Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine May-Jun 2015 by Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine

OUR GUIDE TO THE BEST EATING & DRINKING

50 AWARDWINNING PLACES TO DINE! Maui’s Chef of the Year Entertain Like a Pro Cocktails to Make at Home Chefs Who Make a Difference MAY-JUN ‘15 US/CAN$4.95

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KILLER DELICACY Saving a creature more deadly than sharks

THINK YOU KNOW MAUI? This treasure hunt will surprise you

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34 ANNUAL TH

JUNE 11–14, 2015 K A P A L U A

R E S O R T

FABULOUS FOOD, FESTIVITIES AND FUN! •••

Interactive Wine Tasting Seminars

Celebrity Cooking Demonstrations with Chefs Michael Mina & Charlie Palmer

Grand Tasting with live entertainment

Seafood Festival with live entertainment from Nuff Sedd •••

k a p a l u a w i n e a n d f o o d . c o m

W E E K E N D H I G H L I G H T S: EVENING GALAS The Grand Tasting – Sponsored by Honolulu Star-Advertiser/HILuxury The restaurants of Kapalua Resort unite for a culinary extravaganza second to none. Premium wines are showcased with fabulous gastronomic indulgences in a walk-around tasting all on the manicured grounds of Montage Kapalua Bay. Featured restaurants: Cane & Canoe • Kai Sushi • The Banyan Tree Merriman’s • Pineapple Grill • Plantation House Seafood Festival – Sponsored by Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card Join us at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua with Maui’s top restaurants and their seafood creations. Highlighted by incomparable wine selections, the island sounds of popular local band Nuff Sedd and topped off with Maui No Ka Oi’s Best of the Fest award, this grand finale is sure to wow!

CELEBRITY CHEF DEMONSTRATIONS Chef Charlie Palmer – Chef Charlie Palmer and winemaker compatriot Daryl Groom present a fun and feisty afternoon of food and wine sampling. Chef Palmer, known for his progressive American style of cooking, is lauded as one of America’s favorite celebrity chefs.

Chef Michael Mina – Chef Michael Mina, award-winning restaurateur, celebrity chef and author, brings to life his balanced approach to cooking – focusing on the four basic elements: spice, sweetness, acidity and richness – in this interactive and engaging lunch demonstration and sampling. Michael Jordan hand selects premium wines to accompany.

INTERACTIVE WINE TASTING SEMINARS

Schedule subject to change.

M A H A LO TO O U R S P O N S O R S

Visa Signature Card

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PARADISE refreshed Hyatt Regency Maui celebrates 35 years on Ka¯`anapali Beach! Opened in 1980 as the world’s first fantasy resort, Hyatt Regency Maui continues to be a leader in providing authentic Hawaiian hospitality. Recent innovations and renovations, including redesigned spaces, updated suites, a new spa experience, additional resort pools, new dining options and a commitment to sustainability provide a refreshed and unmatched guest experience. Mahalo for being part of our `ohana (family), and letting us be part of yours. We look forward to welcoming you home soon.

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m a s te r i n g

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F L A W L E S S

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Maui Four Seasons Resort at Wailea

Oahu Halekulani The Kahala Hotel Ihilani Resort and Spa

Big Island Four Seasons Hualalai Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Mauna Lani Bay Hotel

special section

 BEST E&D

MNKO pages 67-114

OF MAUI DINING

4 dining feature

CARE AND FEEDING How Maui chefs nurture community ~ By Becky Speere

E&D

10 at home with the chef

DINING WITH THE STARS A Maui restaurateur shows how to be your dinner party’s perfect host. By Marti Rosenquist

E&D Treasure hunting’s not just for kids— and what you find may surprise you. Story on page 32. Photo by Mike Neubauer

features

32 adventure

THRILL OF THE CACHE A high-tech game of hide and seek leads to unexpected treasures. By Lehia Apana

18 maui mixology

WAITER, THERE’S A JALAPEÑO IN MY DRINK! By Becky Speere

E&D

20 raise your glass

FINDING A FAVORITE WINE By Charles Fredy, Advanced Sommelier

2015 ‘aipono awards E&D

23 ‘AIPONO’S 2015 CHEF OF THE YEAR By Becky Speere

E&D

26 OUR READERS PICK MAUI’S BEST RESTAURANTS . . .

E&D

42 AND A FEW SPECIAL HONORS

42 island business

THE WOW FACTOR This Maui business has a zest for success. By Sarah Ruppenthal

46 hawaiian soul

CLINGING TO SURVIVAL In rural East Maui, two communities are taking a stand to conserve a weird wild food—and with it, a part of their culture. By Paul Wood

52 at home

THE WAY HOME Mindful design leads to a residence in harmony with nature. By Rita Goldman

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about our cover Skillet-toasted sesame seeds give a crunchy nuttiness to ‘ahi served with soy-butter sauce at Leilani’s on the Beach. Our special section on Maui’s best eating and drinking experiences begins on page E&D 1 (MNKO page 67). Photo by Becky Speere

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departments 16 publisher’s note 18 talk story

By Diane Haynes Woodburn

Fresh off the coconut wireless ~ By Lehia Apana, Rita Goldman & Shannon Wianecki

24 great finds 27arts & leisure

Where’s the party? Compiled by Conn Brattain

Our picks for where to go, what to do Compiled by Sarah Ruppenthal

115 calendar of events 120 who’s who 122 liddo bitta tita

What’s happening where, when and with whom

Seen making the scene on Maui

Our local authority gets the last word. By Kathy Collins

THIS ISSUE ONLINE

Web-exclusive content at MauiMagazine.net (available beginning in May)

MILLION-DOLLAR VIEWS Take a closer look inside famed photographer Peter Lik’s oceanside retreat at MauiMagazine.net/TheWayHome. DIARY OF A GEOCACHER Come along on a hunt at MauiMagazine.net/Geocache. DO TRY THIS AT HOME Greg Shepherd, owner of Cow Pig Bun (winner of this year’s Silver ‘Aipono Award for Best Cocktail) shares a DIY cocktail recipe. Find it at MauiMagazine.net/Gregular. THIS JUST IN! Visit our online calendar for updates around Maui County. EH, LIKE LISTEN? Tita’s column stay mo’ bettah when she reads ’em out loud. RED CARPET TREATMENT Were you at one of our “Who’s Who” events? Find your photo in our online albums and share with friends. LET’S GET SOCIAL ....................................................................

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Family farmers Irene and Vince Mina prove that good things come in small packages. Story on page 20. Photo by John Giordani

did you win?

Congratulations to ‘Aipono voters Colin Jacobsen of Lahaina, and Kyle Kawakami of Kahului. We drew their names at random from the more than 1,000 ballots received, and will send each of them a dining certificate to an ‘Aipono Award-winning restaurant . . . though it probably won’t be Kyle’s Maui Fresh Streatery—one of nearly sixty venues voted among Maui’s best! Mainland subscriber Karen Hochwald has won our Luxury Spa Getaway. She and her plus-one will fly to Maui courtesy of Alaska Airlines, and stay at the Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, where they’ll enjoy a luxury spa treatment and romantic dinner for two at ‘Aipono Award-winning Kō restaurant. Don’t see your name? Don’t give up! Enter new contests at MauiMagazine.net/Contests. Wrappily’s eco-friendly paper and Adorn silk ribbons wrap up summer parties in style. Find more ideas on page 24. Photo by Conn Brattain

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On Maui we have a saying known throughout the Islands: Maui nō ka ‘oi, Hawaiian for “Maui is indeed the best.” We hope you think so, too.

What’s your favorite local-style food?

PUBLISHER Diane Haynes Woodburn SENIOR EDITOR Rita Goldman MANAGING EDITOR Lehia Apana

I get my local fix from TJ’s Warehouse on Alua Street. They serve nishime, mochiko chicken, side of poke, and rice, of course. Go after 1:30 p.m. on weekdays for half-off bentos!

DINING EDITOR Becky Speere ART DIRECTOR & DESIGNER John Giordani STYLE EDITOR Conn Brattain WEBSITE MANAGER

Adelle Lennox

ASSISTANT DESIGNER Shelby Lynch STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Nina Kuna EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER Jose Morales CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Kathy Collins, Charles Fredy, Marti Rosenquist, Sarah Ruppenthal, Shannon Wianecki, Paul Wood CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

My go-to comfort dish is tuna and rice. Mom would open a can of tuna, plop it upside down on shredded cabbage, and serve it with hot rice and a dollop of yakinori (a black seaweed and sugar paste).

Erik Aeder, Lehia Apana, Bob Bangerter, Conn Brattain, Coconut Comradery, Michael Gilbert, John Giordani, Mieko Horikoshi, Sue Hudelson, Petra Kovacs, Wayne Levin, Peter Lik, Mike Neubauer, Janice Simeon, Forest & Kim Starr, Kirk Surry, Dino Tessara, Jed Wells

Mere words cannot explain my passion for mochi ice cream. Strawberry-guavaflavored shave ice on top of Roselani’s vanilla ice cream from Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice. I can eat fried akule every meal and never tire of it. I love the entire process: checking if the boat is at the harbor, texting who’s picking it up, arguing about who’s cleaning it, and finally the sound of the oil crackling when you drop it in.

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Matt Foster CIRCULATION & ADMINISTRATION

Haynes Publishing Group, Inc. ADVERTISING SALES 808-242-8331 DIRECTOR OF SALES Laura Lewark ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

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Plain old, but delicious, Hawai‘istyle saltine crackers that you buy at Longs.

Subscription inquiries toll free: 844-808-MAUI or visit Subscribe.MauiMagazine.net NATIONAL MagNet, Disticor Magazine Distribution Services HAWAI‘I MagNet IN-ROOM Maui Circulation

The fresh oysters at Nick’s Fishmarket at the Kea Lani. I know what you’re thinking: What’s so local about oysters? Well, Nick’s brings them to another level, serving them on the halfshell with fresh ‘ahi tartare, local liliko‘i mignonette and white truffle oil. The taste is as wild as Halloween on Front Street!

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Publishers of Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi, Kā‘anapali, Island Living, & The Shops at Wailea magazines 90 Central Ave., Wailuku, HI 96793; 808-242-8331. ©2015 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 U.S. subscriptions $21; Canadian subscriptions $29; foreign subscriptions $40. Payable in U.S. currency. Canadian Post Publication Mail Agreement 41458020, undeliverables 2-7496 Bath Road, Mississauga, Ontario L4T 1L2. MauiMagazine.net Maui Nō Ka 'Oi Magazine is printed on acid- and chlorine-free paper from Sappi—an environmental leader in the industry whose paper products comply with the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

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publisher’s note Kitchen Tales

Diane Haynes Woodburn Publisher

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TOP: NINA KUNA

When I was growing up in the fifties (before the Earth’s crust had cooled), gourmet was not part of my vocabulary, nor anyone else’s in my life. Oil was oil and it came in a big bottle called Wesson. (Infused? You gotta be kidding!) “Meatloaf” was not a pejorative, and “fish” meant smoked cod from the deli. Embedded in my memory is one of my first dinner dates—not because of who I was with, but because of what I ordered. Trout. “It’s fresh,” my date bragged, his superior sophistication only slightly condescending. “You’ll like it.” It came to the table on a plain white plate, staring up at me with its little fish lips agape; forty-seven years later, my abject horror is still palpable. I’m not sure whose eyes bulged more—mine, or the trout’s. The best cook I knew was my mother. She was a genius at turning low-budget items into delicious family meals. One such specialty was “Spanish tongue.” Mom made it in a huge pot from which we ladled copious helpings of the tender meat, corn, carrots and peas that were simmered in a light aromatic tomato sauce and served over buttered egg noodles. It was no easy process. Mom first boiled the meat in a spiced broth for several hours. Then, using a huge two-pronged fork, she heaved the giant thing out of the steaming pot and onto a cutting board that pulled out of the cabinetry like a drawer and sagged precariously under the weight. With a sharp knife and the skill of a surgeon, she cut through the tough outer skin and dexterously peeled it away, then carved the soft interior into small slices that we stole from the cutting board while she pretended not to notice. It wasn’t until I was in my late teens that I realized we were eating an actual cow’s tongue. (Talk about denial!) After my epiphany I would have nothing to do with Spanish tongue. Today, however, I would love to be in that warm kitchen with Mom to share a plate of her delicious concoction and pronounce it truly gourmet. This issue of MNKO is all about gourmet: the chefs, restaurants and small-kine eateries that create the best dining on Maui—and, as far as I’m concerned, anywhere on Earth (now that the surface is cool enough to sustain life). Savor these pages, and you will find more than fifty winning restaurants as voted by you, our readers, in thirty-six categories, including most romantic, best Hawai‘i Regional cuisine, best fish (no trout, please), and of course, Restaurant of the Year. We’ve also added new categories, and are happy to pass along your tips on where to find the best shave ice, fish tacos and poke. While our readers determine most of our awards, one exception is Chef of the Year. Months ago, we invited Maui chefs to nominate the peer they hold in highest regard. More chefs voted this year than ever before, and their comments reveal a genuine warmth and admiration for our winner, not only because of his innovative and downright delicious creations, but also because of his generosity in giving back to community. He’s not alone. In this ‘Aipono issue, we are proud to share with you a few of the many ways our island’s chefs and restaurants make Maui a better place: educating and inspiring youngsters by contributing to school gardens and teaching students how to prepare dishes from foods they’ve grown themselves; holding fundraisers to help those who have weathered disasters locally and across the Pacific; and supporting local agriculture, which helps us build a sustainable future. You’ll even read how an idea as simple as a lemonade stand sweetens many lives. I think of my mother’s cooking often and the many hours my sister and I shared with her, helping, laughing and learning. The kitchen is the heart of the home—just as our Maui chefs are the heart of our community— sharing, teaching, and nurturing. Mahalo to our family of chefs, restaurateurs and educators, who make our community a better and more delicious place, every day.

Prostate Cancer…

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There may be other reasons to leave Maui, but receiving world-class cancer care is not one of them. Call or visit us for more information.

talk story FRESH OFF THE COCONUT WIRELESS

Back to the Future

Last year’s renovation restored Lāna‘i Theater to its retro-elegant look of the 1930s. Inset photos show the theater’s original nononsense façade and the facelift that inspired its current exterior.

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When the Lāna‘i Theater opened in January 1926, American industrialist James Dole owned most of the island, which he had transformed into a vast pineapple plantation. Audience members were overwhelmingly plantation workers and their families. And the movies were silent. The exterior was nothing fancy, but inside, in the dark, the island’s small and isolated population could experience comedy, melodrama, romance—a world of adventure depicted on celluloid. And Dole could take pride in bringing state-of-the-art entertainment to the community he had created. Like the island itself, the theater’s fortunes varied over the decades. In the thirties, a gabled entry and dormers gave the building a dignified facelift. In the nineties, the interior was divided into two performance spaces, and the sign outside read Lāna‘i Theater & Playhouse. But there were also years when the theater went dark, not even a ghost light on the stage.

JOHN GIORDANI; INSET: LĀNA‘I CULTURE & HERITAGE CENTER (TOP: HAPCO COLLECTION; BOTTOM: KURASHIGE FAMILY)

Two Thumbs Up

DAVID FRANZEN

Movie posters and a concession stand line the updated lobby, leading to theaters whose outfitting would please the toughest film critic.

Fast-forward to now. Internet entrepreneur Larry Ellison owns most of Lāna‘i, and like James Dole before him, has upgraded the town’s entertainment center like nobody’s show business. Restored to its 1930s appearance, the theater’s façade looks right at home in this former plantation town. Inside, duplex theaters each boast ninety-three premium seats that recline a bit for comfort. Reclaimed teak panels in each theater conceal a sound system whose specifications practically take an engineering degree to

understand: a 300-inch sound screen with sides that open or close to accommodate different aspect ratios . . . three JBL speakers behind each sound screen, each with a hornloaded tweeter, midrange speakers and a pair of 15-inch subwoofers; plus four 18-inch JBL subwoofers beneath each screen . . . 20,000 watts of total amplification per theater. Did we mention Christie digital projectors that can accommodate 3-D movies? Ready for that close-up, Mr. DeMille. —Rita Goldman

In Case You Need Subtitles: SOUND SCREEN: A movie screen that allows sound to pass through from speakers behind it, without diminishing viewing quality. ASPECT RATIOS: A fancy way of saying that films have different proportions, depending on the technology they’ve been shot in. HORN-LOADED TWEETER: A tweeter on steroids; the horn shape adds to the depth of the sound.

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Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May - Jun 2015

A Day in the Life

talk story

Family, Farm NAME: Vince Mina TITLE: Family Farmer and President of Hawai‘i Farmers Union United MOTHER, NATURE: When Vince’s wife, Irene, was pregnant with their daughter, Kahanu, she experienced an unusual craving: sunflower greens. Turns out, it was biological serendipity. “I eventually said, ‘Why do we keep buying them? I can grow them,’” remembers Vince. “It started with feeding our family. We loved [the greens] so much and thought others would, too.” Soon, Kahanu ‘Āina Greens, and the child that inspired it, were born. ROOM TO GROW: Twenty-one years later, this family farm in Wailuku produces about 400 pounds of greens weekly, including sunflower, pea, radish and wheatgrass varieties. And they do it all within just 2,000 square feet.

