R, $$$$ FLEETWOOD’S ON FRONT ST. 744 Front St., Lahaina, 669-6425 (Yes, that Fleetwood!) Pacific oysters with tart apple mignonette, grilled Hawaiian shutome and a one-pound Harley Davidson Hog Burger. Bar opens at 2 p.m. American/British Pub Food. L, H, D, N, $$–$$$$ FOND Napili Plaza, 5095 Napilihau St., Ste. 115, Nāpili, 856-0225 Breakfast silog bowls with garlic fried rice, sammies for lunch, Wednesday night fried-chicken special and Sunday Chef’s Table. Eurasian. B, L, D, $–$$ FRIDA’S MEXICAN BEACH HOUSE 1287 Front St. Lahaina, 661-1287 Chalupas, fresh aguachile ‘ahi, short-rib tacos and great mixology

Due to COVID-19, some venues may still be closed or have limited hours. Please call ahead or visit their social media sites for information.

are among the reasons this seaside restaurant won the Gold ‘Aipono Award for Best Mexican Cuisine. Latin-inspired. L, H, D, $–$$ GAZEBO Napili Shores, 5315 L. Honoapi‘ilani Hwy., Nāpili, 669-5621 Have breakfast for lunch, or lunch for breakfast! Fluffy pancakes, omelets, plate lunches with Cajunspiced chicken or kālua pork, salads and seven burgers to choose from. Ocean views are free! International. B, BR, L, $ HONOLULU COFFEE COMPANY Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali, 868-4806 ‘Aipono’s 2019 Silver Award-winner for Best Coffee Shop, this full-service coffee bar also offers light fare such as a granola parfait with fresh fruit, bagels, and ham and cheese croissants. Coffee Shop. B, L, $ HONU SEAFOOD & PIZZA 1295 Front St., Lahaina, 667-9390 Mark Ellman serves bicoastal seafood and killer Neapolitan pizza. Seafood/Pizza. L, D, $$ HULA GRILL Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 667-6636 Dip your toes in the sand at the Barefoot Bar and enjoy poke tacos, mai tais, homemade ice cream sandwiches and live music. Kid-friendly. Hawai‘i Regional. L, H, D, $$ HUIHUI Kā‘anapali Beach Hotel, 2525 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 262-8450 Chef Tom Murumoto’s menu features local flavors in an oceanfront setting. For breakfast, try poi pancakes with coconut syrup; for lunch, a Moloka‘i venison burger and tropical refreshers; and for dinner, poke, lū‘au plates, seafood and pan-fried rib-eye steak. Kid-friendly. Hawai‘i Regional. B, L, D, $-$$$$ JAPENGO Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-4727 Great steaks and authentic sushi prepared with the finest seafood are among the reasons Japengo won ‘Aipono Gold for Restaurant of the Year in 2019 and for Best Pacific Rim Cuisine in 2020. Japanese. D, N, $$$ JOEY’S KITCHEN Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 868-4474 Second West Maui location: Napili Plaza, 5095 Napilihau St., Nāpili, 214-5590 Start your day with macadamia nut pancakes or a kālua pork omelet at Whalers Village, and end with dinner at Joey’s Nāpili venue. Chef Joey Macadangdang knows good food. Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $–$$ LAHAINA GRILL 127 Lahainaluna, Rd., Lahaina, 667-5117 Treat yourself to a warm, pecan-crusted goat cheese and arugula salad, Maui onion and sesamecrusted ‘ahi steak with jasmine rice, or the famous Kona coffee-roasted rack of lamb with a coffeecabernet demi-glace. Great wine selection and cocktails. American/Pacific Rim. D, R, $$$$

A Constellation, A Gathering, A Mixture - All things Huihui A voyage begins...call for more information (808) 667-0124 | huihuirestaurant.com

Dining Guide More listings at MauiMagazine.net/DiningGuide Due to COVID-19, some venues may still be closed or have limited hours. Please call ahead or visit their social media sites for information. LEILANI’S ON THE BEACH Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 661-4495 Chef Ryan Luckey rocks island flavors with guava chicken wings, ‘ahi poke with taro chips, and crab cakes with tomatillo aioli. Entrees include filet mignon with green onion gremolata or a Parmesancrusted fresh catch. Don’t forget the Hula Pie! Kid-friendly. Steak/Seafood. L, H, D, N, $-$$$$ LEODA’S KITCHEN & PIE SHOP 820 Olowalu Village Rd., Olowalu, 662-3600 Try the house-made pastrami on fresh-baked bread with pineapple coleslaw and an ice-cold beer. The mac-nut chocolate cream pie and fresh-squeezed lemonade will make you want to dance! American. B, L, D, $ LOCAL BOYS SHAVE ICE 624 Front St., Lahaina, 868-3476 This location also serves açai bowls, coffee and bagels. See also South Shore listing. Treats. $ MĀLA OCEAN TAVERN 1307 Front St., Lahaina, 667-9394 Snap peas slathered in ginger and sambal, and fresh ‘ahi atop flaxseed bruschetta satisfy the health-conscious and hedonistic alike at this surfside tavern. Turtle sightings nearly guaranteed. Mediterranean. BR (Sat & Sun), L, D, $$

PACIFIC’O 505 Front St., Lahaina, 667-4341 Oceanfront dining with fresh produce from the restaurant’s own Upcountry farm. Poke, seafood and steak. Hawai‘i Regional. D (Tues-Sat), $$-$$$$ PĀ‘IA FISH MARKET RESTAURANT 632 Front St., Lahaina, 662-3456 See North Shore listing. PAPA‘AINA Pioneer Inn, 658 Wharf St., Lahaina, 661-3636 Try the curated menu from Bravo’s Top Chef competitor Lee Anne Wong. Smoked salmon Benedict for breakfast, cheesy kālua pork nachos and a cold beer at happy hour. Dig into a plate of shrimp and Portuguese sausage linguine for dinner. Pacific Rim. B, L, H, D, $–$$ PIZZA PARADISO MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 3350 L. Honoapi‘ilani Hwy., Kā‘anapali, 667-2929 Juicy gyros, flavorful falafel in warm pita bread with a side of tabbouleh, kabob platters and pizza. Dine in or take out. Pizza/Mediterranean. L, D, $–$$ PRISON STREET PIZZA 133 Prison St., Lahaina, 662-3332 East Coast-style pizza, Caesar salad, calzones and more. Italian/ Pizza. L, D, $

MAUIGROWN COFFEE COMPANY STORE 277 Lahainaluna Rd., Lahaina, 661-2728 If you’re running low on energy, head to MauiGrown’s plantation-style hale for a boost. Pumpkin bread and other baked goods round out a great cuppa joe. Coffee Shop/Cafe. B, L, $

PŪLEHU, AN ITALIAN GRILL The Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas, 6 Kai Ala Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-3200 Try the pappardelle Bolognese made with Maui Cattle Co. beef, or succulent Kaua‘i prawn risotto. End with chocolate almond cake and amarena gelato. Italian. D, $$$

MAUKA MAKAI The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, 45 Kai Malina Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 662-6400 Expect the freshest fish, beef and lamb, vegetable sautees and islandinspired desserts at this restaurant that celebrates the fishing and farming cultures of ancient Hawai‘i. Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $–$$$

ROY’S 2290 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 669-6999 Line up for a great Maui burger at lunchtime. For dinner, dive into Roy’s blackened ‘ahi with soy mustard, ume tsukudani, daikon and pickled ginger. Save room for the signature Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle! Pacific Rim. B, L, H, D, $$$$

MERRIMAN’S KAPALUA 1 Bay Club Pl., Kapalua, 669-6400 Peter Merriman casts his spell on seafood, local beef and produce to create the most delectable fare. Pacific Rim. BR (Sun), L, D, R, $$–$$$$

ROYAL OCEAN TERRACE RESTAURANT Royal Lahaina Resort & Spa, 2780 Keka‘a Dr., Kā‘anapali, 661-3611 Breakfast offerings include loco moco and eggs Benedict, or go light with a delightful avocado toast topped with microgreens. Burgers and prime rib, too. Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $–$$

MISO PHAT SUSHI Kahana Manor, 4310 L. Honoapi‘ilani Rd., #111, Kahana, 669-9010 See South Shore listing. MOKU ROOTS 335 Keawe St., Lahaina, 214-5106 This vegan/vegetarian venue is worth a visit! Winner of the 2019 Silver ‘Aipono for Best New Restaurant and the 2020 Silver for Tastiest Healthy Fare. Vegetarian/Vegan. B, L, D, $ MONKEYPOD KITCHEN Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 878-6763 See South Shore listing. MYTHS OF MAUI Royal Lahaina Resort, 2780 Keka‘a Dr., Kā‘anapali, 661-9119 Live music, Polynesian dance and an Island-inspired buffet complete with kālua pig unearthed from the imu. Lū‘au. D, R, $$$$ OLD LĀHAINA LŪ‘AU 1251 Front St., Lahaina, 667-0700 Eat lomilomi salmon and haupia (coconut pudding) like a Hawaiian. Reserve this popular lū‘au far in advance. Open bar. Kid-friendly. Lū‘au. D, R, $$$$

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SALE PEPE 878 Front St., Lahaina, 667-7667 Brick-ovenfired pizza and flatbreads highlight a menu that changes daily, with items like pancetta and ceci puree on grilled crostini and house-made strozzapreti pasta — just like chef Michele Di Bari’s mama makes in Italy. Good Italian wines and beer. Italian/Pizza. D, $$ SANSEI SEAFOOD RESTAURANT & SUSHI BAR 600 S. Office Rd., Kapalua, 669-6286 Small and action-packed, D.K. Kodama’s classy sushi bar draws lines late into the night. Try a Kenny G roll (snapper with shiso and ponzu sauce) with a swig of sake. Pacific Rim/Sushi. D, N, R, $$$ THE SEA HOUSE RESTAURANT Napili Kai Beach Resort, 5900 L. Honoapi‘ilani Rd., Nāpili, 669-1500 Start the day with oven-baked pancakes laden with fruit. Enjoy coconut-crusted shrimp as the sun sinks into Nāpili Bay. On Wednesdays, stay for Grammy Award-winner George Kahumoku Jr.’s Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar. Pacific Rim. B, L, H, D, $$$