“I call this the largest small farm in Hawai‘i,” laughs Vince. Once the greens are mature, the family cuts, washes, spin dries and bags them within the hour—then composts and reuses the excess soil to create a closed-loop sustainable system. Each harvest lands at local grocers, hotels and restaurants, including Mana Foods, Hyatt Regency Maui, and Flatbread Company. FAMILY MATTERS: Walking around Kahanu ‘Āina Greens is like crashing a family reunion. You may find Vince and Irene preparing the seeds for planting, while son Kekai or daughter Kahanu harvests fresh greens nearby. “My family would be very different if I was off working on a farm all day and coming home at night. And they’re actually part of it here. That’s the blessing,” says Vince. He adds that it’s not just about growing food; it’s about creating community. “More people are becoming aware that food is their medicine, so there’s a greater value in consuming nutrient-dense foods. We come from the perspective that we take care of ourselves, so we can take care of our family, so we can take care of the community, in that sequence.”—Lehia Apana

JOHN GIORDANI

From left: Kekai, Irene, Kahanu and Vincent Mina

Mom, Dad, Sprouts

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In Season

talk story

‘Ōpe‘ape‘a

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When the Polynesians first made landfall in Hawai‘i, their closest relative here was a bat. • About six inches long, including tail Tiny, acrobatic, and covered in • Tiny feet with five toes and claws resplendent fur, the Hawaiian hoary • Weighs less than one ounce bat is the only land mammal native • Twelve-inch wingspan to these Islands. Its ancestor, the North • Sharp little teeth American hoary bat, was likely blown here by a storm around 10,000 years ago. Over many generations, its descendants evolved into a novel species. The Hawaiian bat is smaller than its mainland relative—and far more rare. It’s listed as a federally endangered species. The Hawaiians called the night flier ‘ōpe‘ape‘a, a poetic name that compares the animal’s radial-spoke wing to the wind-filled sails of a canoe and the jagged bottom half of taro leaves shorn for cooking. The solitary bat roosts in trees and uses echolocation to snatch moths, beetles, termites, and other night-flying insects in mid-air. From May to July, females give birth to twins. A mother will carry her thumb-sized pups on nightly forages until the youngsters are strong enough to hang onto the roosting site. Then she teaches them to hunt. An adult ‘ōpe‘ape‘a has a foot-wide wingspan, weighs about as much as a mouse, and can zigzag between shadowed tree trunks or zip over the twilit ocean at 60 miles an hour. ‘Ōpe‘ape‘a are found from the sea to the summit. They escape winter’s wet weather by migrating up the mountain slopes—possibly following the lead of the Hawaiian koa moth, a favorite snack. Scientists speculate that cool, high-elevation temperatures allow the bats to rest at a lower metabolism. During the warmer months, they tend to forage closer to shore, which makes summer the best time to spot ‘ōpe‘ape‘a. Just after sunset, when the trees are silhouettes against the still-blue horizon, look for a wee shape swirling and somersaulting in the sky.—Shannon Wianecki

FOREST & KIM STARR

Bats on the Wing

Where friends and family come to play

808.877.7893 On Mauiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s North Shore | 48 Nonohe Street, Sprecklesville | MauiCountryClub.org

KupanahaPI_MNKO_7.05x4.62_Jan2015.indd 1

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 GREAT FINDS 

Where’s the Party? If you come prepared, it’s anywhere you show up. COMPILED BY CONN BRATTAIN

2 1

6 7 5

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Take Your Pill With Beats by Dre’s Pill XL, you’ll feel in the pink (or three other colors). The lightweight, portable speaker connects to any Bluetooth-enabled device; change tracks and adjust volume from up to 30 feet away. $299 at Target, 100 Ho‘okele St., Kahului, 359-2829, Target.com

Petal to the Metal Honolulu Cookie Company’s new flower tin has a red hibiscus outside. Inside are four pineapple-shaped shortbread cookies in rich (and different) chocolate flavors. $6 at Honolulu Cookie Company, The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 298-0220; and Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 661-8248; HonoluluCookie.com

It’s Not Ice Cream. It’s Island Cream®—a bit like ice cream, a bit like gelato, with flavors you’ll melt for. (Shown: double-scoop strawberry shortcake in chocolate waffle cone) Cups from $5, 16 oz. container $10, cones and toppings extra. Hand-made (including cones) with natural ingredients by and at Island Cream, Lahaina Gateway Center, 305 Keawe St., Lahaina, 298-0916, IslandCreamCo.com

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1: BEATS BY DRE; 2 HONOLULU COOKIE COMPANY; 3 ISLAND CREAM 4, 7: CONN BRATTAIN; 5: LOUIS VUITTON/PHILLIPE JUMIN; 6: ROSANNA

Bringing a Present? Let it help save the future. Wrappily, the eco-friendly giftwrap, has four new papers with (since it’s reversible) eight new designs by O‘ahu textile artist Jana Lam. Set of two 21.5”x34” sheets, $5 at Hue, 210 Alamaha St., Kahului, 873-6910; and Wrappily.com.•Complete the package with a raw-edged silk ribbon by Adorn. 20 handdyed hues, 5 yards long, 3 widths: ½”, $26; 1½”, $36; 3”, $48. AdornCompany.com

Best of Maui 2014: Best Home Furnishings Voted by the readers of MauiTime Weekly

You Take the Cake And do it in style with Louis Vuitton’s cake trunk, created to your specifications. (Shown in Monogram canvas with brass fittings.) Price on request at Louis Vuitton, The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-6980; and Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 667-6114; LouisVuitton.com

Toast Moderne What makes Rosanna’s Luxe Moderne flutes magic? 24K gold dot and swirl patterns that turn any event into a festive occasion. Set of two 8 oz. flutes, $38, at Collections, 3677 Baldwin Ave., Makawao, 572-0781, CollectionsMauiInc.com

Dot’s Delicious! The perfect filler for your custom cake box is a custom cake (or other confection) from Maui Sweet Cakes. Made from scratch with all-natural ingredients. Check the website for flavors, or call for a custom quote. 385-6202; MauiSweetCakes.com

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Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

‘ai: to eat | pono: excellence

 HAWAIIAN SOUL 

‘aipono wine dinner series:

an educational culinary experience . . . with beneﬁts

The ‘Aipono Wine Dinner Series brings you fine wines paired with superb cuisine at surprisingly reasonable prices. Proceeds benefit UH Maui Culinary Academy. Each festive ‘Aipono Wine Dinner treats you and like-minded wine-and-food aficionados to an engaging dinner by one of Maui’s celebrity chefs. Advanced Sommelier Charles Fredy will guide you through the courses with an introduction to each wine. It’s an evening of excellence from start to finish. Don’t miss any in the series!

LEARN

DRINK

EAT

SUPPORT

To sign up for the ‘Aipono Wine Dinner Series mailing list, visit MauiMagazine.net or call 808.242.8331.

An exquisite wine showcase created by Advanced Sommelier Charles Fredy of Chambers & Chambers Wine Merchants

The next wine dinner will be hosted by: Wine Cellars

744 Front Street, Lahaina Saturday, June 27 Reception 6 p.m. Dinner to follow

Call for reservations: 669-MICK (6425) For price and menu, visit MauiMagazine.net/AiponoDinners $25 from each dinner goes to Maui Culinary Academy.

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In 2011, Chef Eric Morrissette took his boss’s advice to follow his passion, and left his native New England for Maui—where a few exceptional local chefs introduced him to island cuisine and helped add layers of sophistication to his palate. Among his most important mentors is his mother, a baker who gave her son the ingredients for a successful kitchen: integrity and attention to detail. As executive chef at Fleetwood’s on Front St., Morrissette enjoys creating dishes for patrons who delight in exploring the world of elite cuisine. • Hailed by Wine Spectator in 2013 as one of the stars of zinfandel, Larry Turley has been credited with distinguishing the modern varietal. His secret: “I produce wines that I love to drink.” We invite you to experience Turley’s iconic, organically farmed wines, masterfully paired with a menu by Chef Eric Morrissette.

Arts+Leisure MAY–JUNE 2015

OUR PICKS FOR WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO » COMPILED BY SARAH RUPPENTHAL

Return of the Jacarandas

MIEKO HORIKOSHI; INSET: CONN BRATTAIN

Harbingers of springtime, Maui’s jacaranda trees burst into bloom in mid-May. Take a drive Upcountry and you’ll be greeted with a dramatic explosion of violet and blue. Tall jacarandas, rich with blossom, line the roadways, and their wayward blossoms blanket the landscape for miles. This annual display is a favorite for plein-air artists who set up their easels along Kula Highway. You don’t need a paintbrush or canvas to indulge in the spectacle, though: these vibrant trees are perfect for a roadside photo op.

Kahakuloa Coast Half-Marathon & Relay JUNE 6

On your mark, get set, go! This thirteen-mile course takes runners and relay teams on a shin-busting trek up, down and around West Maui’s high sea cliffs. Be forewarned: 80 percent of this race is uphill, but the payoff is the incredible view from the top. To register, visit RunnersParadiseInc.com.

Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May - Jun 2015

Arts+Leisure

June Is National Camping Month When it comes to roughing it in the great outdoors, Maui has a world of options. Reserve a spot at Hosmer Grove Campground near the summit of Haleakalā, or Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area in the Kula Forest Reserve. Prefer a campsite with an ocean view? Head to Wai‘ānapanapa State Park on the way to Hāna. (Cabins are closed for renovations through 2015, but you can still pitch a tent and enjoy the black-sand beach.) Or unroll that sleeping bag at Haleakalā National Park’s Kīpahulu Campground, a stone’s throw from the waterfalls and pools at ‘Ohe‘o. For info on the national park, visit nps.gov/hale. For state parks, log on to dlnr. hawaii.gov/dsp/ parks/maui.

Reasons to Visit Moloka‘i

There are many, but here are our two top contenders:

A Reflection of Kalaupapa: Past, Present and Future If a picture truly is worth a thousand words, the hundred prints in this exhibit speak volumes for the longtime residents of remote Kalaupapa Peninsula, once the involuntary home of patients with Hansen’s Disease. These black-and-white portraits, shot by photographer Wayne Levin, pay tribute to generations of Kalaupapa residents and their families. Moloka‘i Museum & Cultural Center Highway 470, Mile Marker 4, Kala‘e, Kaunakakai Gallery Hours: Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Ka Hula Piko Festival JUNE 4–6

There’s no better place to learn the history of hula than where it all began. This annual festival commemorates the traditions of Moloka‘i, the birthplace of hula with “talk story” sessions by kumu hula (hula teachers), excursions to cultural sites, and a Ho‘olaule‘a (celebration) with craft booths, food, music and, of course, hula. Free admission. Details at KaHulaPiko.com. Lanikeha Community Center Farrington Avenue, Ho‘olehua, Moloka‘i

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TOP: MIEKO HORIKOSHI (TENT COURTESY OF MIRYEHA CEDAR); MIDDLE: WAYNE LEVIN; BOTTOM: JED WELLS

THROUGH AUG. 29

Arts+Leisure

Maui Film Festival JUNE 3–7

A curated selection of films will light up the screens in the MACC’s Castle Theater and Wailea’s outdoor Celestial Cinema. Among them, one documentary guaranteed to make a splash: The Wave I Ride, featuring Maui resident and big-wave surfer Paige Alms. The festival will serve up its usual mix of cinematic fare, celebrity sightings, filmmakers’ panels, culinary events and extravagant parties—including MNKO’s VIP Spago Soirée. Info at MauiFilmFestival. com. Maui Arts & Cultural Center, One Cameron Way, Kahului; and Wailea Resort

Slack-key Guitar & ‘Ukulele Workshop

TOP: ERIK AEDER; LEFT: RYAN PIROS

Barrio Fiesta MAY 22–23

Now in its forty-sixth year, Maui’s Barrio Fiesta celebrates the richness and vibrancy of Filipino heritage and history. Festivities include music, food, games and traditional dancing. A highlight of the event is the grease-pole contest: climbers attempt to retrieve a flag placed at the top of a greased pole. And no, it’s not as easy as it looks. For information, call 808-264-6992. War Memorial Soccer Field, Ka‘ahumanu Avenue, Kahului

JUNE 21–28 Learn how to make music with some of Hawai‘i’s top slack-key guitar and ‘ukulele musicians. Led by multiple Grammy and Nā Hōkū Award-winning master slack-key guitarist George Kahumoku, Jr., the annual workshop welcomes students of all levels of experience. The week also features such cultural activities as lei making, hula, singing and songwriting. Register at Kahumoku.com/ learn-SlackKey. Nāpili Kai Beach Resort 5900 L. Honoapi‘ilani Road, Nāpili

Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May - Jun 2015

Arts+Leisure

Kapalua Wine and Food Festival

JUNE 11–14

Sip and savor the moment at the longest-running food-and-wine event in the nation. This epicurean celebration features wine tours, winemakers’ dinners, cooking demonstrations and wine-and-food pairings. The Seafood Festival, hosted by Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine, is the grand finale of the four-day event. A crowd favorite, the Seafood Festival will take place at the Beach House Lawn of the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 14. Chefs from fourteen local restaurants will showcase their seafood creations; festival guests vote with their taste buds to determine which dish will win the “Best of the Fest” award. Event schedule, venue specifics and tickets at KapaluaWineAndFoodFestival.com.

“Take Your Dog to Work” Day Pooches across the nation will head to the office with their owners to celebrate this annual event. If Fido would rather spend the day outdoors, take him to one of Maui’s dog parks: the off-leash Keōpūolani Park in Kahului, Kilohana Dog Park in Wailea, Keonekai Park in Kīhei, or Makawao Park at Eddie Tam Center. You could also spend a dog-day afternoon at one of Maui’s pet-friendly resorts, restaurants or shops.* Don’t have a four-legged friend? You’ll find plenty of wagging tails waiting to be adopted at the Maui Humane Society. *For a list of Maui’s canine-courteous establishments and attractions, visit DogFriendly.com.

The Makawao Rodeo JULY 2–4

Hawai‘i’s best riders, ropers and rodeo clowns convene on Maui for the state’s largest paniolo (cowboy) competition. For rodeo details, contact the Maui Roping Club, 808-357-3524. The Paniolo Parade was tentative as we went to press; call 808-283-4942 for updates. Oskie Rice Arena, 80 Ohaoha Place, Makawao

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TOP: COURTESY OF KAPALUA WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL; LEFT: SHELBY LYNCH; RIGHT: JOSE MORALES

JUNE 26

SHOPPING * DINING * ACTIVITIES * MODERN ACCOMMODATIONS

Enjoy the hospitality of Maui’s plantation era at the historic Pioneer Inn on Lahaina Harbor. Plenty of Places to Shop with over 14 Retailers ∏ Restaurants Atlantis Submarine

Pioneer Inn Grill & Bar

Bad Ass Coffee

Best Western Pioneer Inn, 658 Wharf Street, Lahaina (808) 661-3636 www.pioneerinnmaui.com

 ADVENTURE 

E H C A C E H T LL OF

THRI

PA A A EHI L BY Y R STO

A HIGH-TE CH GAME O F HIKE AND SEEK LEAD S TO UNEX PECTED TR R E A S U R E S. E U A EUB N IKE M BY Y H RAP G O T PHO

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This is not the set of a sci-fi movie; it’s McGregor Point on Maui. Our writer discovered this otherworldly terrain and other surprises while geocaching. Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

 ADVENTURE  A bronze statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, “the father of modern China,” stands behind the Chinese pavilion at Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens. In 2010, the Sun Yat-sen Foundation for Peace and Education, and Charles Wong, a great-grandson of Dr. Sun, donated the effigy. Sun spent more than seven years in Hawai‘i preparing for the 1911 Chinese revolution, often taking refuge at his brother Sun Mei’s cattle ranch on Maui.

“‘Īao Rocks” Area: Wailuku N 20° 52.986 W 156° 32.082

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Diﬃculty: ★✩✩✩✩ Terrain: ★✩✩✩✩ Hidden: 6/26/2010

INSET: LEHIA APANA

GEOCACHE LOG - DAY 1

Maui’s cultural roots dot Kepaniwai’s lush grounds. Guardian lions, or “foo dog” statues, stand watch over the Chinese pavilion. Nearby, Japanese and Korean gardens share the space with memorials to other ethnic groups, including Hawaiian, Filipino and Portuguese.