SON’Z STEAKHOUSE Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-4506 Moroccan spiced blackened ‘ahi with soy-mustard sauce will rock your evening. Or sink your teeth into filet mignon carpaccio, rib-eye steak, or line-caught mahimahi in lemoncaper butter. Pacific Rim/Steak. H, D, N, $$–$$$$ STAR NOODLE 1285 Front St., Lahaina, 667-5400 Big-city style and local flavors unite. Enjoy a Golden Star sparkling jasmine tea as you drink in the view of Lāna‘i across the channel. The ramen broth is extra smoky, the Singapore noodles bright and flavorful. Asian. L, D, $$ TAVERNA 2000 Village Rd., Kapalua, 667-2426 Taverna is dining heaven. House-made pasta, agrodolce-style fish of the day and Italian desserts stand up to the grand finale: espresso with grappa. Great wine, cocktails and craft beer. Italian. B, L, H, D, $$-$$$ TEDDY’S BIGGER BURGERS 335 Keawe St., Lahaina, 661-9111 The staff handpat the burgers, charbroil them to order and serve them in a fun diner ambiance. Kid-friendly. American. L, D, $ TEPPAN-YAKI DAN Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, 2605 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 921-4600 Start with Oyster Dan (seared oysters with wasabi and tobiko) then watch your chef transform morsels of lobster and sirloin into a masterpiece. Japanese/Steak. D, R, $$$ THAI CHEF Old Lahaina Center, 878 Front St., Lahaina, 667-2814 This well-loved venue keeps diners coming back. Commendable curries, fresh prawn spring rolls and beef salad drenched in tangy sauce. Thai. L, D, $ TIKI THAI CUISINE Wharf Cinema Center, 658 Front St., Lahaina, 661-1919 Thai food made by Thai chefs. Hundreds of dishes, from spring rolls and pad Thai to yellow curry with seafood. Thai. L, D, $–$$ ULULANI’S HAWAIIAN SHAVE ICE 790 Front St., Lahaina, 877-3700 Second West Maui location: Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali Homemade tropicalflavored syrups such as liliko‘i and coconut set this shave-ice business apart. Kid-friendly. Treats. $ ‘ŪMALU Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-4902 Head poolside for Kobe beef sliders or ‘ahi poke nachos. Knock back a “Mutiny on the Carthaginian” cocktail inspired by Lahaina’s rowdy whaling past. Live music nightly. American/Pacific Rim. L, H, D, $$$ WAIKIKI BREWING COMPANY 900 Front St., Lahaina, 856-0036 Paddy’s Irish Stout and Waikele Wheat brew temper the heat in ~o queso dip served with a giant pretzel. the jalapen Follow it up with smoked Kona coffee-rubbed beef brisket and cheddar potato cake and you’ll be one happy patron. American. BR, L, D, $–$$ WELOWELO Kā‘anapali Beach Hotel, 2525 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 262-8450 Poolside bar and grill offering unique Hawai‘i Regional fare, pizzas, burgers and salads. Stop in for a cool cocktail or tropical ice cream. Hawai‘i Regional. L, D, $-$$

E AT\ · D R I N K · TA L K S T O RY The foundation of LINEAGE was built around family get togethers, celebrating the

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Dining Guide More listings at MauiMagazine.net/DiningGuide Due to COVID-19, some venues may still be closed or have limited hours. Please call ahead or visit their social media sites for information.

SOUTH SHORE 1054 TOGOSHI South Maui Center, 95 E. Līpoa St., Kīhei, 868-0307 Chef Manabu’s 25 years as a sushi chef — two as head chef at Morimoto’s Maui — shine through in fresh sashimi and sushi. Closed Mondays and the last Tuesday of each month. Sushi. D, $–$$ AKAMAI COFFEE COMPANY 1325 S. Kīhei Rd., Unit 100, Kīhei, 868-3251 Second South Shore location: 116 Wailea Ike Dr., Wailea, 868-0003 Experience coffee and espresso done right at this 2020 ‘Aipono Gold Award-winner for Best Coffee Shop. Coffee Shop. $ BISTRO MOLOKINI Grand Wailea Maui Resort, 3850 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-1234 A casual, open-air eatery serving organic Kurobuta pork, Hāna Bay fish and chips and grilled mahimahi made with fresh, local ingredients. Kid-friendly. American. L, D, $$$ BOTERO LOUNGE Grand Wailea Maui Resort, 3850 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-1234 Named for the surrounding Fernando Botero sculptures, this lounge offers nightly entertainment. On Thirsty Thursdays, a threecocktail tasting is just $20. Lounge. L, D, H, N, $ CAFE O’LEI 2439 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 891-1368 Choose from macadamia nut-crusted chicken, seared ‘ahi tuna, tiger shrimp linguine and other favorites. American/ Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $$

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COCONUT’S FISH CAFE Azeka Shopping Center Makua, 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 875-9979 Dive into fresh fish tacos, a grilled fish burger or fish and chips. The cabbage slaw with coconut dressing and mango salsa sets this eatery apart. American. L, D, $$ DUO Four Seasons Resort Maui, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8000 Breakfast buffet or à la carte? Did someone mention chateaubriand? Four Seasons never disappoints. Pacific Rim. B, D, $–$$$ FABIANI’S PIZZERIA & BAKERY South Maui Center, 95 E. Līpoa St., Kīhei, 874-0888 Second South Shore location: 34 Wailea Gateway Pl., Wailea, 874-1234 Enjoy bagels and lox, fresh croissants, caprese salad with local tomatoes, thin-crust and gluten-free pizza, and spaghetti with house-made pork sausage meatballs. Italian/Bakery. B, L, D, $$ FAT DADDY’S SMOKEHOUSE 1913 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 879-8711 What happens to pulled pork, beef brisket and pork ribs when they’re smoked for fifteen hours over kiawe? Something amazing. Enjoy sides like cornbread, chili-garlic beans and two cabbage slaws: one sweet-tart and one with blue cheese and apples. American. D, $–$$ FERRARO’S BAR E RISTORANTE Four Seasons Resort Maui, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8000 For lunch, enjoy a veggie quesadilla or a grilled tenderloin sandwich served poolside. For dinner, salumi and lobster tagliatelle. Italian. L, H, D, $$$$ FORK & SALAD 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 879-3675 Chef/owners Cody, Travis and Jaron serve up green superfoods topped with pastrami-style seared ‘ahi, baked quinoa falafel, or ginger tofu. Vegan, gluten- and dairy-free options. International. L, D, $ FOUR SEASONS LOBBY LOUNGE Four Seasons Resort Maui, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8000 Impeccable service, a locally sourced menu, swanky cocktails and performances by local songwriters. Pacific Rim. H, D, N, $$$$ HAVENS 30 Manao Kala St., Kīhei, 868-2600 Local boy Zach Sato, former chef de cuisine at Hawai‘i’s Relais & Chateâux hotel and restaurant, is ready to serve at his new digs in Kīhei. Try the smash burger and noodles — chopsticks in one hand and burger in the other — local style! Hawai‘i Regional. B, L, D, $–$$ HONOLULU COFFEE COMPANY The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-6630 See West Side listing. HUMBLE MARKET KITCHIN Wailea Marriott, 3700 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 8794655 Chef Roy Yamaguchi hits it out of the park with kampachi crudo, seasonal Goose Point oysters, roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, tender beef short ribs and even saimin. Pacific Regional. B, H, D, $–$$$ ISLAND GOURMET MARKETS The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-5055 Sushi to go, deli sandwiches, plate lunches and more. Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $ KA‘ANA KITCHEN Andaz Maui Resort, 3550 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 573-1234 So many choices! A Wagyu hangar steak

on a green papaya salad, charred octopus with local goat cheese, Kona abalone risotto, and a modern take on chicken and waffles. Curated wine list and mixology at its finest. Asian Fusion. B, D, $$$$ KAMANA KITCHEN 1881 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 879-7888 Eye-catching art and Indian relics accent a menu highlighting exotic spices and dishes, all lovingly created from family recipes. Lunch buffet. Indian. L, D, $–$$ KIHEI CAFFE Kīhei Kalama Village, 1945 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 8792230 Hungry at 5 a.m.? Head to this local hangout for banana-mac-nut pancakes, loco moco and a cuppa joe. Cafe. B, L, $–$$ KŌ Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-2210 Plantation Era cuisine takes the spotlight. Try the Kobe beef poke appetizer and “On the Rock” — three mouthwatering morsels of ‘ahi served with a 300-degree lava rock to sear them to perfection. Pacific Rim. L, H, D, R, $$$ LEHUA LOUNGE Andaz Maui Resort, 3550 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 573-1234 Cocktails created with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients like lychee, liliko‘i and Hawaiian navel oranges pair perfectly with Ka‘ana Kitchen’s award-winning menu. Lounge. H, $ LINEAGE The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 879-8800 If steamed clams with housemade "XO" and lup cheong sausage, Maui beef with black garlic, and hulihuli chicken with pineapple kim chee get your juices flowing, head to Wailea — now! Eat. Drink. Talk story. Pacific Rim. D, $–$$ LOCAL BOYS SHAVE ICE Kīhei Kalama Village Shopping Center, 1941 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 344-9779 Chill out! Slurp up a mountain of fruity shave ice served with Plantation Erainspired add-ons like haupia (coconut pudding) and macadamia nut ice cream. Treats. $ LONGHI’S WAILEA The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 891-8883 Eggs Benedict made Florentine-style with spinach or topped with crabcakes will lure you out of bed. Have an open-faced chicken picatta sandwich for lunch and seafood pasta for dinner. Extensive wine list, too! Italian. B, L, H, D, $$$ LUANA LOUNGE Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-2210 This lobby lounge reimagines happy hour in tropical surroundings. Try appetizers like lū‘au-inspired kālua pork flatbread with mango barbecue sauce and lomilomi tomato, paired with ice-cold passionfruit ale. Pacific Rim. L, H, D, $–$$ MANOLI’S PIZZA COMPANY 100 Wailea Ike Dr., Wailea, 874-7499 Manoli’s believes in fresh, organic and sustainable ingredients. Order a pizza with organic wheat or glutenfree crust, or dig into chicken scaloppine. Italian/ Pizza. L, H, D, N, $$ MATTEO’S OSTERIA Wailea Town Center, 161 Wailea Ike Pl., Wailea, 879-8466 Matteo’s meatball sandwich with Maui Cattle Co. beef and Italian sausage, or ‘ahi crusted with Calabrese olive tapenade. Italian. L, H, D, $$–$$$