I’m at Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens in ‘Īao Valley and twenty minutes into a treasure hunt that has literally led me in circles and through cobwebs. I’ve walked backwards, retraced my steps, and overturned enough stones to consider this expedition my cardio for the day. The only thing I’ve found so far is a lone rubber slipper—not the treasure I’m after. I grip my iPhone and raise it just inches from my face. With each step, I wait as a virtual compass needle swings from side to side, using GPS technology to announce my exact mathematical spot on Earth. Twenty minutes becomes forty-five, and I head home in defeat. This is my introduction to geocaching, and it’s not going as planned. When I told my boyfriend, Brad, that I was researching a story about geocaching, he had looked at me as though I’d ask him to explain the theory of relativity. “Geo what?” he asked. “It’s like a high-tech treasure hunt,” I had explained. But to truly understand geocaching, we must rewind fifteen years—May 3, 2000, to be exact. That day, President Bill Clinton released satellite technology previously reserved for the military and private companies. Overnight, this fiercely guarded intelligence device was open to the public. Now, said the White House, anyone could “precisely pinpoint their location or the location of items . . . left behind for later recovery.” The next day, David Ulmer, a computer consultant and GPS enthusiast in Oregon, put the technology to the test. He hid a container

filled with “goodies for finders”—software, videos, books, food, money, and a slingshot—in the woods near his home, then published its coordinates online. Within days, two people found the stash and posted about their experience. News and curiosity of this budding hobby spread like Internet wildfire. Among its earliest adopters was Jeremy Irish, who discovered his first geocache in July 2000, prompting him to start Geocaching.com. Today, the website has attracted more than 6 million registered users. With more than 2.5 million geocaches tucked into every corner of this planet, you can likely step out the door and start searching right now. In fact, the possibilities are literally out of this world: the game’s most elusive geocache is inside the International Space Station. If interplanetary exploration isn’t your thing, you could hunt for a geocache near a shipwreck at the bottom of Lake Michigan, inside a toilet-seat museum in San Antonio, or atop Mount Everest. On Maui, geocaches leave virtual breadcrumbs leading to tide pools, petroglyphs, and waterfalls set well off the beaten path. True to its grassroots origins, the rules of the game are continually evolving, as players adopt new variants and challenges, but the basics remain. Step one: Log onto Geocaching.com to set up a free account, then enter your location to view the coordinates and clues for nearby geocaches, which are rated for difficulty and terrain. Step two: Grab your GPS device (hint: smartphones count) and start hunting! Step three: When you find the treasure, sign the logbook, select a prize and leave something of equal or greater value for future hunters. Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

 ADVENTURE  While the rules are simple, the hunt may be anything but. After leaving my first geocache mission at Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens with nothing more than a single rubber slipper and crushed confidence, I decide to recruit Brad as reinforcement. We head into ‘Īao Valley the following morning, and after thirty minutes, are still stumped. Stymied by doubt and coated in a fresh layer of cobwebs, I’m ready to concede. Moments later, I hear the magic words: “Found it!” Like two kids on Christmas morning, we hover over a plastic jar the width of my palm. Crammed inside are a weathered logbook and toys seemingly plucked from a quarter vending machine. We sign the book, remove a strawberry-shaped eraser and leave a luggage tag. I can confirm that telling someone your hour-long treasure hunt yielded a kid’s eraser will make you sound a bit nuts. But veteran geocachers know it’s not about the prize. “It’s about getting outdoors and finding places you might not know about,” explains David Hayashida, who goes by the handle Mauison. Hayashida has logged more than 2,500 geocache finds in

forty-nine states, most of which he found while living in California. He has also planted a handful of his own throughout the Valley Isle. “When I first started geocaching on Maui, I was amazed by the ones that took me to places I never knew existed—and at that point I had lived on Maui for over twenty-five years,” says David. Sometimes a hunt reveals surprises within familiar places—like our second geocache mission, dubbed “Haleakalā Hubcap” on the website, hidden just off Haleakalā Highway. Brad and I motor a few miles up the serpentine pavement until the GPS tells us we’re close, then take a short walk before uncovering something that resembles a car wreck. We dive under a pile of abandoned hubcaps, and find a plastic bin wrapped inside two layers of heavy-duty trash bags. Inside, trinkets form a time capsule revealing hints of those before us: foreign currency, a BanBury Golf Club pin, a military figurine. . . . I sign the logbook, and trade a pin of the Canadian flag for another luggage tag. “With the majority of geocaches, you won’t find anything of great value,” confirms David. “So it’s less about the treasure and more about the hunt.” A geocache aptly named “Haleakalā Hubcap” leads our writer up the slopes of the world’s third largest volcano. At right, a road marker close to the geocache site announces that you’ve traveled nearly halfway up the 10,023-foot mountain.

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INSET: LEHIA APANA

GEOCACHE LOG - DAY 2 “Haleakalā Hubcap” Area: Kula N 20° 45.643 W 156° 16.859 Diﬃculty: ★✩✩✩✩ Terrain: ★★✩✩✩ Hidden: 4/16/2001

GEOCACHING TIPS Much of the game’s appeal is its simplicity. While there are few rules, you can ensure a successful hunt by following these guidelines. Remain stealthy, as attention from muggles* compromises the geocache. “If muggles are around, you can sit there and pretend you’re talking on your phone or pretend you’re taking pictures,” advises David Hayashida, a.k.a. Mauison. Don’t leave food, dangerous, illegal or offensive items behind. Don’t dump geotrash. Keep the game interesting by always replacing the item you take with one of equal or greater value. Then, visit Geo caching.com and log your experience. Be gentle to the geocaching game board (your surroundings). Leave the area looking the same as you found it. Better yet, follow the “cache in, trash out” credo and leave it better than when you arrived. Do not place caches on private land without permission, in national parks or wilderness areas, or at schools. “Some state parks require you to get a permit to hide a geocache. It’s always good to contact them and let them know where you’re going to hide it,” says David. *See glossary page 40.

Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

 ADVENTURE 

McGregor Point is just off busy Honoapi‘ilani Highway, but you’d never know it while standing along its rugged lava coastline. A GPS-enabled device points toward the geocache hiding spot.

He’s right, and as we set the geocache back in its hiding place, I’m already imagining our next pursuit. “I think we’re ready to step it up,” I tell Brad, confirming his opinion that my story research has evolved into a new obsession. He nods and presses his lips together as if to say, “I knew this would happen.” Pam Scott is a geocaching veteran who goes by the handle Unimogger and has logged more than 1,850 finds. Earlier in the week she emailed several geocaching suggestions, including one called “Viking Rock.” “This is my absolute favorite, but it’s tricky,” she wrote. Her words bounce off the screen as if to taunt me. If this is some sort of cryptic dare, I can’t back down now. Brad and I follow the coordinates to McGregor Point near Mā‘alaea, a popular fishing perch and home to a defunct lighthouse. Thousands of cars speed past this oceanside hideaway every day, yet most drivers remain unaware of the scenic wonders just beyond the blacktop. A dirt road leads us to a panoramic cliff-side vista. Maui’s southern shoreline forms a crescent to our left, while neighboring Molokini crater and Kaho‘olawe and Lāna‘i islands extend the contour. iPhones in hand, we follow a ribbon of dirt descending to the sea, as acrobatic humpback whales vie for our attention a few hundred feet offshore. With each step, the ocean swells increasingly silence the hum of passing cars. We are below the beaten path, hidden from the world. Slabs of silvery earth envelope us, their edges and curves forming a seaside amphitheater—and one heck of a hiding spot. “Are we still on Maui?” Brad jokes, his head craning skyward and jaw agape.

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The lighthouse at McGregor Point overlooks the spot where the Norwegian ship Beta landed on February 18, 1881. Aboard were about 400 contract workers—mostly Norwegians, plus a few Swedes and Danes—recruited by local sugar plantations. No wonder the geocache nearby is named “Viking Rock.”

GEOCACHE LOG - DAY 3

“Viking Rock” Area: Mā‘alaea N 20° 46.645 W 156° 31.394

Diﬃculty: ★★✩✩✩ Terrain: ★★★✩✩ Hidden: 2/24/2006

Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

« ADVENTURE »

GEOCACHING GLOSSARY

BYOP: Bring Your Own Pencil or Pen—advice from a cache owner to searchers, since it’s likely the logbook won’t have one.

Cache Owner: The first person to place a particular geocache; he or she is also responsible for maintaining the cache or replacing it if it goes missing. Ground Zero: The point where your GPS device shows that you have reached the cache location. Once here, put the GPS down and start hunting! Hitchhiker: An item placed in a cache with instructions to leave it at another cache. Sometimes hitchhikers have logbooks attached so you can document their travels. In-Laws: Unwanted muggles who linger near a cache site, preventing discreet access to that cache. Sometimes the real treasure is where a geocache leads you.

We dissect every corner of this hardened lava landscape, and for a moment I’m convinced that we’re stumped once again. But a clue on this geocache’s listing urges us on, telling us to “Leave no stone unturned.” I heed that advice, peeking beneath rocks and into crevices. I remember Pam’s warning that this is a “tricky one,” and realize that I’m looking in all the obvious—and wrong—places. Stories abound of geocaches hidden in rubber bugs and fake plants, or stuffed inside containers fabricated to resemble working bolts. There’s even a geo-

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Muggle: A non-geocacher. Based on the term “muggle” from the Harry Potter series, meaning a nonmagical person. Geomuggles are mostly harmless.

cache hidden in a bogus wad of gum. With this in mind I begin to search smarter, not harder. Then, moments later . . . eureka! While I can’t reveal exactly how I found this clever cache, suffice to say it was well camouflaged. I hoist the plastic container into the air and call over to Brad. As we inventory our finds, talk turns from material goodies to the treasures surrounding us. We linger awhile, the gentle rhythm of the ocean creating a dreamy soundscape. The real geocaching treasure, we agree, is the journey—and in this case, the destination.

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Waikoloa, Hawai‘i Island

September 4, 2015

Roy’s 18th Annual Golf Classic at Kā‘anapali Golf Course

September 5, 2015

Maui on My Mind at Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa

September 6, 2015

Hawaiian Airlines Presents Legend of Shep Gordon at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa

September 9-13, 2015

August 29 - September 13, 2015

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Honolulu & Ko Olina, O‘ahu

M A HA LO TO OUR SPONSORS

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the W

« ISLAND BUSINESS »

This Maui business has a zest for success.

When Todd and Chloe Casselberry moved to Maui three years ago, they started selling their handcrafted, made-to-order lemonades at Friday night street fairs and farmers’ markets. They called the beverages Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade. It’s a catchy name, and one that has a fitting backstory. “When people first tasted our lemonade, they would say ‘Wow!’ and a few sips later, they’d say ‘Wow!’ again,” Todd recalls. “So we thought it would be a fun name— we don’t take ourselves too seriously.” It wasn’t long before demand started to outweigh supply. “We knew we had to grow the business,” Todd says, but they also wanted to avoid the risk of opening a store. “We’d never seen a lemonade stand for grown-ups, so we decided to make one. We found a listing on Craigslist for the location, and we built a stand.” Soon after, the couple celebrated the grand opening of Da Lemonade Stand, a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it kiosk tucked behind a surf shop on Dairy Road in Kahului. “We didn’t know if anyone would come, but we thought we’d try it,” Todd says. “We also had been experimenting with interesting flavors [that we] couldn’t offer at the farmers’ markets. We wanted a permanent location where people could get our lemonades every day.” The gamble paid off. Within weeks, Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade was a hit. “I think it was word of mouth, combined with social media,” Todd says. “The business just took off.” So much so that Todd and Chloe opened a brick-and-mortar storefront in Kīhei last summer. Six years ago, no one—least of all the Casselberrys—would have predicted Wow Wow’s success. Back then, the couple lived in San Diego, where Todd had a high-level corporate job as an athleticapparel designer. But when Chloe gave birth to their first son, Haven, Todd began to yearn for a simpler life, away from the nineto-five grind. Three years later, the Casselberrys lost Haven, and Todd abandoned the corporate world to focus on family. He and Chloe started a small lemonade and waffle business, selling their sweet treats and cheek-puckering con-

factor Story by

Sarah Ruppenthal

Photography by

Coconut Comradery

Chloe and Todd Casselberry Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

« ISLAND BUSINESS »

Nearly 100 percent of Wow Wow’s ingredients are grown in Hawai‘i. coctions at farmers’ markets throughout San Diego. While visiting friends in Hawai‘i, Todd and Chloe met former Miss Hawai‘i Leina‘ala Drummond, who welcomed them with open arms and helped them begin to heal. Touched by the love and support they received from Drummond and the larger community—and moved, as well, by the tranquil beauty of the Islands—the Casselberrys decided to make Hawai‘i their home. Leina‘ala’s son, Kawika Drummond, became their business partner. Last December, Kawika opened a Wow Wow store on O‘ahu. What’s the secret for the company’s success? Well, it’s not just the lemons. “It comes down to community,” Todd explains. “We’ve focused on building long-term relationships.”

Kawika Drummond went from friend to business partner, opening a Wow Wow location on O‘ahu.

A growing roster of local farmers supplies the fruit and produce that’s chopped, squeezed, puréed and blended into Wow Wow’s gourmet beverages. The Casselberrys collect truckloads of lemons, mangos, strawberries, watermelon, kale, basil and more from their sources on Maui and the Big Island. But you don’t need to be a farmer to get in on the action. Maui residents with fruit trees on their properties also contribute; the company pays by the pound for their backyard bounty. “We always choose local,” Todd says. Nearly 100 percent of Wow Wow’s ingredients are grown and harvested in Hawai‘i, including the sugar that’s used to make the company’s titular lemonade. And then there’s those collectible mason jars. Instead of plastic to-go cups, Wow Wow beverages are served in reusable mason jars with a straw hole drilled into the lid. Bring one of these “puka-hole” jars in for a refill, and you’ll get $1 off your purchase. It’s a clever marketing strategy. It’s not uncommon to see these jars around town; they’ve become an eco-friendly fashion statement. Todd is the creative genius behind Wow Wow’s eye-catching logo, which is now scrawled across the company’s signature mason jars, flasks, drink

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1 & 2: Juice at the stand is coozies, T-shirts and hats. pressed on the spot. Expect a He admits he didn’t expect to wait, but it’s worth it. 3: Wow become a trendsetter, but he’s happy Wow bottles single-serving portions for sale at Whole to put a fresh twist on the classic Foods, Mokapu Market at canning jar. “Our goal was to encourAndaz Maui, and elsewhere age people to recycle,” he explains. around the island. 4–6: Maui “So we gave them an incentive.” Gold pineapple, Hāna’s Choice liliko‘i (passionfruit) As for what to put inside those and watermelon, and trendy containers, you’ll find more Yee’s Orchard mangos are than just lemonade behind the among the locally sourced ingredients that make counter at Wow Wow. When they Wow Wow’s handcrafted opened the Kīhei store, the Cassellemonades so delicious. berrys decided to diversify to appeal to a broader range of palates, and offer a delicious array of options, from smoothies and kombucha to sparkling drinks and açai bowls. Todd comes up with the recipes; Chloe, who has studied nutrition and whole foods for many years, tweaks the flavors until they’re just right. “I enjoy coming up with new products,” Todd says. “But Chloe has always been good at capturing the details and making things complete.” Wow Wow now has twelve employees who work at three locations on Maui: Da Lemonade Stand, the Kīhei store, and a commercial kitchen and warehouse in Kahului. That’s where the magic happens: five days a week, staff are hard at work scooping and measuring ingredients, peeling lemons and limes, and hand-pressing fruits to make the company’s thirst-quenching creations. A seasonal business, Wow Wow sources and squeezes close to 4,000 pounds of lemons per month during the busy spring and summer months, and a little less during the slower months. A little more than a year ago, the company started bottling its fresh-squeezed beverages to sell in resorts, restaurants and grocery stores islandwide. Wow Wow employees mix, bottle, cap and label single-serve juices in the commercial kitchen; if you peek inside, you won’t find any conveyor belts or labeling machines. “We bottle 2,000 to 3,000 lemonades a month during busy months,” Todd says. That labor-intensive process is part of what makes the company stand out. There’s more. To give back to the community that mended their hearts, Todd and Chloe established the Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade Kokua Program, which donates a percentage of sales each month to a designated organization or cause on Maui or O‘ahu, from the Maui Fire Department, to the Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation, to last September’s Project Kōkua, a fundraiser for Big Island families affected by tropical storm Iselle. And while their company is growing by leaps and bounds, the Casselberrys still pitch a tent at the same farmers’ markets and street fairs they started with three years ago. “Our success has come from the community,” Todd says. “We don’t take that for granted.” At this rate, it’s doubtful that things will ever turn sour for Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade. Todd plans to add another store in Kahului and further expand the company’s bottling operations. “We want to be a brand that Hawai‘i is proud of,” he says. “But our number one goal is to make people smile.”

6 Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

« HAWAIIAN SOUL »

Clinging to STORY BY PAUL WOOD 46

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BOB BANGERTER/THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

In rural East Maui, two communities are taking a stand to conserve a weird wild food—and with it, a part of their culture.

Survival

From left: Walter Pu, Ben Villiarmo and Hank Eharis scout for ‘opihi as two future ‘ohana (family) leaders look on. Gathering the island delicacy is risky business.

ÂŤ HAWAIIAN SOUL Âť

The opihi is responsible for more marine deaths than any other animal, including the shark. 48

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« HAWAIIAN SOUL »

PAPAHĀNAUMOKUĀKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT.

Mauians have traveled with scientists to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to study pristine ‘opihi populations. At right, a survey team heads to Mokupāpapa; above, performing transect surveys on Mokumanamana.