MISO PHAT SUSHI Azeka Shopping Center Makua, 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 891-6476 Sushi served on-site, to-go, or delivered. Sashimi platters, sushi rolls, nigiri and specialty rolls. Omakase heaven! Japanese. L, H, D, $$ MONKEYPOD KITCHEN Wailea Gateway Center, 10 Wailea Gateway Pl., Wailea, 891-2322 Lunch at this Peter Merriman restaurant includes pizza, burgers, tacos and ramen. For dinner, Big Island rib-eye with chimichurri sauce, gnocchi with pork sausage and banana cream pie. Hawai‘i Regional. L, H, D, N, $$ NICK’S FISHMARKET Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 879-7224 Enjoy classic seafood dishes beneath a sky full of stars. Woo your date with plump strawberries drenched in Grand Marnier and set aflame. Pacific Rim/Seafood. H, D, R, $$$$ NUTCHAREE’S AUTHENTIC THAI FOOD Azeka Shopping Center Makai, 1280 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 633-4840 Start with ‘ahi laab tartare salad or crispy fish and mango salad, then dig into tender braised short ribs smothered in massaman curry. Don’t forget the spring rolls! Thai. L, D, $–$$ PĀ‘IA FISH MARKET RESTAURANT 1913 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 874-8888 The same yummy menu that hooked surfers and families in Pā‘ia is now in Kīhei. See North Shore listing. THE PINT & CORK The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 727-2038 Mac ‘n’ cheese with black truffles, shrimp and grits with chorizo, poke bowls, and burgers. During football season you can score breakfast, too! American. L, H, D, N, $–$$

SEASCAPE RESTAURANT Maui Ocean Center, 192 S. Mā‘alaea Rd., Mā‘alaea, 270-7068 Mahimahi sandwiches with fresh cabbage slaw, half-pound burgers and veggie selections. Save room for Maui Mud Pie: coffee ice cream topped with fudge. American. L (daily), H, D (Sat/Sun), $$–$$$ SOUTH SHORE TIKI LOUNGE Kīhei Kalama Village, 1913 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 874-6444 Gourmet pizza, burgers, salads and several vegetarian items round out the menu at this hip bar. American. L, D, N, $ SPAGO Four Seasons Resort, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8000 Start with fresh poke nestled in crunchy sesame-miso cones, then enjoy the caramelized pork chop with exotic notes of anise, cinnamon and pineapple. Chef Peleg will have you singing his praises. Pacific Rim. D, N, $$–$$$ TANPOPO 1215 S. Kīhei Rd., #F, Kīhei, 446-3038 Lunch offerings include ramen, Japanese-style chicken curry, California rolls and beef burgers. Dinner goes Italian and Japanese with pasta, flatbreads, sashimi, sushi and tempura. Japanese/Italian Fusion. L, D, $–$$$ THREE’S BAR & GRILL 1945-G S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 879-3133 Eggs Benedict six ways, including seared ‘ahi, smoked salmon and prime rib. For lunch, Peruvian pork tacos or signature ramen. For dinner, truffle-yaki marinated flatiron steak. Follow their food truck on Facebook. Pacific Rim/Southwestern. B, L, H, D, $$–$$$

TOMMY BAHAMA RESTAURANT & BAR The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-9983 Who’d guess a clothing company could deliver such delish pork sandwiches and Caribbeaninspired libations? Caribbean/Pacific Rim. L, H, D, N, $–$$ ULULANI’S HAWAIIAN SHAVE ICE 61 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei See West Side listing. VIDAD’S LOCAL KINE GRINDZ 1 Pi‘ikea Ave., Kīhei, 214-6995 Local plate-lunch menu changes regularly to showcase island-style cuisine. Fried poke bowl, steak bites, garlic shrimp and chow fun, too! Food Truck. L, D, $

CENTRAL BISTRO CASANOVA 33 Lono Ave., Kahului, 873-3650 This downtown bistro serves paella for two, fresh-cut french fries and burrata caprese. Best pau hana (happy hour) in Kahului! Mediterranean. L, H, D, $–$$ CAFE O’LEI, THE DUNES AT MAUI LANI 1333 Maui Lani Pkwy., Kahului, 877-0073 Same great fare as the South Shore location, served beside a links golf course overlooking West Maui’s mountain. American/Pacific Rim. L, H, D, $$ CAFE O’LEI AT THE MILL HOUSE Maui Tropical Plantation, 1670 Honoapi‘ilani Hwy., Waikapū, 442-7742 Fun, expanded menu at the restaurant group’s newest venue. Maui’s most beautiful mountain backdrop! Hawai‘i Regional. L, H, D, $–$$$

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PITA PARADISE Wailea Gateway Center, 34 Wailea Ike Dr., Wailea, 879-7177 Start with classic spinach tiropitas with caramelized onions, feta, mozzarella and tzatziki wrapped in phyllo dough, then move on to kabobs, pasta and gyros. Finish with baklava ice cream cake. Mediterranean. L, H, D, $–$$$ PIZZA MADNESS 1455 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 270-9888 This family-style restaurant serves Cobb salad, hot and cold deli sandwiches and award-winning pizza. Italian/Pizza. L, D, $–$$ THE RESTAURANT AT HOTEL WAILEA 555 Kaukahi St., Wailea, 879-2224 Produce from the hotel’s gardens and fish plucked from island waters provide some of the freshest ingredients around. With a gorgeous outdoor setting, it’s a night made in heaven. European-inspired. H, D, N, $$–$$$$ ROASTED CHILES Azeka Shopping Center Mauka, 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 868-4357 Ofir and Suki Benitez share family recipes like chicken mole, pozole verde and langostino enchiladas with tomatillo cream sauce. Giant margaritas! Mexican. L, H, D, $–$$ RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8880 Steaks and homespun side dishes worthy of devotion, top-flight service and a superb wine list. American. H, D, N, $$$$ SANSEI SEAFOOD RESTAURANT & SUSHI BAR Kīhei Town Center, 1881 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 879-0004 See West Side listing.

AND OUR HOMEMADE SWEET & SAVORY PIES

OPEN DAILY FROM 7AM to 8PM

BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER

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Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep–Oct 2021

Dining Guide More listings at MauiMagazine.net/DiningGuide Due to COVID-19, some venues may still be closed or have limited hours. Please call ahead or visit their social media sites for information.

ESTERS FAIR PROSPECT 2050 Main Street, Wailuku, 868-0056 Serving classic cocktails, tiki drinks, craft spirits, rum, amaro, Mezcal, tequila, wine and beer. Local farm-to-tableinspired small plates. Rosé wine and daiquiris during happy hour. Open 2-10 p.m. Lounge/Snacks. H, $ FORK & SALAD Pu‘unene Shopping Center, 120 Ho‘okele St., Unit 330, Kahului, 793-3256 See South Shore listing. MAUI COFFEE ROASTERS 444 Hāna Hwy., Kahului, 877-CUPS (2877) Pastries, muffins, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and bagels and lox made to order. Fresh-roasted coffee beans set this experience above the rest. “Happy Cappy Hour” 2-6 p.m. Coffee Shop. B, L, H, $ MAUI FRESH STREATERY MauiFreshStreatery.com, 344-7929 The 2019 ‘Aipono Chef of the Year, Kyle Kawakami won the 2020 Gold ‘Aipono for Best Food Truck. Street food with imaginative poutine, ethnic dishes from around the world and a modern take on local fare. Follow him on Facebook for locations. Food Truck. L, $ ONLY ONO BBQ Kahului, 777-9026 Crispy-skin Chinese-style roast pork and duck, bao pork buns, plate lunches and smoked brisket. Location varies; download menu and schedule at OnlyOnoBBQ.com. Chinese/American. L, D, $ A SAIGON CAFE 1792 Main St., Wailuku, 243-9560 Squeeze into a booth and order a clay pot, Vietnamese burrito, or lemongrass curry. Vietnamese. L, D, $ SAM SATO’S 1750 Wili Pa Loop, Wailuku, 244-7124 This beloved Maui restaurant sets the standard for dry mein, saimin and chow fun. Asian. B, L, $ THAI MEE UP Plate Lunch Marketplace, 591 Haleakalā Hwy., Kahului, 214-3369 Addictive fried pork ribs and luscious pad Thai noodles. Curry, too! Thai. Food Truck. L, D, $ TIGHT TACOS 349 Hanakai St., Kahului, 707-1221 Get the threetaco plate lunch (braised beef, pork and shrimp) with street corn, rice and salsa. Scratch great Mexican street food off your foodie bucket list! Mexican. L, $ TIKI THAI CUISINE 395 Dairy Rd., Kahului, 893-0026 See West Side listing. TIN ROOF MAUI 360 Papa Pl., Kahului, 868-0753 Sheldon Simeon of Top Chef fame builds memorable kau kau bowls filled with savory offerings: furikake-crusted seared salmon, Kaua‘i prawns in garlic butter and a killer spicy fried-chicken sandwich. Pacific Rim. L, $ TJ’S WAREHOUSE 875 Alua St., Wailuku, 244-7311 Located in Wailuku Industrial Park, TJ’s serves plate lunch to-go: chicken katsu, fried saba (mackerel) and daily specials like potato croquettes, nishime and poke. Asian. B, L, $

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UMI MAUI 1951 Vineyard St., Wailuku, 269-1802 If a California roll topped with tuna, hamachi, salmon, unagi and kimchi-butter foam rocks your world, then chef Jayse Sato’s restaurant is your earthquake! Creative presentations and flavors. Epic soft-shell crab bao buns. BYOB. Japanese. D, $–$$ ULULANI’S HAWAIIAN SHAVE ICE 333 Dairy Rd., Kahului Second Central Maui location: 50 Maui Lani Pkwy., Wailuku See West Side listing. WAILUKU COFFEE COMPANY 28 N. Market St., Wailuku, 495-0259 Espresso, salads, sandwiches and ice cream served in a relaxed and eclectic setting. Coffee Shop. B, L, $