“‘Opihi is our lifestyle,” says Keahi Lind, a commercial fisherman and cattle rancher from the remote East Maui district of Kīpahulu. “Used to be, when we enjoyed a day at the beach, always had plenty of ‘opihi, two or three a night for everybody.” He and others from the Kīpahulu ‘Ohana—an elder council whose name contains the Hawaiian word for “family”—have driven the twisting belt road to meet here, at a concrete picnic table beside shining Hāna Bay. It’s late afternoon. The sun is headed over the mountain for its usual day’s-end dazzle on the other side of the island, leaving the little round bay quiet and slowly darkening. A couple dogs are racing harmlessly around, five tourists are washing sand off their legs, and pickup trucks are parking under the trees. It’s pau hana—after work—time to hang out. Hank Eharis is with us. “We live off the shoreline. That’s our backyard. That’s our icebox. As kids, we were not going to the store for a bag of chips. We went running to the seashore to pick a few ‘opihi.” Hank is a mature Hawaiian mountain man whose face creases easily into mirth and kindness. He works as resource manager for the National Park Service and typically spends days at a time in the wild upper forests. He has come to the bay to speak for Nā Mamo o Mū‘olea—“the descendants of Mū‘olea”—a point of land along the East Maui coast. A registered nonprofit like Kīpahulu ‘Ohana, Nā Mamo o Mū‘olea is dedicated to the self-governance of a small community whose roots go deeper than recorded history. “‘Opihi,” he says, “it’s the taste of the ocean. You take a couple off the rocks, add some limu [seaweed]—no can beat.” But lately the ‘opihi populations have crashed along East Maui’s shorelines, and the two communities have begun to take action, establishing no-harvest zones, patrolling those areas themselves, and learning scientific monitoring protocols to measure the vitality of this wild resource. In doing so, they have developed a model for bottom-up conservation practices, a model with broad implications: Don’t wait for the State to prevent the greedy grabbing of waning resources. Outside of Hawai‘i this is hard to explain, all this fuss over a limpet—a saltwater cousin of the garden snail that lives where waves collide ceaselessly with shoreline boulders. But here in the Islands, people regard ‘opihi with a smile of affection and a certain gustatory lust. They are a gotta-have for any truly authentic lū‘au, the kind you throw for baby’s first birthday or your daughter’s wedding. In effect you are serving salty snail meat, but in fact you are presenting a

symbol of pre-Contact Hawaiian diet, a fixture of the lauhala-mat cuisine known to former ruling chiefs. So you will pay $100 or even four times that for a gallon-size easy-seal bag of the critters. ‘Opihi pickers who range the shorelines with burlap sacks can earn thousands in a single raid. And they can die, working the intertidal zone with their backs to the smashing waves. An ‘ōlelo no‘eau (Hawaiian proverb) states: He ia make ka ‘opihi: “The ‘opihi is a fish of death.” When waves strike, ‘opihi grip the stones with seventy pounds of pressure per square inch. Humans—not much suction there. So, in human terms, the ‘opihi is responsible for more marine deaths each year (one or two on average) than any other animal, including the shark. Of course, ‘opihi aren’t “responsible” for anything. They are just holding tight, like all of us, for survival. Hawai‘i has three endemic species of these limpets, all in the genus Cellana. Other species are widespread throughout the IndoPacific region, although no other place can claim three distinct kinds. Apparently the Hawaiian species are tastier than others, as these little mollusks are not much consumed elsewhere. (Japan has a limpet cult.) Ours have distinct names in Hawaiian and in science-ese, and they live near each other at three distinct levels of the intertidal zone. ‘Opihi are univalve gastropods. That means they have one big foot and a protective shell into which they can tuck all their tender parts. Their shells rise to a point, forming a wide cone. Apparently they stash salt water in this cone so that they can keep breathing when the waves subside. And they graze all day on microalgae, scurrying a few millimeters at a time here and there. They figure large in traditional Hawaiian culture. The meat is one thing—popped right off the rocks and swallowed crunchy live, or grilled and served poke style. The shells are good little tools for peeling taro corms, and contribute mineral nutrients to farmers’ fields. You find the shells placed on ahu (shrines) from old days, and the revered native Hawaiian educator and cultural anthropologist Mary Kawena Pukui stated that some people consider them to be ‘aumakua, or ancestral spirits. These days, “‘opihi” is an obvious metaphor for anything clinging, including unwanted admirers and (especially) infants who refuse to be taken from their mothers’ embrace. East Maui residents whose lives still align with the old ways of subsistence farming and fishing regard the ‘opihi as a staple. It has upset them in recent years to see supplies declining. In 2008 the boards of Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May - Jun 2015

« HAWAIIAN SOUL »

Black Foot

Yellow Foot

Kō‘ele

Kīpahulu ‘Ohana (established 1995) and Nā Mamo o Mū‘olea (2002) both recognized that ‘opihi populations had dwindled, but they had no hard data to prove it. Nor did they have a model for effective response. So they began to look for allies, and they found some good ones. The Nature Conservancy, whose office here is in Makawao, stepped up quickly via its Maui Marine Program director, Emily Fielding. Because she is adept with ‘opihi pickers, as well as marine biologists and government agencies, Fielding began organizing informal meetings and workshops. She brought together people who otherwise would never have met—and government people who needed to speak to each other. For example, the National Park manages 1,500 meters of ‘opihi-laden shoreline in Kīpahulu, but its responsibility extends only to the sea, and the State takes over from there. ‘Opihi live right on that boundary. Scientists found themselves learning from the rooted residents, and have even taken several (Hank Eharis, for one) on research cruises to the Northwest Hawaiian Islands National Monument (Papahānaumokuākea) to help study ‘opihi populations in that wholly unharvested area. Best of all, the residents adopted a monitoring protocol to put hard numbers on their gut sense that ‘opihi are being taken with reckless disregard for the future. By doing methodical surveys, the residents can prove now that 2010 population levels shrank by as much as 50 or even 60 percent in the ensuing four years. The problem is not with the ‘opihi, whose reproductive habits are fecund to say the least. Nor is it environmental degradation. The problem is humans. Says marine biologist Dr. Chris Bird, “Across Hawai‘i there is a tight relationship between human population size

and decline in ‘opihi populations.” On O‘ahu, for example, where Bird earned his Ph.D. at the University of Hawai‘i with a particular focus on ‘opihi, one species is probably extinct and the others are rare. (After he chose his research focus, he says, “I didn’t even see an ‘opihi for a year, until I went to other islands.”) He says that if you put the entire population of O‘ahu along the shoreline facing out to sea, each person would have just ten centimeters (four inches) of space for ‘opihipicking. On Maui that number is one meter (about forty inches) and shrinking. It’s not hard to see where Maui is headed. The State of Hawai‘i has refused to put bag limits on ‘opihi, so harvesting this wild resource is a free-for-all. But the collaborators of East Maui have established “rest areas” for at least three years while they continue to collect data. Residents are watching the shorelines, and they will come out with brochures and reasonable pleas to kōkua, to join their efforts to let the populations rebound. Dr. Bird: “The collaboration has been an amazing experience for me. Local communities are stepping up and taking control of their own resources. This community-based management has stemmed from traditional Hawaiian knowledge—what you harvest today affects what you can harvest tomorrow.” “It’s all about communication and community,” says Hank Eharis. “I got to regulate myself, too,” he adds ruefully. “I’ll admit to overtaking, before. But then we had ‘opihi on ‘opihi. How much ‘opihi did I eat this year? Maybe . . . three. Now the goal is to sustain our lifestyle. We could pound the place, but we’re not like that. The model comes from the Hawaiian kapu system and going back further. It’s always been the community’s work anyway. From the bottom up.”

TOP (2): PAPAHĀNAUMOKUĀKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT.

The intertidal zone, where waves hit rocks, is a limited habitat, yet Hawai‘i’s three ‘opihi species live in distinct bands of that zone. The uppermost, makaiauli (black foot), doesn’t mind being dry. ‘Ālinalina (yellow foot) needs constant sea surge. Kō‘ele—at four inches, the largest of the three—can live submerged to depths of ten feet.

‘O ‘Ōlelo: Communicate with other families so you don’t pick the same area at the same time. P Pick just a few for today. Don’t pick to put in the freezer for tomorrow. I Inch-and-a-quarter is too small. Pick bigger than 1¼ inch, but leave the really big ones.* H Huli hele (“search everywhere”). Keep moving; pick from different areas. I ‘Ihi kō‘ele (“respect kō‘ele”). Don’t take this type of ‘opihi, which lives below the water line. 50

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* The Hawai‘i State regulation for the take of ‘opihi is a minimum shell size of 1¼ inches.

BOTTOM: NĀ MAMO O MŪ‘OLEA,

BEST PRACTICES AS SUGGESTED BY NĀ MAMO O MŪ‘OLEA

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« AT HOME »

Mindful design leads to a residence in harmony with nature. STORY BY RITA GOLDMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER LIK

Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

ÂŤ AT HOME Âť

Twin fire bowls lend an element of drama to the entryway, hinting at the panorama beyond. Steppingstone paths, added at renovation, ease passage to every part of the home.

Window-walls lift, opening the central living area to the outdoors and accommodating a kitchen counter that juts onto the deck. Steel beams, utility lights and a massive ceiling fan provide notes of industrial chic.

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Between the entry stairs and the house, stone slabs traverse a Zen garden—a geometric counterpoint to the patterns of raked gravel that surround the home’s three pods. An iconic photographer, Peter Lik brought his artist’s eye to the landscape. The sculptural stone pieces he installed around the property invite the mind to quiet contemplation.

LEFT: JOHN GIORDANI

Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.—Matsuo Bashô The caretaker’s name is Bashô. Though he’s not the seventeenth-century master of Japanese haiku, there’s poetic resonance to his greeting: he introduces himself while raking the Zen garden that encircles this Kapalua home. A triptych of elegantly spare structures connected by wooden decks and steppingstone paths, the house sits on a promontory above two pristine bays—and inhabits seemingly contradictory worlds. Built for Silicon Valley entrepreneur Bill Nguyen and now owned by famed Australian landscape photographer Peter Lik, the house combines the aesthetics of Zen minimalism with industrial style and technology. Its geometrically sculpted landscaping yields to the region’s untamed natural beauty, its contemplative environment to the pounding surf below vertiginous cliffs. In 2004, Nguyen and his wife bought the property as a vacation retreat from the pressures of the dot-com world. “We wanted a simple box, a surf house,” Nguyen said in a May 2010 Wall Street Journal article. Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

« AT HOME »

A retracted window-wall opens the master bedroom to the outdoors. At left, the deck’s wooden screens slide on tracks that enable occupants to vary the view, the amount of light and seclusion.

It wasn’t so simple. Conservation lands surround the property. High above lies Pu‘u Kukui, the tallest peak in West Maui’s serrated mountain, a watershed that shelters endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. Below, Honolua and Mokulē‘ia bays comprise an equally protected marine reserve. It took several years and nearly a dozen proposed designs by Seattle architect Tom Kundig to satisfy both Nguyen’s vision and the stringent requirements of the state’s Department of Land & Natural Resources—among them, size and sightline restrictions to minimize the home’s visual impact. Nguyen wanted up-to-date, sustainable technology in a house that would take advantage of the cooling trade winds and have generous ocean views. Throw in sturdy construction and low-maintenance materials, this being a vacation home. He approached Kundig, of Olson Kundig Architects, after seeing images of Chicken Point Cabin, an industrial-chic abode Kundig designed in 2002. Located on Hayden Lake in northern Idaho, the cabin was built with low-maintenance materials like concrete block and steel, and featured a thirty-by-twenty-foot window-wall that rose like a garage door from the bottom up, opening the living room to the outdoors. For a techie like Nguyen, what could be more appealing? RIGHT INTENTION The design that won approval from both Nguyen and the DLNR was a home divided into three

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Above left: Steel-beam construction eliminates the need for support columns—slide the window-wall and deck panels aside for an unbroken ocean view. Above right: Stone tile and a striated rammed-earth wall lend texture to a master bath that looks out on sculpted native grasses. Below: A glass-enclosed shower takes center stage in the renovated master pod. With closets relocated, only the half-wall at right separates bath from bedroom—and the view beyond.

« AT HOME » Mathemagic: Subtracting one bedroom from the guest pod added space; stone tile and wood ceilings added texture. Wood accent walls make it easier to hang art: Lik’s vibrant landscape photography.

pods: a living area flanked on one side by the family’s bedrooms, on the other by guest suites, connected by wooden walkways. Sturdy construction and low-maintenance materials? Kundig chose corrugated, zinccoated aluminum for the roofs (a nod to Hawai‘i’s plantation past) and for the decks, ipe, a Brazilian hardwood that needs little care. The exterior walls are rammed earth, a construction method rare in Hawai‘i. The labor-intensive process required a hydraulic compacting machine that had to be shipped to the island. The material itself is low-impact: red earth from the surrounding environs that gets mixed with sand, clay and cement, poured into wooden frames and compressed, day upon day. Fireproof and hard as cement, the walls are eighteen inches thick, and took a year and a half to complete, acquiring striations during their compression that would take Nature a geological era to achieve.

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Middle photo, left to right: Master, central and guest pods open onto an oceanfront lawn dotted with recently planted palms. Above: Installing a window in the den advanced the goal of seeing the ocean from every room. Inside the home, all the artwork is Lik’s photography. Outside, it’s nature.

« AT HOME »

This view of the central living area shows the kitchen at left, the guest pod beyond. Behind the kitchen’s cabinets (renovated by Maui Custom Woodworks), a small laundry room is now a butler’s pantry with twin Sub-Zero refrigerators, a wine cooler, and a liquid-ozone filtration system that kills bacteria on veggies before juicing. True to his Aussie roots, Lik keeps a jar of Vegemite in one of the fridges. In the interplay between Zen aesthetics and industrial design, appliances and other elements that you’d expect to see are hidden around corners or behind cabinetry, while infrastructure like the hydraulic system that raises the central pod’s window-walls sits in plain view.

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The roofs draw their inspiration from indigenous Hawaiian architecture as later interpreted by Maui-born, twentieth-century architect C.W. Dickey, who incorporated in his own residential designs the cooling properties of high, sloping roofs and generous eaves. But because the trade winds can turn blustery along this sea cliff, Kundig added soaring shapes and strategic openings, “turbocharging” the design, as he wrote in his book Tom Kundig Houses 2. Meghan Drueding, describing the home in a May 2011 issue of Residential Architect, noted that, “Rather than blowing into the house, trade winds sweep over the roof, creating a cooling vacuum that pulls air through the interiors.” The flat-out coolest feature of the home reprises the window-wall of Chicken Point Cabin—and can give a first-time visitor chicken skin. Window-walls run floor to ceiling the length of the central pod on its mauka and makai (inland and seaward) sides. Pull a lever, and hydraulics lift the walls to tuck out of the way against the deck’s deep eaves. And if that’s not impressive enough, the makai wall accommodates a kitchen counter that extends out onto the deck. Such bells and whistles aside, the home’s elemental materials and unpretentious design harmonize with the natural surroundings. “I don’t think that I could ever design something as beautiful as what’s already out there,” Kundig wrote in 2011. “We’re here to frame the landscape, to create an experience of that place, and perhaps to bring some of that experience . . . inside the house.” Begun in 2006, and completed in 2009, the house won the prestigious Residential Architect 2011 Grand Design Award for homes over 3,000 square feet. RIGHT VIEW When Peter Lik experienced that synergy between the home and its setting, it knocked his socks off. “I was blown away the minute I stepped foot on the property, [with its] sweeping view across the bays, and Moloka‘i as a backdrop,” he says. “It is the last property along that stretch of coast. You feel like you are a world away from anyone else.” The pod design enhances that delicious sense of seclusion. “You don’t hear [anyone’s] conversations, music, or footsteps. You are in your own paradise,” says Lik. Realtor Courtney Brown represented the Nguyens when they purchased the property, and when Lik bought it from them. “When he first saw the property, I knew he loved it,” she recalls. “He was the only prospective Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

« AT HOME » buyer who took the time to walk the whole six-and-a-half acres, from the lookout point above Honolua Bay to the white sand and clear blue waters of Mokulē‘ia Beach.” Lik purchased the home in 2013, named it Aura, and began to adjust it to his own artistic sensibilities. “Tom Kundig has an amazing eye for space and architecture,” he says. “I just added my touch and style.” “When I saw Peter’s changes, I thought he had deliberately incorporated the Five Elements: earth, fire, metal, water and wood,” says Brown. Lik concurs: “I’ve always been drawn to the Earth’s elements. It’s a theme you’ll find throughout [my] homes.” Earth was already present in the walls, metal in the steel-beamed roofs, water in the ocean below. Lik placed fire bowls by the entrance and the swimming pool, and brought in cedar and other woods for the ceilings and accent walls. Those changes—along with stone tile that replaced the bedrooms’ concrete floors—create a wealth of texture that invites a lingering touch.

3031 OLD HALEAKALA HWY: Perfect for a large, growing or multigenerational family. Pukalani home, conveniently located minutes away from the Kula schools, The Pukalani Superette, the shops at Pukalani Terrace and the Hannibal Tavares Community Center. Only 15 minutes from Central Maui. Well maintained, owner occupied.

Offered at $850,000 | MLS #361102 JAMIE WOODBURN, R(S) | EMAIL: JAMIEWOODBURN1@GMAIL.COM | CELL: 808.870.5671 Upcountry Office • (808) 572-8600 • www.islandsir.com |

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RIGHT ACTION As any practitioner of Eastern philosophy will tell you, enlightenment is not a destination, but a path. So, while the Zen garden and landscape are the home’s most obvious Buddhist references, other changes take a metaphorical turn, like those that ease the way. Lik placed stone paths and added fill to correct a drop in grade that prevented the pods from connecting on the ocean side. He also shortened a kitchen counter that once cantilevered halfway to the pool, blocking one side of the deck from the other. The Zen practitioner who seeks an open mind would surely approve of the guest pod’s reconfiguration from three bedrooms to two, which created spaciousness without altering the footprint of the home. The Buddhist belief that all things transform spontaneously may not have been the reason Lik added moveable wooden screens to the decks, but slide them along their tracks, and they change each pod’s view, its privacy and light. In 2015, after spending over $3 million transforming the property, Lik put it on the market—a gesture of Zenlike detachment that anyone who has walked these grounds would find hard to fathom. “It was not an easy decision,” he admits, “but traveling so much around the world and running our Las Vegas corporate offices left [me] limited time to enjoy the property. It was time to let someone else experience this amazing place.”

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Honolua Ridge - Phase I, Lot #12: 81 Keoawa Place, Kapalua: 9.298 acres perched above Honolua Bay with a private access road that drops you right in front of one of Maui’s most alluring and special bays. Stunning views of Moloka‘i and the West Maui coast. The perfect location to build the home of your dreams surrounded by lush tropical gardens. The views are endless, the air is crisp and the beaches and golf are only minutes away.