UPCOUNTRY GRANDMA’S COFFEE HOUSE 9232 Kula Hwy., Kēōkea, 878-2140 The eggs Benedict and baked goods made from scratch are worth the trek. For lunch, enjoy a hamburger with Swiss cheese and caramelized onions. Coffee Shop. B, L, $–$$ KULAMALU FOOD TRUCK LOT Kiopa‘a St., Pukalani Gravel lot next to Longs. Many food trucks with a choice of vegetarian, local-style plate lunches, açai bowls, barbecue and more. LA PROVENCE 3158 L. Kula Rd., Kula, 878-1313 Perfect croissants, fruit tarts, blueberry-mango scones and artisan breads baked fresh daily. Great coffee. Cash only. French/Bakery. B, L (Weds-Sun), $ LUMERIA’S WOODEN CRATE 1813 Baldwin Ave., Makawao, 579-8877 Fresh, locally caught fish and other healthy fare highlight a menu that changes daily. Produce grown on site is the foundation for many dishes at this charming retreat. Pacific Rim. B, L, D, R, $$–$$$$

MAUIWINE 14815 Pi‘ilani Hwy., Kula, 878-6058 Enjoy wine tastings and light fare in the open air lānai. Immaculate grounds surrounding the wine tasting room are perfect for a picnic with delicious food like chili and venison burgers from Ulupalakua Deli, located across the road. Winery. $-$$. O‘O FARM 651 Waipoli Rd., Kula. (Call Pacific’O Restaurant, 667-4341 Take a tour to learn about organic gardening and coffee roasting. Enjoy a breakfast veggie frittata, bread from the wood-burning oven and fresh-roasted coffee in this bucolic setting. Lunch includes chicken and fish entrees, roasted veggies and dessert. American. B, L, $$$$ ULUPALAKUA RANCH STORE & GRILL 14800 Pi‘ilani Hwy., ‘Ulupalakua, 878-2561 Across the road from MauiWine, find great deli fare, lamb burgers with tzatziki, and grass-fed venison or beef burgers. Plus, homestyle chili and rice or kālua pork plate lunch. American. L, D, $

NORTH SHORE CHOICE HEALTH BAR 11 Baldwin Avenue, Pā‘ia, 661-7711 See West Side listing. FLATBREAD COMPANY 89 Hāna Hwy., Pā‘ia, 579-8989 Big booths, a snazzy bar scene and organic flatbreads laden with maple-fennel sausage and roasted veggies. Kid-friendly. Pizza. L, D, N, $$ MAMA’S FISH HOUSE 799 Poho Pl., Kū‘au, 579-8488 Mama’s is famous for its heart-stirring, beachside, windward setting and Polynesian-inspired cuisine. Each detail evokes old-time island hospitality. In 2018, this Maui institution became a James Beard nominee for Best Restaurant. Hawaiian/Seafood. L, D, R, $$–$$$$ NUKA 780 Ha‘ikū Rd., Ha‘ikū, 575-2939 Izakaya food with flavor and style. Start with paper-thin fried gobo chips, then ‘ahi tataki with ponzu sauce. Creative lunch and dinner specials. Save room for black-sesame or green-tea ice cream! Japanese. L, D, $$–$$$ NYLOS 115 Baldwin Ave., Pā‘ia, 579-3354 Ever since its opening, this fine-dining restaurant has garnered rave reviews on the coconut wireless for its menu and casual ambiance. International. D, $$$ PAIA BOWLS 43 Hāna Hwy., Pā‘ia, 214-6504 Get amped with healthy fruit-and-granola açai bowls, avocado toast and nitro coffee. Try add-ons like ashwaganda, cordyceps and brain dust in your favorite Blue Majik smoothie. You’ll be waffling the surf after your iced matcha latte. Surfer fare. B, L, $ PĀ‘IA FISH MARKET 100 Hāna Hwy., Pā‘ia, 579-8030 Huge slabs of fish served with coleslaw on burger buns explain the line out the door. Order your ‘ahi burger rare and squeeze in beside surfers and families. Kid-friendly. Seafood. L, D, $ WAILUKU COFFEE CO. Aloha Aina Center., 810 Kokomo Rd., Ha‘ikū, 8683229 Downtown goes “country” with this second location, serving the same tasty salads, sandwiches, ice cream and espresso. Coffee Shop. B, L, $

HĀNA BAREFOOT CAFE 1632 Keawa Pl., Hāna, 446-5732 Take out a breakfast like French toast or scrambled eggs with Portuguese sausage. Midday, get a burger or mahimahi plate lunch to-go. Pacific Rim. B, L, $ THE RESTAURANT Hyatt’s Hāna-Maui Resort, 5031 Hāna Hwy., Hāna, 359-2401 Hāna-sourced fish and local produce are the basis of this original menu. Try a craft cocktail with fresh juices. Pacific Rim. B, L, D, R, $$–$$$$

MĀLAMA MAUI

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Doing Good

By Felix Sunny D’Souza

1: BRYAN BERKOWITZ / 2: DARLA PALMER-ELLINGSON / 3: GROW SOME GOOD

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In alignment with the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s Mālama Hawai‘i initiative, which encourages island visitors to give back to their destination, Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi is highlighting local resorts, restaurants and businesses that embody this effort and encourage their patrons to do so, as well. Here are some standouts worthy of recognition.