Offered at $1,295,000

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Honolua Ridge - Phase II, Lot #22: 242 Keoawa Street, Kapalua: 6.259 acres of breathtaking views. From your house site you’ll enjoy endless views of nearby islands, tropical sunsets and the deep blue waters of the Pailolo Channel. The site is situated near the top of the development, giving you easy access to pristine mountain hikes, the beaches of Kapalua and enough land to create your own private tropical paradise.

Offered at $1,595,000

JAMIE WOODBURN, R(S) | EMAIL: JAMIEWOODBURN1@GMAIL.COM | CELL: 808.870.5671 UPCOUNTRY OFFICE • (808) 572-8600 • WWW.ISLANDSIR.COM | EACH OFFICE IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED

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OUR GUIDE TO MAUI’S BEST

Eating Drinking

Spago’s sashimi salad: onaga (snapper) and bigeye tuna with watermelon radishes, yellow beets, wasabi vinaigrette and pumpkin-seed oil

Sale Pepe’s classic Negroni: Campari, sweet vermouth and gin

TABLE OF CONTENTS E&D

E&D

CARE AND FEEDING How Maui chefs nurture community by Becky Speere

10 DINING WITH THE STARS

A Maui restaurateur entertains at home by Marti Rosenquist

E&D

18 MAUI MIXOLOGY

Waiter, there’s a jalapeño in my drink! by Becky Speere

E&D

20 RAISE YOUR GLASS

Finding a favorite wine by Charles Fredy, Advanced Sommelier

E&D

23 ‘AIPONO’S 2015 CHEF OF THE YEAR

NINA KUNA

by Becky Speere

26 2015 ‘AIPONO AWARD WINNERS E&D 42 ‘AIPONO’S SPECIAL AWARDS E&D

ADVERTISING SALES (808) 242-8331 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Michael Haynes, Laura Lewark EDITOR Rita Goldman MANAGING EDITOR Lehia Apana DINING EDITOR Becky Speere ART DIRECTOR & DESIGNER John Giordani DESIGN & PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Shelby Lynch CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER Regina Asuncion CONTROLLER Kao Kushner E-MAIL ADDRESS info@mauimagazine.net

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Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » Eating & Drinking

“Its authenticity, intimacy, hospitality, cultural integrity and sheer romantic beauty have made this Maui’s top lu¯‘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 lu¯‘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 Lu¯‘au”by Maui Residents Zagat Sur vey

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

(808)667- 0700 To l l f r e e

(800)248-5828 www.oldlahainaluau.com 1251 Front Street, La¯haina Along the ocean in Historic La¯haina Town

Right: Executive Chef Tylun Pang of Fairmont Kea Lani’s Kō restaurant harvests a group hug and happy smiles after a cooking demo at Kahului Elementary School. Far right: Chef Kyle Kawakami keeps a tip jar in the window of his ‘Aipono Award-winning Maui Fresh Streater y food truck. Last year he raised $8,000 to benefit island families in need.

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

TOP: MIEKO HORIKOSHI; LEFT: FAIRMONT LEA LANI; RIGHT: MAUI FRESH STREATERY

Chefs Brian Etheredge (left) and Chris Kulis (right) of Capische? join Chef Cameron Lewark of Spago Maui to share garden-based knowledge and cooking skills with Maui’s keiki. They’re seen here at the third annual Taste of School Gardens benefit, which raised $54,000.

Dining

Chef Dan Fiske of Private Maui Chef joins young gardeners at a 2011 party celebrating the first harvest of Kīhei Elementary School’s garden. There’s good reason to cheer: the students grew the tomatoes and basil for those Caprese salad appetizers.

STORY BY BECKY SPEERE When our daughters were in school, countless clubs and activities vied for our precious dollars. Seems as though someone was always selling huli huli chicken, chili and rice, malasadas or chocolate bars to fund a class excursion to the Maui Ocean Center; charter a bus for middle-school students to see an exhibit at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center; or send a band, hula troupe or sports team to a competition on another island. Maui’s food-driven fundraisers continue to nurture a host of worthy causes, from children’s programs, to providing relief for victims of disasters in Hawai‘i and beyond. A local lunch-truck owner even donates his tip jar each month for families in need. We’re proud to note how many ‘Aipono-winning chefs and restaurateurs are behind these humanitarian efforts. Whether they took home an award for great food or service or the ambiance of their venues, they all deserve recognition for the goodness of their hearts. Here are just a few.

KIRK SURRY/GROW SOME GOOD

YOUNG AT HEART

Over the years, Hotel Wailea’s Capische? restaurant has won half a dozen ‘Aipono Awards for Most Romantic Setting. But chef/owner Brian Etheredge says his first visit to Kīhei Elementary School, in 2009, was where “I felt my heartstrings being pulled. I knew this was the thing to do.” Etheredge, ‘Aipono’s 2008 Chef of the Year, had just been introduced to Grow Some Good, a program that teaches students about healthy eating by establishing school gardens. Grow Some Good began at Kīhei Elementary, and for Etheredge it was love at first sight. He and private chef Dan

Chef Brian Etheredge shares his love for fresh organic veggies while mentoring students on healthy eating at Kīhei Elementary School. Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » Eating & Drinking

Dining Fiske obtained funding for a part-time garden coordinator, and gave youngsters cooking classes with recipes incorporating the foods they grew in that garden. Today, with the continued support of Etheredge and more than a dozen other Maui chefs, what began as a single raised plot of soil at Kīhei Elementary has become a quarter-acre garden tended by the entire student body—and Grow Some Good has expanded to ten more isle schools.

SEED MONEY

The winner of ‘Aipono’s 2015 Lifetime Achievement award, Paris Nabavi is another Maui chef who believes the way to a healthy student body is through organic foods kids learn to grow themselves. Troubled by the epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes, Nabavi joined forces with the Maui School Garden Network, a nonprofit organization that works in tandem with Grow Some Good by connecting educators with experts, grants and other fundraising ideas. The goal: to give schools ownership of programs that teach kids to grow their own healthy food—and with it, a sense of independence. Nabavi’s role? Throughout the year, he raises funds that provide organic seeds for fifty-two schools, prekindergarten through twelfth grade, on Maui, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i.

Every other month, an ‘Aipono Award-winning restaurant joins Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi and Chambers & Chambers Wine Merchants to host a wine dinner benefiting Maui Culinary Academy. Hosting chefs—among them Tri-Star Restaurants’ Geno Sarmiento, at left—mentor students at these dinners, providing priceless professional experience.

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Paris Nabavi inspects grapevine arbors in his home garden. Chef and owner of Sangrita, ‘Aipono’s 2015 “Best Mexican” restaurant, Nabavi is also a major donor of organic seeds to the Maui School Garden Network—and our 2015 Lifetime Achievement recipient.

MEATING THE CHALLENGE

Cameron Lewark wears many hats as chef de cuisine of Spago Maui, winner of this year’s Gold ‘Aipono Awards for Best Service and Best Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine. The hat he dons when he’s not at work is camouflage. Dressed in camo fatigues, Lewark heads Upcountry or onto golf courses in the wee hours before dawn, or, with permission, on private land, in search of axis deer. There’s more to this than a love of the hunt. Lewark’s target is an invasive species whose burgeoning herds ravage farms and ranches, costing millions of dollars in damage to local agriculture and also compromising safety on the island’s roads. When the County of Maui mounted its Maui Axis Deer Harvesting Cooperative in 2012, Lewark volunteered. “I saw this as a great opportunity to do what I enjoy and help at the same time,” says ‘Aipono’s 2010 Chef of the Year. Besides controlling the deer population, Lewark thinks the harvest can help develop a meat industry here that promotes venison as a sustainable resource. “If we can harvest the meat, we will be able to import less from the mainland. It’s local and free range.”

KAIN NA! On October 15, 2013, a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines, followed weeks later by super typhoon Haiyan. Those two natural disasters damaged or destroyed 1.1 million homes; killed 6,300 people and displaced another 4.1 million. Jojo

TOP: SANGRITA GRILL & CANTINA; MIDDLE: COW PIG BUN; BOTTOM: JOSE MORALES

Chefs of the Year Roger Stettler (2012) and Isaac Bancaco (2014) are friendly competitors at Knife Fight, an ongoing contest for chefs that has raised more than $6,000 for Maui Culinary Academy. Stettler’s ‘Aipono Award-winning Cow Pig Bun hosted the inaugural event.

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Dining

er Kain Na! When super typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in Novemb $20,000 than more raised that dinner t benefi a held chefs Maui of 2013, Chef for aid. Among them (above, left to right), Joel Dagdagan, two-time right), of the Year Sheldon Simeon, and Rocky Cabading; (below, left to Tante Urban, Joey Macadangdang, and Jojo Vasquez.

Vasquez, executive chef of Plantation House Restaurant and Pineapple Grill, felt moved to help. Partnering with his wife, Eliza, and Jake Belmonte, chef-instructor at Maui Culinary Academy, Vasquez organized the fundraiser Kain Na! (Tagalog for “Let’s eat!”). Fourteen other Maui chefs participated, including Ka‘ana Kitchen’s Isaac Bancaco and MiGRANT’s Sheldon Simeon, past ‘Aipono Chefs of the Year. Vasquez, whose restaurants garnered this year’s Gold ‘Aipono for Best Breakfast (Plantation House) and Silvers for Best Steak and Best Dessert (Pineapple Grill), says, “The Filipino community came together . . . to lift up one another and help those in dire need. There was a great feeling of support.” Support, indeed: the sold-out event raised more than $20,000 for disaster relief.

Left: Former KHON repor ter Malika Dudley joins Chef Lyndon Honda during live coverage of Project Kōkua, a benefit for Big Island victims of Hurricane Iselle. Below : Maui Culinary Academy student Nicole Morton volunteers at the event with Chefs Chris Schobel and James Simpliciano.

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Hurricane Iselle had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time she swept past Hawai‘i in August 2014, but she tore through the Big Island’s Puna District, turning trees into toothpicks, leveling homes, downing power lines and causing $68 million in agricultural losses. As Chef Lyndon Honda tracked the storm’s path and intensity, he knew he had to do something to support his former island home. Honda, who had served as corporate chef at perennial ‘Aipono Award winners Aloha Mixed Plate and Old Lahaina Lū‘au, turned his talents to creating Project Kōkua (“help”). Local purveyors gave generous donations of food and supplies, and isle businesses and individuals contributed 170 items for a silent auction. And twenty-eight of Honda’s industry colleagues rallied to help—including Ivan Pahk (‘Aipono’s 2007 Chef of the Year), Japengo’s Gevin Utrillo (2015 Golds for Best Sushi and Best Pacific Rim Cuisine), Wes Holder of Pūlehu (2015 Gold for Best Italian Cuisine), and Tylun Pang of Kō (2015 Gold for Best Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine and Silver for Best Shave Ice; Pang himself is a past winner of ‘Aipono’s Friend of Agriculture and Lifetime Achievement awards). Three weeks following the disaster, Project Kōkua filled Maui Tropical Plantation’s Mill House Restaurant with 300 upbeat attendees. As I milled around the food stations, I could sense the community pride emanating from our chefs, who, though busy filling our ‘ōpū (bellies), somehow always find time to give back from the heart. Project Kōkua raised $28,414 for Hawai‘i Island Food Bank, and $750 for thirty-one farmers to purchase seeds. This past February, Honda organized another Project Kōkua on the Big Island, raising an additional $14,713. Honda says, “You gotta give back, you know? Don’t have to only be on Maui. We are all one family! We had two hundred volunteers who felt the same way.”

TOP (2): JANICE SIMEON; BOTTOM (2): COURTESY OF LYNDON HONDA

PROJECT KO-KUA

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At Home with the Chef

Dining wi� �e Stars A MAUI RESTAURATEUR ENTERTAINS AT HOME St�y by Marti Rosenquist Photography by Sue Hudelson

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Aaron Placourakis has spent a lifetime making people feel welcome at his Tri-Star restaurants. He does the same when he entertains at home, right down to the single pink rose he’ll present to each female guest.

Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » Eating and Drinking 11

At Home with the Chef

On the upper deck, just steps from the kitchen, guests savor homemade cocktails and a setting sun that paints the Pacific burnished gold.

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Opposite: Rhonda and Aaron bring their Ateam to entertaining at home, enlisting the aid of Tri-Star’s Executive Chef Geno Sarmiento. This page: Rhonda’s prized landscaping and the ocean view create a setting as tropically elegant as any resort on the coastline below.

During the drive to Wailea, I find myself guessing what kind of home restaurateur Aaron Placourakis shares with his wife, Rhonda, and their son, Manoli. I’ve dined at Tri-Star restaurants, and they all have romantic settings. Son’z Steakhouse, at the Hyatt Regency Maui, encircles a waterfall where swans glide serenely to and fro; at Sarento’s on the Beach in Wailea, lovers snuggle in cozy booths a mere stone’s throw from the water’s edge to watch the sunset; and at Nick’s Fishmarket at the Fairmont Kea Lani, couples dine under the stars, while flaming strawberries Romanoff punctuate the darkness. Wouldn’t the home of Tri-Star’s CEO have great ambiance, as well? Two steps into the entryway, I understand why the Placourakises moved here from their former abode in an opulent gated community. Nearly every room in the house provides a vantage of ocean, West Maui Mountains, Kaho‘olawe and Molokini. Not so much as a telephone wire interrupts the view. “Can you believe this property was so overgrown before we bought it that you couldn’t see this view?” Rhonda says. “I had to cut down a lot of trees.” “And when she says cut down the trees, she cut down the trees. We got her a chainsaw for Mother’s Day,” Aaron chuckles. The diminutive blond confirms her delight with an incandescent smile. “Gee, and all I got was a blender!” I joke. “She already had the Vitamix,” Aaron says, gesturing toward the kitchen, “so a saw was the next logical thing.” I turn to admire what is clearly the focal point of the home. “You must love working in here.”

Aaron nods. “The kitchen was remodeled by the previous owner, a restaurateur friend of ours. What makes it so great is that as a host or chef you have visual access to most of the entertainment areas, so it’s easier to control the tempo and timing of the event. Also, if you’re still prepping, and guests want to watch, sample and enjoy, this kitchen lets you do so and still be a part of the function.” The kitchen is open to the living and dining rooms, whose wide windows and glass doors look out onto the home’s gardens, terraces, inviting backyard, and multiple lānai, all perfect for al fresco entertaining. “With so many options, what’s your favorite way to entertain in this house?” “When we do the cooking, we entertain casually,” Aaron replies, “maybe a rustic menu of roasted meats or fish and vegetables, served family style. We start here near the kitchen with drinks and pupu, then move down to the lana‘i. If it’s a bigger party, we enlist the help of our chef and then we can be more elaborate. “In all cases we try to come up with a special cocktail for guests to enjoy before dinner. Rhonda is a physical trainer and is interested in healthful food preparations. For this evening she made homemade cranberry cosmopolitans.” “What about this is homemade?” I ask Rhonda, after sipping the pretty pink elixir. “I coax the juice from fresh cranberries, then add a smidgen of sweetener, basil and mint, which are good healthy herbs. I also add coconut water, which has a slew of health benefits,” Rhonda says. “And there’s a bit of vodka in there, too, of course.” Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » Eating and Drinking 13

At Home with the Chef

Above: As night descends, guests bring their appetites into the heart of the home, gathering ’round the kitchen counter for pupu and good conversation. Left to right: Performing before an appreciative audience, Chef Geno sears ‘ahi, then plates the slices on a sauce of lemon butter, saké and Chinese mustard, alongside chopped avocado, red onion, mango and papaya. The pupu course includes oyster shooters topped with fresh gazpacho and cucumber yuzu gelato.

You know the old song, “If I knew you were coming, I’d have baked a cake”? The Placourakis version is: “We knew you were coming, so we cooked everything from scratch really slow all day, using local ingredients.” For this evening’s meal, Aaron and Rhonda have recruited Chef Geno Sarmiento, who has been with Tri-Star for twenty years. He looks right at home, prepping for dinner at the “cooktop with an ocean view.” “I love cooking in this house,” Chef beams as he stirs the seafood sauce he will add to a new mahimahi entrée. “The kitchen is perfectly designed and outfitted. The aisle between the prep areas is wide, so my two helpers aren’t bumping into one another. There’s an extra prep sink right behind me, which I filled with ice tonight to chill the fresh oysters. And there is a refrigerator drawer right here next to the range, which makes life so easy.” Chef reaches into the frosty drawer and pulls out a bag of dark red ‘ahi fillets. He admires the catch for a moment, then announces, “Let’s get to work. It’s time to blacken this ‘ahi.” He rolls the fish in a concoction of spices and soon the room fills with the succulent scents that only great cooking produces. Chef plates the seared ‘ahi slices alongside a mixture of chopped avocado,

14 Eating & Drinking

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red onion, mango and papaya “to cut the heat of the blackened fish” and drizzles it with a sauce made with lemon butter, saké and Chinese mustard that makes my mouth water. Next he assembles fresh oyster shooters by topping the raw mollusks with house-made gazpacho and a dollop of homemade cucumber and yuzu gelato. Before the guests arrive, he fries tiny blini and tops them with smoked salmon, crème fraîche, chopped egg and capers, caviar style. He cooks pork-belly chunks that will be served at the main meal with succulent scallops, plated with cippolini onions slow roasted in Pernod and butter. Soon the guests arrive, each one commenting that “something smells really good in here.” Rhonda makes sure everyone has her specialty drink in hand, while the charismatic Aaron introduces guests to one another. He then bids them onto the lānai to enjoy the sunset making its fleeting appearance over the ocean beyond. Everyone seems to be floating on air. Aaron had once told me that he uses the same philosophy to entertain at home as he does in his restaurants: make each guest feel like a star. “Good service is about anticipating your guests’ needs,” he

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At Home with the Chef

SMOKED SALMON ON BLINI Servings 16 portions | Prep Time 1 hour Ingredients 8 oz. smoked salmon, sliced in ½-oz. portions 1 hard-boiled egg, yoke and white minced separately 1 Maui onion, minced 1 Tbsp. capers, drained of brine 1 Tbsp. balsamic syrup* 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. butter microgreens for garnish *Bring 1 ounce or more of balsamic vinegar to boil, lower heat and simmer till reduced to 1/3rd original volume. Keep leftover syrup for dressing watermelon-feta salad, strawberries, etc. MASCARPONE-CRÈME FRAÎCHE

¼ c. mascarpone‡ ¼ c. crème fraîche‡ ½ fresh lemon, squeezed & seeds removed salt & pepper to taste Clockwise from top left: Smoked salmon decked out with chopped egg, onion and capers rests atop homemade blinis that Chef painstakingly browns on the spot. Rhonda relaxes in the living room, awaiting the arrival of her guests.