(1) CHOCOLATE LAULIMA Maui Ku‘ia Estate Chocolate, the largest chocolate factory in Hawai‘i, is supporting the Maui community with Chocolate Laulima (many hands), a cooperative program in which 40 percent of online retail sales go to fund a specific nonprofit. Simply visit the MKEC website, click on a link to the charity of your choice, then select from MKEC items on that page to purchase; a portion of that sale will directly benefit that charity. Partners in the program include Habitat for Humanity Maui, Hawaiian Islands Land Trust and the Whale Trust. What’s more, all ticket sales from MKEC’s Saturday chocolate-tasting tours are donated to the Maui Food Bank, and profits from the Sunday tours benefit a different Chocolate Laulima partner each week. mauichocolate.com | IG/FB @mauichocolate

(2) REEF RESCUE Cultural advisor Kimokeo Kapahulehua delivered a Hawaiian blessing at the groundbreaking ceremony for a wastewater pilot project in Kīhei. The event was hosted by the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council and Ridge to Reefs — nonprofits dedicated to the restoration and health of the Maui coral reef system — as well as Sunshine Vetiver Solutions, a company which cultivates a fast-growing grass with deep roots to help bind the soil and prevent erosion. This nature-based process will help manage and

reuse treated wastewater coming out of the Kīhei Wastewater Reclamation Facility and reduce land-to-sea pollution. “We are happy to see the progress Maui County is making to reuse its wastewater,” said Paul Sturm, founder and executive director of Ridge to Reefs. The ultimate goal of the project: 100 percent water reuse.

(3) GROWING COMMUNITY Grow Some Good, a nonprofit dedicated to creating hands-on, outdoor learning experiences for youth, is distributing garden learning kits to participating elementary school teachers. The kits come complete with everything the students need to become successful “gardeners” — pots, soil, seeds, journals, coloring pencils and magnifying glasses. Over the course of two months, teachers and students use weekly training and activity videos to learn how to grow the plants at home or at school. At the end of the program, students may either keep their plants and continue to cultivate them, or they may return them to Grow Some Good and help support the community through organizations such as Hungry Homeless Heroes and The Maui Farm. GSG estimates the students’ donated plants could provide more than 10,000 meals for those in need. growsomegood.org | IG/FB @growsomegood Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Sep-Oct 2021

PAU HANA

“I got tired of having my good ones walk away at parties, so now I just wear these.”

In Hawai‘i, they’re everywhere: waiting obediently by the door, overflowing the patio at parties, slapping along on a million happy feet. They’re the world’s simplest shoes: Take a flat rubber sole, poke a Y-shaped thong through the front, secure the arms of the Y to the sides and you have the basic Hawaiian slipper. Some islanders call them “zoris” in deference to the slippers’ Japanese ancestor, but they go by other names as well: thongs, flip-flops, go-aheads, gong-jongs, or the basic pidgin “sleepah.” Whatever you call them, if you’ve spent more than a few hours in the Islands, you probably own a pair. Feet down, slippers are the 50th state’s most popular footwear. But why? Why do these flat, unassuming and (mostly) unadorned rubber walking platforms outsell all other footgear in Hawai‘i? “They’re as comfortable as being barefoot, but safer,” offers one Upcountry mom whose plantation-style front porch is usually ankle-deep in her sons’ slippers, their friends’ zoris and the occasional “found” flipflop that floats around the neighborhood like a ghost mournfully seeking its mate. Although the ancient Polynesian settlers wove tough kama‘a hakahaka (openwork shoes) from twisted plant fibers, Asia is the likeliest source of Hawai‘i’s slipper habit.

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The classic “rubbah sleepah” — with no heel or ankle strap and a thong splitting the big toe from its four mates — likely evolved from zori and their clogged wooden cousins, the geta, both of which were worn in Japan for thousands of years. These footwear styles clacked into Hawai‘i in the late 1800s on the feet of 20,000 Japanese contracted sugar laborers: geta were worn for casual occasions while cloth-covered zori were reserved for more formal events. During World War II, the stately Japanese zori met the G.I.-issue American “shower shoe,” and the rubber slipper slapped into the world. Having already absorbed from their Japanese neighbors what cultural historian John DeFrancis called “the eminently sensible practice of taking off one’s shoes on entering the house,” islanders proved the perfect beta-testing site for the new footwear. It was much simpler to slip bare feet into waiting slippers rather than pulling on socks and tying laces. And you didn’t even have to break stride to put them on. “It’s a symbiotic thing — my feet create the slippers, and the slippers create my feet,” says one O‘ahu resident. “If you grew up wearing them, you develop prehensile toes to keep them on. Because of my slippers, I can pick up a big, fat flashlight, a

Story by Tom Stevens pencil or a dime with my toes.” He then demonstrates these mighty talents in turn, though the dime gives him trouble. “Okay, a nickel then,” he concludes. “The point is, my feet aren’t meant to be limited by shoes. These are island feet, not mainland feet.” Mainland feet? “You know, mainland feet — the ones that look like a naked body, exposed and plump and pale, and somehow it’s wrong to gaze upon them,” he says sadly. After much discussion about slippers with several more island friends, it becomes apparent there are two camps. One group buys only $4.99 drugstore brands because inevitably, the shoes get lost under steps or chewed up by dogs; the other buys fancy $35 “surf shop” slippers (e.g. Sanuk, OluKai, Reef) with combat-tough canvas thongs and hearty soles that last. “I know when I pay my $35 that I’ve got my footwear for the next 10 years,” says Upcountry Mom. A neighbor shrugs. “I got tired of having my good ones walk away at parties, so now I just wear these.” He waves vaguely toward the porch, then looks puzzled. “Hey, where’d I leave them?” This story originally appeared in our Spring 1997 issue.

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