Available on Maui at Rimfire Imports and Whole Foods Market

‡

BLINI

½ c. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, boiled, mashed & cooled ½ c. flour 1 egg ¼ c. milk 1 tsp. baking powder 1 Tbsp. chives, chopped salt & pepper to taste Method For the mascarpone-crème fraîche, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

explains. “Anyone can get someone something that they ask for, but getting it before they ask, that’s the goal. Also, I believe in being oldfashioned. Dining is about making sure [the ladies] are always cared for, first, last, and everywhere in between.” This, from the man who gave his wife a chainsaw for Mother’s Day? Aaron smiles. “As the Greeks say, ‘Why would women want to be equal to men, when they are way above men?’” We step outside to a four-course dinner being served on the lānai. The moon casts a glow over the ocean. Tiki torches blaze; the sound of a distant conch shell drifts up the hill from the resorts below. Between rounds of laughter, a guest toasts Aaron and Rhonda, thanking them for inviting him to dine this evening “like royalty.” Stars form a canopy overhead, and as they clink their crystal goblets together, each guest at the table also appears to be twinkling.

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For the blinis, blend all ingredients together in a bowl. In a 10-inch skillet, heat butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Using either a spoon or piping bag, place the blini mixture in the pan in silver-dollar-sized portions. When the edges start to bubble, flip over, cooking the blini about 30 seconds on each side. Blot on paper towels. Plate Place blinis on a platter. Place the smoked salmon on top of the blini like a rosette. Add a dollop of the mascarpone-crème fraîche mixture in the center of the rosette. Sprinkle onion, egg white, egg yolk and capers on top of the salmon. Drizzle balsamic syrup and extra virgin olive oil on top of the salmon and platter. Garnish with microgreens.

kipa mai (welcome) . . .

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Dining » MAUI MIXOLOGY

WAITER, THERE’S A JALAPEÑO IN MY DRINK! STORY BY BECKY SPEERE Ingredients have escaped the kitchen to find their way into the bar: not just the expected fruit and honey shrubs and herbaceous mixers of rosemary and basil, but surprising items like chili peppers, mushroom infusions and li hing mui (salty dried plum). Adventurous and “cheffy” bartenders have discarded bottled mai tai mixes and build their own flavor profiles with fresh local fruit and locally crafted distillates. Even the ice for that perfectly chilled cocktail has undergone some cool reappraisal, as the rate it melts at has become a science. And so, there is ice. And there is ice. Square ice. Rectangular chunks. Flaked ice. The folks behind the bar at Pūlehu Grill use a Macallan aluminum-alloy ice-ball maker that creates round ice. Bartenders are commanding our attention, creating drinks to pair with Hawai‘i’s eclectic menus. Reinvented as mixologists—bar specialists—they have taken command of the cutting board and stove, with results that make us cheer. Andaz Maui’s Ka‘ana Kitchen and the Sheraton Maui’s Black Rock Lounge tied for the Gold ‘Aipono this year for Best Cocktail and share their expertise with a cocktail recipe each, and this advice: Have fun, be creative, and enjoy!

Ciso’s Passion Mai Tai

Courtesy of Sheraton’s Black Rock Lounge “This recipe was crafted by our bartender of twenty-eight years, Ciso Corpuz,” Chef Greg Gaspar says. “Ciso’s mai tai pairs well with our new pupu, Hawaiian flatbread topped with sweet Maui Gold pineapple, tender pork belly, mozzarella cheese, and marinara sauce.” INGREDIENTS 1½ oz. Old Lahaina Light Rum ¾ oz. peach liqueur 1 oz. passionfruit purée passion, orange, and guava juice (POG) 1 oz. Old Lahaina Dark Rum to float METHOD Fill a highball glass with ice cubes (not crushed ice). Pour the first three ingredients into the glass. Fill with POG, almost to the top, or as desired. Stir to mix. Slowly pour the dark rum to float. Garnish with a pineapple slice and maraschino cherry.

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

Mōkapu Cooler

Courtesy of Andaz Maui’s Ka‘ana Kitchen Mixologist Travis Gyarmaty adds just the right amount of refreshing, chilled fruit flavor and sweetness to local vodka in this cocktail created for Ka‘ana Kitchen. He says, “Add large cubes of ice, not crushed ice, to the shaker. This decreases the dilution factor, so you get a more flavorful drink that’s less watered down.” As for food pairing, Travis suggests Ka‘ana Kitchen’s ‘ahi tataki. “It has local heirloom tomatoes, burrata cheese, seared ‘ahi and a liliko‘i [passionfruit] reduction that pairs great with the cocktail.” INGREDIENTS Pulp from half of one liliko‘i ¾ oz. ginger syrup 2 dashes of Angostura bitters ¾ oz. fresh lime juice 1 oz. fresh pineapple juice 2 oz. vodka of choice METHOD Place liliko‘i pulp in a martini shaker. Muddle lightly with the next four ingredients. Add vodka and ice cubes, and shake. Fine-strain into a coupe or martini glass. WEB EXCLUSIVE: Feeling OldFashioned? Try a Gregular, created by Greg Shepherd, owner of Cow Pig Bun, winner of this year’s Silver ‘Aipono Award for Best Cocktail. Find the recipe at MauiMagazine.net/Gregular.

Dining » RAISE YOUR GLASS

A Wine Advice Column BY CHARLES FREDY

FINDING A FAVORITE WINE When people ask me to name my favorite wines, I always struggle. I taste wine for a living, so you would think it would be easy. It’s not. Red or white, each wine is distinctive, and enjoyment is often a matter of personal taste. Sometimes you just know a wine will be great. That happened one evening when I invited friends to a simple gathering and wine tasting. At some point, we ended up Charles Fredy is an advanced sommelier in two separate groups. Mine had a bottle of Turley Hayne with the Court of Vineyard zinfandel, the other a fine Oregon pinot noir. Master Sommeliers, and When the other group noticed what we were drinking, you’d a certified specialist of have thought from their reactions that I’d served them dirty wine with the Society water. It was 2001; Turley wines were so sought after that of Wine Educators. A even though I worked for the wine’s distributor, I was only thirty-six-year veteran of the wine-andpermitted to buy a few bottles of each release. I confess that spirits industry, he is a bit of my enjoyment came from knowing I was drinking a director of sales and wine everyone wanted. But really, it was the wine itself. Full marketing for Chambers of minerals and earth, artisanal and decadent, it displayed & Chambers Wine heady alcohol and a huge fruit concentration—layered Merchants Hawai‘i. flavors of red, black and blue fruit. (And here I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Turley is the featured winery for the June 27 ‘Aipono Wine Dinner at Fleetwood’s on Front St. in Lahaina. Turley bottles about thirty-four different wines, and while the zinfandel mentioned above won’t be available for that dinner, I can vouch for the Turley petite syrah that will be.) Sometimes the circumstances surrounding a wine experience can create a new favorite. Once, when colleagues and I went on a supplier trip to Paris, our host suggested we visit a caviar bar and enjoy the selections with Champagne. The tiny, unassuming shop had several choices of the world’s best caviar displayed like meat selections at a butcher’s. At the back of the store, a narrow staircase led to a quaint dining room. It looked so off-limits that, climbing the creaky stairs, we felt we had made a wrong turn. Intimidated by our limited ability to communicate in French, we surrendered ourselves to whatever choices our waiter made. What luck! A bottle of grower Champagne arrived at our table, along with caviar and all the accompaniments. By “grower,” I mean a producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. Most Champagne is made by large producers, who rely on grapes from many different vineyards. Champagne from a single vineyard can be unpredictable, year to year, but the one we drank that day was seductive and festive, delivering a complexity of flavor. That experience laid the foundation for my passion for Champagne, one of the world’s greatest wines. Try some of these selections, and create your own memorable wine experience: Turley Wine Cellars, Zinfandel, Billecart-Salmon Brut, Kirschenmann Vineyard, Lodi, Sous Bois, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, 2013 Champagne, Non-vintage Turley Wine Cellars, Zinfandel, Pierre Peters, Cuvée Spéciale Rattlesnake Ridge, Howell les Chétillons, Le Mesnil-surMountain, Napa Valley, 2013 Oger, Champagne, 2000 (shown) Turley Wine Cellars, Petite Syrah, Hayne Vineyard, St. Helena, Napa Valley, 2012

Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, Blanc de Blancs, Reims, Champagne, 2002

Got a wine question? Contact Charles Fredy at Facebook.com/ChambersWinesHawaii

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

UNCOMPROMISING SINCE 1985

Potato scaled mahi-mahi, on a bed of grilled asparagus, potato puree, a cabernet beurre rouge, sprinkled with white truffle oil.

Founder/CEO Aaron Placourakis was raised around great food. And like all Greeks, he was instilled with the belief that “family” isn’t limited to close relatives, but includes all who are gathered around the table. It’s an approach that’s perfected by his team, who greet you at the door as a friend. We invite you to join us. Be a part of the family. Create unforgettable memories in the most spectacular settings on Earth. And rediscover the joy of good living.

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‘Aipono Special Award

JEFF SCHEER STORY BY BECKY SPEERE PHOTOGRAPHY BY NINA KUNA

In 2006, Jeff Scheer walked into Maui Culinary Academy for the first time. He was registering for the two-year program and I happened to be the intake advisor that day. “I cook at Tommy Bahama’s,” he said. “I like my job, but I feel like I’m not going anywhere. That’s why I’m here.” When I cautioned that it’s hard to work and go to the Academy full time, he shrugged. “I’ll work; I have to.” Jeff stumbled into his classes five days a week, bleary-eyed from late nights at the stove. A few months into the program, he surprised the faculty by starting his own business, Maui Executive Catering. Here was a student who had no fear, asked lots of questions, and didn’t let sleep deprivation slow him down. After graduating, he continued cooking and delivering food to his charter-boats clients, and later catered high-end private events at venues like Haiku Mill, one of Maui’s most elite wedding locations. In 2013, the Academy hired Jeff as an instructor. Innately curious about the food arriving at his kitchen, Jeff started helping at Kupa‘a Farm, an organic venture run by Gerry Ross and Janet Simpson. Whenever time allowed, he worked the dirt and even harvested some of his own produce. Jeff continues to build relationships with local farmers, ranchers, and fishermen. His most recent undertaking is Maui Chef’s Table. Walking into the kitchen, you can’t help noticing the meat hook dangling from the ceiling. A believer in nose-to-tail cookery, Jeff incorporates Old World techniques for sausage making, dry curing and smoking meats, which he has translated into a refrigerated locker filled with charcuterie: spicy Spanish pepperoni, sweet Hungarian and Italian salami, and aged prosciutto. Tonight, I am one of twenty-four fortunate diners at Jeff’s. As guests trickle in for the seven-course, prix fixe menu, he is animated and gracious, thanking each person for

Guests watch as Scheer and his team create culinary magic, adding house-made crème fraîche to a dessert. Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » Eating & Drinking

‘Aipono Special Award

WHAT HIS PEERS SAY . . .

Scheer welcomes guests to his Chef’s Table kitchen at Maui Executive Catering in Ha‘ikū.

coming. More than once, I hear returning guests tell first-timers, “Oh, you’re in for a treat!” The first course is a sigh-maker. I take a bite of the delicate paté choux filled with the creamy sweetness of a farm-fresh sous vide egg. As I dip the delicate pastry into a pool of minced herbs and red-pepper sauce, I wonder how something so simple can be so heavenly. Jeff’s use of quality local ingredients and innovative culinary techniques (some based on what he learned while staging at O‘ahu’s Vintage Cave and Chef Michael Chiarello’s Bottega in Napa Valley) convinces me the young culinary student I enrolled nearly a decade ago hasn’t changed: he’s always challenging himself to do better. Congratulations to Jeff Scheer, ‘Aipono’s 2015 Chef of the Year!

“Jeff has proven through his great food, hard work and dedication to our community how well he represents his industry—locally, nationally and hopefully one day on a global scale.”—Executive Chef Isaac Bancaco, Ka‘ana Kitchen, Andaz Maui “One of Maui’s young, rising stars who will bring Regional Hawaiian Cuisine to the next level.”—Executive Chef Roger Stettler, Four Seasons Resort Maui “A creative, driven and innovative chef, Jeff is a huge supporter of local agriculture, is committed to the community through participation in nonprofit events, gives back to the industry through his part-time teaching at MCA, and serves as an ambassador through the Maui Visitors

Bureau Chef Exchange— leading efforts to connect top mainland chefs to Maui’s exciting culinary movement.”—Chris Speere, Outreach Coordinator, Maui Culinary Academy “Jeff is one of the most creative chefs out there, always learning and growing his craft. Not to mention [he is] a smart business person.”—Chef Lyndon Honda, Events & Catering “I have watched Jeff since his days as a budding culinarian at MCA. He has also inspired me to seek out new ways to offer Maui’s bounty. Jeff has passion, and it is always fun to get his insight and hear about what he is working on next. Continued success to a fine young man with great drive and determination.” —Executive Chef Ryan Luckey, TS Restaurants

a restaurant created by a man who loves to eat Serving Hawai‘i Since 1976

Best Award of Excellence Wine Spectator

Best Breakfast in Hawai‘i Zagat Survey

Restaurant of Distinction Honolulu Magazine Hale ‘Aina Award

Best Restaurant Honolulu Advertiser I‘lima Award

Best Italian Restaurant The Maui News “Best of Maui” Award

Best Mediterranean BEST Guidebook

‘Aipono Icon Award, Bob Longhi Maui No Ka ‘Oi Magazine

L A H A I N A / 8 8 8 F r o n t S t r e e t / 8 0 8 . 6 6 7. 2 2 8 8 WAILEA / The Shops at Wailea / 808.89 1.8883 HONOLULU / Ala Moana Center / 808.944.3733

WWW.LONGHIS.COM 24

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

COME FOR THE FOOD. STAY FOR THE VIEWS.

Featuring Chef Michael Lofaro Voted “BEST CHEF” & Humuhumunukunukuapua’a Voted “BEST RESORT RESTAURANT” BY THE MAUI NEWS READERS 2014

RESERVATIONS: (808) 875-1234 3850 Wailea Alanui Drive, Wailea, HI grandwailea.com • @grandwailea

‘Aipono Award Winners

Nobu: Silver, Best Restaurant on an Island Next Door

Ka‘ana Kitchen: Gold, Most Innovative Menu, Best Cocktail (tie); Silver, Restaurant of the Year

Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Magazine presents the 2015 ‘Aipono Restaurant

Gold

Silver

WHAT’S IN A NAME? In Hawaiian, ‘ai means “to eat,” and pono means “excellence.” Put them together, and you have an awards competition that honors the island’s best restaurants, as voted by the readers of Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi. The ‘Aipono Gala raises funds for Maui Culinary Academy and creates real-world mentoring for tomorrow’s chefs. ‘Aipono’s Wine Dinner series also benefits the Academy, while inviting you to explore outstanding wines paired with special menus at ‘Aipono Award-winning restaurants. (Sign up for notices of upcoming wine dinners at MauiMagazine.net/Aipono.)

Mama’s Fish House 799 Poho Pl., Kū‘au | 579-8488 | MamasFishHouse.com ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Ka‘ana Kitchen Andaz Maui, 3550 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea 573-1234 | Maui.Andaz.Hyatt.com

____________________________ BEST NEW RESTAURANT Tie for Gold Cane & Canoe Montage Kapalua Bay, 1 Bay Dr., Kapalua | 662-6681 | MontageHotels.com/KapaluaBay/dining/cane-canoe

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

Cow Pig Bun 535 Līpoa Pkwy., Kīhei | 875-8100 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Sale Pepe 878 Front St., Lahaina | 667-7667 | SalePepeMaui.com

____________________________ MOST “MAUI-EST” Mama’s Fish House 799 Poho Pl., Kū‘au | 579-8488 | MamasFishHouse.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Monkeypod Kitchen 10 Wailea Gateway , Wailea|891-2322|MonkeypodKitchen.com

LEFT: NOBU; RIGHT: NINA KUNA

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

BOTTOM RIGHT: NINA KUNA; TOP (2): MAMA’S FISH HOUSE; BOTTOM LEFT: CANE & CANOE/MONTAGE KAPALUA BAY

Dining

(Top 2) Mama’s Fishouse: Gold, Restaurant of the Year, Most “Maui-est,” Best Oceanfront Dining, Best Fish & Seafood, Best Dessert (tie) (Bottom Left) Cane & Canoe: Gold, Best New Restaurant (tie); Silver, Best Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine (Bottom Right) Sale Pepe: Gold, Best Italian (tie); Silver: Best New Restaurant Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » Eating & Drinking

‘Aipono Award Winners

Gold

Silver

BEST RESTAURANT ON AN ISLAND NEXT DOOR Alan Wong’s Honolulu 1857 S. King St., Honolulu | 949-2526 | AlanWongs.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Nobu Lāna‘i Four Seasons Resort Lāna‘i at Mānele Bay, 1 Mānele Bay Rd., Lāna‘i City | 565-2393 | FourSeasons.com/ManeleBay/dining/ restaurants/nobu_lanai

_____________________ BEST SERVICE

Spago Four Seasons Resort Maui, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea| 874-8000 | FourSeasons.com/Maui/dining •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Lahaina Grill 127 Lahainaluna Rd., Lahaina | 667-5117 | LahainaGrill.com

_____________________ BEST OCEANFRONT DINING

Mama’s Fish House 799 Poho Pl., Kū‘au | 579-8488 | MamasFishHouse.com ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Tie for Silver

Longhi’s: Gold, Best Business Lunch

Honu Seafood & Pizza 1295 Front St., Lahaina | 667-9390 | HonuMaui.com Sea House Restaurant Nāpili Kai Beach Resort, 5900 Lower Honoapi‘ilani Rd., Nāpili 669-1500 | SeaHouseMaui.com

_____________________ MiGRANT: Silver, Most Innovative Menu, Best Noodles

MOST ROMANTIC SETTING Capische? Hotel Wailea, 555 Kaukahi Rd., Wailea | 879-2224 | Capische.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Merriman’s Kapalua 1 Bay Dr., Kapalua | 669-6400 | MerrimansHawaii.com

_____________________ BEST SHORTS & SLIPPERS DINING

Hula Grill Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali | 667-6636 | HulaGrill.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Aloha Mixed Plate 1285 Front St., Lahaina | 661-3322 | AlohaMixedPlate.com

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

TOP: NINA KUNA; BOTTOM: LEFT: MIGRANT/CHELSEA BATTEN; BOTTOM RIGHT: LONGHI’S

Honu Seafood & Pizza: Silver, Best Oceanfront Dining (tie)

Capische?: Gold, Most Romantic Setting

BEST HEALTHY CHOICES Choice Health Bar 1087 Limahana Pl., Lahaina | 661-7711 | ChoiceMaui.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Māla 1307 Front St., Lahaina | 667-9394 | MalaOceanTavern.com • Wailea Beach Marriott Resort, 3700 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 875-9394 | MalaWailea.com

_____________________ MOST INNOVATIVE MENU

Ka‘ana Kitchen Andaz Maui, 3550 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea 573-1234 | Maui.Andaz.Hyatt.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• MiGRANT Wailea Beach Marriott Resort, 3700 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 875-9394 | MigrantMaui.com

_____________________ BEST BREAKFAST

Plantation House 2000 Plantation Club Dr., Kapalua | 669-6299 | ThePlantationHouse.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The Gazebo Outrigger Nāpili Shores, 5315 Lower Honoapi‘ilani Rd., Nāpili | 669-5621

fine mexican. seafood. Tequila. Lifetime Achievement Recipient Chef Paris Nabavi 2O15 ‘Aipono Award winner

_____________________

NINA KUNA

gracias Lunch + Happy Hour + Dinner / Fairway shops in kA'Anapali sangritagrill .com +

+ 8 0 8 .6 6 2 .6 0 0 0 Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » Eating & Drinking

‘Aipono Award Winners

Gold

Silver

BEST HAPPY HOUR Sea House Restaurant Nāpili Kai Beach Resort, 5900 Lower Honoapi‘ilani Rd., Nāpili | 669-1500 | SeaHouseMaui.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Monkeypod Kitchen 10 Wailea Gateway, Wailea | 891-2322 | MonkeypodKitchen.com

_____________________ Monkeypod Kitchen: Silver, Most “Maui-est,” Best Happy Hour

Cow Pig Bun: Gold, Best New Restaurant (tie), Best Burger; Silver, Best Cocktail

34 WAILEA GATEWAY PLACE #107, PIILANI HWY AT WAILEA IKE DR. | 808-344-1040 SWEETPARADISECHOCOLATE.COM

Morimoto Maui: Gold, Best Asian

BEST ASIAN

lahaina fried soup yakitori

pahole salad

star udon

garlic noodles

singapore noodles

steamed pork buns hapa ramen

ahi avo pad thai

sake cocktails

Morimoto Maui Andaz Maui, 3550 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 573-1234 | MorimotoMaui.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar Kīhei Town Center, 1881 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei | 879-0004 • 600 Office Rd., Kapalua | 669-6286 | SanseiHawaii.com

_____________________

A Saigon Cafe 1792 Main St., Wailuku | 243-9560 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Thai Chef 878 Front St., Lahaina | 667-2814 | ThaiChefRestaurantMaui.com

_____________________ BEST BURGER

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

FROM LEFT: MONKEYPOD KITCHEN; COW, PIG, BUN; MORIMOTO MAUI

BEST SOUTHEAST ASIAN

‘Aipono Award Winners Gold

Silver

BEST HAWAI‘I REGIONAL CUISINE Tie for Gold Kō Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 875-4100 | Fairmont.com/Kea-Lani-Maui/dining Spago Four Seasons Resort Maui, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 874-8000 | FourSeasons.com/Maui/dining •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Cane & Canoe Montage Kapalua Bay, 1 Bay Dr., Kapalua | 662-6681 | MontageHotels.com/ KapaluaBay/dining/cane-canoe

_____________________

Japengo: Gold, Best Pacific Rim, Best Sushi

BEST PACIFIC RIM CUISINE Japengo Hyatt Regency Maui, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali | 667-4796 | Maui.Hyatt.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Pacific’O 505 Front St., Lahaina | 667-4341 | PacificOMaui.com

_____________________ BEST LŪ‘AU

Old Lahaina Lū‘au 1251 Front St., Lahaina | 667-1998 | OldLahainaLuau.com ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Tie for Silver

The Feast at Lele 505 Front St., Lahaina | 667-5353 | FeastAtLele.com Wailele Polynesian Lū‘au Westin Maui Resort, 2365 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali | 667-2525 WestinMaui.com/dining/wailele

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

PH_PG_MNKO_half_q115_Layout 1 1/22/15 9:51 AM Page 1

Proud Members of

Aloha Hospitality Innovative Pacific Island cuisine in a casual neighborhood tavern setting. Award-winning wine list & menu.

Island inspired cuisine from rising star Chef Jojo Vasquez Breakfast & Lunch 8am-3pm Grill Menu 3-5:30pm • Dinner 5:30-9pm

WEEKEND BRUNCH • LUNCH • DINNER • HAPPY HOUR Located at The Bay Course, Kapalua Resort

808-669-9600 pi neapplekapalua.com

Located at the award-winning Kapalua Plantation Course

808.669.6299 theplantationhouse.com

From sea to table.

Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa blackrockkitchen.com 808-921-4600

Savor vibrant island-inspired cuisine in a casual open-air setting. Featuring sumptuous menus handcrafted to reflect Hawai'i’'s farmfresh selections.

Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » Eating & Drinking

‘Aipono Award Winners

Gold Silver

BEST ITALIAN Tie for gold Pūlehu, an Italian Grill Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas, 6 Kai Ala Dr., Kā‘anapali | 667-3200 | PulehuRestaurantMaui.com Sale Pepe 878 Front St., Lahaina | 667-7667 | SalePepeMaui.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante Four Seasons Resort Maui, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 874-8000 | FourSeasons.com/Maui/dining

_____________________

Sangrita: Gold, Best Mexican

BEST MEXICAN Sangrita Grill + Cantina Fairway Shops, 2580 Keka‘a Dr., Kā‘anapali | 662-6000 | SangritaGrill.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Roasted Chiles Azeka Shopping Center, 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei | 868-4357

_____________________ BEST NOODLES

Star Noodle 286 Kupuohi St., Lahaina | 667-5400 | StarNoodle.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• MiGRANT Wailea Beach Marriott Resort, 3700 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 875-9394 | MigrantMaui.com

_____________________

Flatbread Company 89 Hāna Hwy., Pā‘ia | 579-8989 | FlatbreadCompany.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Prison Street Pizza 133 Prison St., Lahaina | 662-3332 | PrisonStreetPizza.com

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

SANGRITA GRILL & CANTINA

BEST PIZZA

JOURNEY BEYOND

MEXICO

Joe’s Nuevo Latino is a celebration of food inspired by Latino communities around the world. Come experience an explosion of authentic Latin flavors.

JOESMAUI.COM | 808-875-7767 |

131 Wailea Ike Place, Wailea (Located above Wailea Tennis Club)

Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » Eating & Drinking

‘Aipono Award Winners

Breakfast Breakfast •• Lunch Lunch •• Dinner Dinner 8:00am 8:00am -- 10:00pm 10:00pm

Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner 8:00am - 10:00pm

Gold Silver

BEST PLATE LUNCH Aloha Mixed Plate 1285 Front St., Lahaina | 661-3322 | AlohaMixedPlate.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Da Kitchen Triangle Square, 425 Koloa St., Kahului | 871-7782 • Rainbow Mall, 2439 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 875-7782 | Da-Kitchen.com

_____________________ BEST FISH & SEAFOOD

Voted Voted“Best “BestPlate PlateLunch” Lunch”

Maui Maui no no ka ka oi oi Magazine, Magazine, Maui Maui News News Maui Maui Time Time Readers Readers Poll Poll

“Best “BestPupu Pupu--Coconut CoconutPrawns” Prawns” Taste of ofPlate Lahaina Lahaina VotedTaste “Best Lunch”

Maui no ka oi Magazine, Maui News Voted “Best Plate Lunch” Maui Time Readers Poll

Mama’s Fish House 799 Poho Pl., Kū‘au | 579-8488 | MamasFishHouse.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Nick’s Fishmarket Fairmont Kea Lani, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 879-7224 | NicksFishmarketMaui.com

_____________________

661-3322

Maui No Ka ‘Oi Magazine, Maui News Maui Times Readers Poll

“Best Pupu Coconut Prawns” 1285 1285-Front Front Street Street

661-3322 Taste of Lahaina

Makai of of Lahaina Lahaina Cannery Mall MallMall 1285Makai Front Street • Makai ofCannery Lahaina Cannery

661-3322

facebook.com/AMPmaui facebook.com/AMPmaui Facebook.com/AlohaMixedPlate

twitter.com/AMPmaui twitter.com/AMPmaui Twitter.com/AlohaMixedPlate

1285 Front Street Makai of Lahaina Cannery Mall facebook.com/AMPmaui

twitter.com/AMPmaui

Ocean Pool Bar & Grill: Silver, Best Fish Taco

BEST FISH TACO Coconuts Fish Café 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei | 875-9979 | CoconutsFishCafe.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Ocean Pool Bar & Grill Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas, 6 Kai Ala Dr., Kā‘anapali | 667-3200 | WestinKaanapali.com/dining/OceanPool

_____________________ BEST FOOD TRUCK

_____________________ BEST POKE Tamura’s Fine Wine & Liquors 199 Dairy Rd., Kahului | 873-8000 |

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

CHEF ALVIN SAVELLA

Maui Fresh Streatery 137 E. Ka‘ahumanu Ave., Kahului | 344-7929 | MauiFreshStreatery.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Shark Pit 78 Ulupono St., Lahaina | 298-7776

mauiwine.com

Growing MauiWine syrah.malbec.grenache.viognier.chenenblanc.gewürztraminer release date: may 2015

Bravo!

Executive Chef Francois Milliet Kä‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas 2015 Friend of Agriculture Award recipient Presented by Maui County Farm Bureau in partnership with Maui Nö Ka ‘Oi magazine at the annual ‘Aipono Awards Gala

We salute past recipients:

Peter Merriman, Hula Grill Kä‘aanapali 2007 James McDonald, Pacific‘O and I’O 2008 Peter Merriman, Merriman’s Kapalua 2009 Jenna Haugaard, Flatbread Company 2010 Justin Pardo, Market Fresh Bistro 2011 Tylun Pang, Kö, The Fairmont Kea Lani 2012 Scott McGill, TS Restaurants 2013 Chris Schobel, Hula Grill 2013 Eric Faivre, Grand Wailea 2014

Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » Eating & Drinking

‘Aipono Award Winners

EAT, DRINK, AND LIVE WELL EVERY DAY TIL MIDNIGHT

535 LIPOA PARKWAY, KIHEI | 808-875-8100 |

(ACROSS FROM MAUI BREWING CO.) | COWPIGBUN.COM

exPerience POlyneSiA WAILELE POLYNESIAN LŪ‘AU Spectacular revue featuring the songs and dances of Hawai‘i and Polynesia, complemented by a lavish buffet dinner and all-inclusive beverages.

_____________________ BEST STEAK Tie for Gold

Duo Four Seasons Resort Maui, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 874-8000 | FourSeasons.com/Maui/dining Son’z Steakhouse Hyatt Regency Maui, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali | 667-4506 | SonzRestaurant.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Pineapple Grill 200 Kapalua Dr., Kapalua | 669-9600 | PineappleKapalua.com

_____________________ BEST SUSHI

Japengo Hyatt Regency Maui, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali | 667-4796 | Maui.Hyatt.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Nuka 780 Ha‘ikū Rd., Ha‘ikū | 575-2939 | NukaMaui.com

_____________________ Leoda’s: Gold, Best Dessert (tie)

TUESdAYS, WEdNESdAYS & ThUrSdAYS Oceanfront at the Aloha Pavilion Reservations Required. For schedule and ticket information, call 808-661-2992 or visit westinmaui.com

Leoda’s Kitchen & Pie Shop 820 Olowalu Village Rd., Olowalu | 662-3600 | Leodas.com Mama’s Fish House 799 Poho Pl., Kū‘au | 579-8488 | MamasFishHouse.com ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

NINA KUNA

BEST DESSERT Tie for Gold

Full PG

‘Aipono Award Winners

Gold Silver

Pineapple Grill 200 Kapalua Dr., Kapalua | 669-9600 | PineappleKapalua.com

_____________________ BEST SHAVE ICE

MAHALO NUI,

to our farmers and community for your support over the years.

FLATBR EAD COM PA NY, MAU I

8 9 H A NA HWY • PA IA • 8 0 8 - 579 - 8 9 8 9 • FLATB R EA D C O M PA NY. C O M

Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice 333 Dairy Rd., Kahului • 61 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei • 819 Front St., Lahaina • 790 Front St., Lahaina • 58 Maui Lani Pkwy., Wailuku • Hyatt Regency Maui, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali | 877-3700 | UlulanisHawaiianShaveIce.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Kō Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 875-4100 | Fairmont.com/Kea-Lani-Maui/dining

_____________________ BEST BAR Tie for Gold

Fleetwood’s on Front St. 744 Front St., Lahaina | 669-MICK (6425) | FleetwoodsOnFrontSt.com Lahaina Grill 127 Lahainaluna Rd., Lahaina | 667-5117 | LahainaGrill.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Cliff Dive Grill Sheraton Maui Resort, 2605 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali | 661-0031 | Sheraton-Maui.com/dining/Cliff-Dive-Grill

_____________________ BEST COCKTAIL Tie for Gold

Black Rock Lounge Sheraton Maui Resort, 2605 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali | 661-0031 | Sheraton-Maui.com/dining/BlackRockLounge Ka‘ana Kitchen Andaz Maui, 3550 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea | 573-1234 | Maui.Andaz.Hyatt.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Cow Pig Bun 535 Līpoa Pkwy., Kīhei | 875-8100

_____________________ BEST WINE LIST

Nick’s Fishmarket Fairmont Kea Lani, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea |879-7224 | NicksFishmarketMaui.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Lahaina Grill 127 Lahainaluna Rd., Lahaina | 667-5117 | LahainaGrill.com

_____________________

Find more listings at MauiMagazine.net/ DiningGuide

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

A recipe for authenticity in a legendary setting.

Cane & Canoe at Montage Kapalua Bay. With breathtaking ocean views, traditional Hawaiian architecture and modern island fare, the best of Maui past and present are on display at Cane & Canoe. The signature restaurant at Montage Kapalua Bay â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where every meal becomes an unforgettable memory you will cherish long after the evening ends. SERVING BREAKFAST & DINNER DAILY LIVE ENTERTAINMENT & NIGHTLY HAPPY HOUR

On e Bay Dr i v e , K a pa lua

(808) 662-6681

caneandcanoe.com

‘Aipono Special Awards

EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa Last October, the Hyatt Regency Maui became the first resort hotel in Hawai‘i to receive the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED EBOM certification. LEED stands for “Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design.” EBOM is short for “Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance”—and if it’s less familiar, that’s because it’s a lot harder to earn. It entails retrofitting structures, and focuses on how buildings are run. In the Hyatt’s case, that has included switching to LEDs, installing low-flow showerheads that save six million gallons of water a year, redirecting heat from the hotel’s air-conditioning units to heat the swimming pools, providing in-room recycling bins . . . and other eco-friendly measures too numerous to mention here. Pacific Biodiesel and Maui EKO Systems are proud sponsors of ‘Aipono’s Excellence in Sustainability Award. “We think the Hyatt’s performance will attract conscientious tourists, and inspire other resorts to increase their sustainability programs,” says Kelly King, vice president of Pacific Biodiesel. MAUI CoUNTY FArM BUrEAU’S

FrIEND oF AGrICULTUrE Francois Milliet, Executive Chef Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas Chef Francois Milliet has long been a fan of local agriculture, supporting the industry in ways big and small, from participating in events like the Maui County Agriculture and Maui Onion festivals, to fostering relationships among the island’s chefs, farmers and ranchers. “Chef Francois wraps his menus around local ingredients,” says Farm Bureau Executive Director Warren Watanabe. “For example, he paired with Lynn and Russell DeCoite of Moloka‘i’s L&R Ranch to create a sweet potato gnocchi for his restaurants.” The hens at Theo Morrison’s small-scale Neighborhood Farm don’t lay enough eggs to supply the Westin’s main restaurants, so Milliet supports her endeavor by featuring the eggs in the hotel’s gourmet market. “Chef Francois also added a Grown on Maui salad to his menu,” Watanabe says, “and donates a dollar to the Farm Bureau’s Growing Future Farmers program every time a diner orders that item.”

Eating & Drinking www.mauimagazine.net

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Paris Nabavi, Chef/Owner Pizza Paradiso & Sangrita Grill + Cantina Born in Tehran, Paris Nabavi trained in the French tradition—in London—then traveled the world, exploring its cuisines. Arriving on Maui in 1989, he served as director of food and beverage for Kapalua Bay Hotel. Fourteen years later, he opened Pizza Paradiso Mediterranean Grill with a menu as eclectic as its name; he’s been creating a culture of healthy eating ever since. In 2014, Nabavi opened Sangrita Grill + Cantina, winner of the 2015 ‘Aipono Gold for Best Mexican cuisine. Every three months, Nabavi opens his home and garden to teach exotic cooking techniques; “tuition” benefits the Maui School Garden Network. And he donates more than $5,000 annually for organic seeds for fifty-two Maui County schools. In Iran, where Nabavi grew up, “Everyone had a garden. To grow your own [food], it’s important for a good lifestyle. I want to bring this awareness to our children.” ‘AIPoNo ICoN Dr. Clyde Sakamoto Chancellor Emeritus UH–Maui College Clyde Sakamoto came to Maui Community College in 1973, when the campus housed a handful of outdated buildings and a small but respected culinary program. During his tenure, Dr. Sakamoto raised more than $120 million for educational programs and $104 million for construction—including Maui Culinary Academy’s $17.4 million, state-of-the-art Pā‘ina Building. Among his recent projects is the Maui Food Innovation Center, a business incubator that supports local food producers through education, research and product development. “Involving students in finding solutions to community needs,” said Dr. Sakamoto, “that’s what a learning institution should be doing.” By the time he retired, in late 2014, the community college had become the University of Hawai‘i–Maui College. Dr. Sakamoto’s vision and dedication endure in the Food Innovation Center and Culinary Academy’s work to educate Maui’s future chefs, entrepreneurs and innovators. WEB EXCLUSIVE Visit MauiMagazine.net/Aipono2015 to watch videos of all our Special Award winners.

TOP LEFT: HYATT REGENCY MAUI; TOP RIGHT: PETRA KOVACS; BOTTOM LEFT: WESTIN KĀ‘ANAPALI OCEAN RESORT VILLAS; BOTTOM RIGHT: MICHAEL GILBERT

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Maui Winery uses 100% Maui Gold pineapples, hand-picked on the slopes of Haleakalā, to craft this unique sparkler. Hula O Maui Pineapple Sparkling Wine is bottle-fermented in the traditional Méthode Champenoise. The wine is finished in brut classification, creating a crisp, refreshing, subtly sweet sparkling wine.

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calendar

WHAT’S HAPPENING WHERE, WHEN AND WITH WHOM

From left: Maui Matsuri, May 8, 15-16 | Sound Installation, May 17–July 18 | Chaka Khan, May 8

MAY DAILY Native Plant Guided Tour

Maui Nui Botanical Gardens 150 Kanaloa Ave., Kahului Brochures for self-guided walking tours are included with price of admission; audio wands are available to rent; and docent-led group tours are $10 per person (by appointment only). 249-2798; mnbg.org

2, 4, 6, 8 Maui Classical Music Festival

This annual series of chamber music concerts is held at locations around Maui County. For a schedule, visit MauiClassicalMusicFestival.org.

431

Featured Artist: John O’Leary Lahaina Arts Society’s Old Jail Gallery Photographer John O’Leary’s exhibit Global Getaways through the Eyes of a Marine Biologist explores tropical destinations above and below the surface.

Chaka Kahn Castle Theater, MACC Dubbed the “Queen of Funk,” this ten-time Grammy winner will belt out hits like “Tell Me Something Good,” and “I’m Every Woman.” 7:30 p.m.

8, 1516

Maui Matsuri UH–Maui College 310 Ka‘ahumanu Ave., Kahului Japanese and Okinawan cultures shine at this festival featuring exhibits, food and craft booths, kimono fashions, taiko drumming, children’s activities, contests and obon dancing. For schedule, visit MauiMatsuri.com.

Paddle Imua Hawaiian Canoe Club Hoaloha Park, Kahului SUP, six-man, OC1 and prone paddlers race 10 miles of open ocean from Māliko Gulch to the Hawaiian

FRIDAY TOWN PARTIES Each week, a different Maui town hosts music, artists’ demos, children’s activities and culinary wizards from 6 to 9 p.m. It’s a block party for residents and visitors alike. Parking and other info: MauiFridays.com

Canoe Club in this fundraiser for Camp Imua. Postrace, athletes take special-needs keiki on the water for ocean activities. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. PaddleImua.com

Visitor Industry Charity Walk War Memorial Complex Kanaloa & Ka‘ahumanu Avenues, Kahului Maui Hotel & Lodging Association’s biggest annual fundraiser. The 5K course winds through Kahului, beginning and ending at the War Memorial soccer field. 7 a.m. MauiHLA.org

Maui Portuguese Cultural Club Festa Kepaniwai Park, ‘Īao Valley, Wailuku This annual fundraiser features the Coronation of Mary ceremony, Charmarita dance, country store, food, crafts, traditional stone-oven bread and madein-Portugal items for sale. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. 385-2410; MauiPortugueseCulturalClub.com

& JUNE 13

School Garden Kīhei Elementary School 250 E. Līpoa St., Kīhei Help create a sustainable outdoor classroom for students while you learn organic gardening techniques, plant-health issues and more. Get a free, five-pound bag of organic fertilizer and kalo (taro) starts for your home garden. 8:30–11 a.m. 269-6300; GrowSomeGood.org

910

A Night at the Opera McCoy Studio Theater, MACC Maui Choral Arts presents favorite opera choruses. Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m.

THROUGH MAY 10

Brighton Beach Memoirs Historic ‘Īao Theater 68 N. Market St., Wailuku Part one of Neil Simon’s autobiographical trilogy portrays the writer in 1937, living with his family in

May 1, June 5 May 8, June 12 May 15, June 19 May 22, June 26 May 29

First Friday Wailuku Second Friday Lahaina Third Friday Makawao Fourth Friday Kīhei Fifth Friday Lāna‘i

WHERE IT’S AT Lahaina Arts Society Lahaina Courthouse 648 Wharf St., Lahaina 661-0111 • LahainaArts.com Gallery Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Maui Arts & Cultural Center (MACC) One Cameron Way, Kahului 242-SHOW (7469) • MauiArts.org Gallery Hours: Tues–Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. CHANGE HAPPENS. Sometimes after we go to press. Please check beforehand to confirm events are happening as listed.

lower-middle-class Brooklyn. Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 p.m.; Sundays 3 p.m. 242-6969; MauiOnStage.com

1517

Startup Weekend Maui Maui Research & Technology

Center, Kīhei Calling all techies, designers, marketers and business people—come learn how to launch a company in 54 hours. StartupWeekend.org

Maui Brewers Festival A&B Ampitheater/Yokouchi Pavilion, MACC The 21-and-older crowd is invited to enjoy craft beers from Hawai‘i and beyond, appetizers by local tastemakers, and live entertainment. General admission 4 p.m.; VIP package includes 2:30 entry.

Robert Pollock Makawao Union Church 1445 Baldwin Ave., Makawao Ebb & Flow founder and director Robert Pollock performs a free piano recital, featuring works by Olivier Messiaen, Halim El-Dabh, Dina Koston, and others. Show at 7:30 p.m.; preconcert discussion at 6:30 p.m. RobertEmilPollock.com

JULY 18

Sound Installation Schaefer International Gallery, MACC French artist-composer Céleste Boursier-Mougenot creates works that explore the potential of common objects as a means of music. Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

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Look for this decal at your favorite restaurant.

calendar THROUGH MAY 22

10x10 Exhibition Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center 2841 Baldwin Ave., Makawao Explore the possibilities of works of art done within a 10”x10” format. Hours: 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday– Saturday. 572-6560; HuiNoeau.com

Pint Night Fundraiser Maui Brewing Company 4405 Honoapi‘ilani Hwy., Lahaina Join the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project and Maui Brewing Company for beer and pizza, and help Maui’s rare and endangered native birds. The brewpub will donate a portion of its profits from pints sold between 6 and 10 p.m. to programs that protect indigenous birds. MauiForestBirds.org

2223

Barrio Fiesta War Memorial Soccer Field,

Pint Night Fundraiser, May 22

Kahului Filipino culture and pride shine during this annual celebration. (See Arts & Leisure page 29.)

Trevor Hall McCoy Studio Theater, MACC Known for his mix of reggae, acoustic rock and Sanskrit chanting, Hall shares music from his latest album, Chapter of the Forest. 7:30 p.m.

Moving Home McCoy Studio Theater, MACC This documentary captures the tenacious spirit of a Korean dancer and teacher whose life was shaped by the turbulent tides between Korea, Japan and Hawai‘i in the early 20th century. 3 p.m.

Support the restaurants that have made a commitment to sustainability.

Brian Regan Castle Theater, MACC Comedian Brian Regan delivers his brand of sophisticated writing and physicality to Maui audiences. 8 p.m.

Kawehi McCoy Studio Theater, MACC This Hawai‘i-born, one-woman band is known for her socially passionate songwriting and creating intricate loops via beatbox, guitar, keyboard and music sequencer. 7:30 p.m.

Pa‘a Ke Aupuni McCoy Studio Theater, MACC Part of the Heritage Films series, this one-hour animated video explores the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Islands’ complex political history. Q&A follows. 3 p.m.

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CALL 844-808-MAUI (6284) Hours of operation: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. HST

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Subscribe.MauiMagazine.net Group and gift subscriptions available.

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Diana Ross, June 14–15

JUNE

–JULY 5

Maui Masters Invitational Lahaina Arts Society’s Banyan Tree Gallery George Allan, Betty Hay Freeland, Joe Fletcher, Joel Heinz and other founding members lend their talents to the nonprofit arts society through this benefit show and sale. Reception June 6, 6–8 p.m.

1/3 SQUARE

3-5

Maui Film Festival Wailea Resort & MACC Don’t miss this celebration of great movies, parties, filmmakers’ panels and Hollywood stars. (See Arts & Leisure page 29.)

4-6

Ka Hula Piko Festival Lanikeha Community Center Ho‘olehua, Moloka‘i Learn about Hawaiian culture through lectures, visits to cultural sites, and a celebration with food, crafts and entertainment. KaHulaPiko.com (See Arts & Leisure page 28.)

5-7

Wa‘a Kiakahi Kā‘anapali Beach The ancient Hawaiian art of outrigger-canoe sailing comes to life during this free event that coincides with the second race of the Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Association season. Festivities include sailing-canoe rides, talks with HSCA crewmembers, and Hawaiian welcoming and closing ceremonies. HSCA.info

Kahakuloa Coast Half-Marathon & Relay The course leads runners along some of Maui’s most dramatic coastlines. (See Arts & Leisure page 28.)

6-7

Maui Jim OceanFest Kā‘anapali Beach Watch athletes compete in swimming, standup paddling, surf-ski, one-man canoe, and prone paddleboard, vying for a $40,000 prize purse. Festivities include keiki (children’s) races. MauiJimOceanFest.com

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OPPORTUNITY Are you benefitting from the current market fluctuations? At FIM Group we embrace volatility while working to capitalize on opportunities created by it.

Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam Castle Theater, MACC Join the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famer and cofounder of the legendary band Traffic as he retraces the early days of his career. 7:30 p.m.

KAPALUA WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua June 11–14 Kapalua uncorks three days of wine tastings, cuisine by award-winning Maui chefs, and seminars by esteemed winemakers. Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi hosts Sunday’s Seafood Festival. (See Arts & Leisure page 30.)

Ed Dowd, MBA, Portfolio Management Hayley Wood, CFP®, Financial Planner Barry Hyman, MBA, Hawaii Branch Manager Alice McDermott, CFP®, Senior Planner John Bresnahan, Portfolio Management

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Maui N¯ o Ka ‘Oi » May-Jun 2015

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‘AIPONO WINE DINNER Turley Wine Cellars Fleetwood’s on Front St. 744 Front St., Lahaina Saturday, June 27 Hailed by Wine Spectator, Larry Turley has been credited with distinguishing modern zinfandel. His organically farmed wines will pair masterfully with a menu by Executive Chef Eric Morrissette. Sponsored by Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi and Chambers & Chambers Wine Merchants, ‘Aipono Wine Dinners benefit Maui Culinary Academy. Reception 6 p.m.; dinner to follow. Price TBD. Reservations: 669-MICK (6425)

Sarah Cahill Keawala‘i Congregational Church 5300 Mākena Rd. Ebb & Flow Arts presents a free solo recital featuring the San Francisco pianist. 7:30 p.m. EbbAndFlowArts.org

14-15

Diana Ross Castle Theater, MACC In a career spanning six decades, superstar Diana Ross has never performed in Hawai‘i. That’s about to change as Ross and her band deliver a full theatrical experience, including dramatic costumes and stage design. 7:30 p.m.

Maalaea route temporarily suspended • *Koele Golf Course closed for renovations

MAMo Wearable Art Show Yokouchi Pavilion, MACC This runway show grew out of Maoli Arts Month, O‘ahu’s annual celebration of native Hawaiian art. Expect cutting-edge design, as well as traditional patterns and motifs translated for contemporary styles. Premium ticket includes pre-event trunk show and meeting the designers. 7:30 p.m.

Kī Hō‘alu Slack-Key Guitar Festival A&B Amphitheater/Yokouchi Pavilion, MACC This free outdoor concert showcases an all-star lineup of Hawai‘i’s finest slack-key musicians. 1–7 p.m. OBON DANCES Each weekend in summer, a different Buddhist temple on Maui invites everyone to share in this tradition of honoring the ancestors with dance, taiko drumming, food and festivities. Call individual temples for details, or visit MauiMagazine.com/EverydayMaui for information and complete schedule.

JULY

3-4

Makawao Rodeo Oskie Rice Arena 80 Ohaoha Pl., Makawao Saddle up for this annual Fourth of July tradition. (See Arts & Leisure page 30.) Email your event to Calendar@ MauiMagazine.net, or visit MauiMagazine.net/Calendar and scroll down to “Submit New Event” to post it online. Listings for MNKO’s July–August print edition must be received by May 15. Photos for print must be 300 dpi. Listings are free, subject to editing, and used as space permits.

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who’s who

L-R: Gary Apperson, Lori Winterhalter | Bonnie & Carlos Aleman | Sheryl & Michael Chandler | Bud & Grace Allan, Nikolay Matveyev | Dean Pahed, Diane Woodburn, Katie Matthews, Bob Dye

CALVIN HAZEN

‘AIPONO WINE DINNER | Makena Beach & Golf Resort | February 7 | Benefit for UH–Maui Culinary Academy

L-R: Donna Nabavi, Michael Rybak, Marty Wolff | Michael Estes, Flori Leon | Linda & Bob Caldwell | Mary Anne Fitch, Nam Le Viet, Gerrianne Sakamoto, Courtney Brown | Jami Burks, Linda Nicklin

JOSE MORALES

WHALE TALES SPONSORS DINNER | Valkirs Residence | February 14 | Benefit for Whale Trust Maui

L-R: Gabrielle Anderman, Bennett Cale | Toni & Dr. George Martin | Mike & Toby Neal | Bev Gannon | Erin & Sal Diaz

MIEKO HORIKOSHI

ART AFFAIR: FRIDA & DIEGO | Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center | February 28 | Benefit for Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center

L-R: Jessica Gordon-Pasco, Kat Bourgea | Marina Satoafaiga, Kamran Masood, Erin Suss, Sarah Gerlach | Shelley Seideman, Deanna Dixon Salse | Susan Frieder, Robbie Dein | Kristine Peterson, Hillary Francis Sandbach, Anna Sandbach

Were you at one of our “Who’s Who” events? Find your photo online at MauiMagazine.net/WhosWho.

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MIEKO HORIKOSHI

TASTE OF SCHOOL GARDENS | Hotel Wailea | March 7 | Benefit for Grow Some Good

LIVE MUSIC AND FOOD TASTINGS THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH, 6:30 TO 8PM

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liddo bitta tita! ILLUSTRATION BY MATT FOSTER

Ka ‘Oi.” One a da reasons da song wen’ catch on so good was da tune. Da Rev’rend Kapū wen’ use da melody from da old Amera-can kids’ song “My Boat Is Sailing,” which he wen learn from da New England missionaries, an’ he wen’ write Hawaiian words fo’ go wit’ da tune. Almos’ hundred years aftah dat, da famous steel guitah guy Jerry Byrd wen’ record one instra-mentoh version called “Maui Chimes.” In grade school music class, they nevah teach us da Hawaiian words, but we wen’ learn how fo’ play “Maui Chimes” on da ‘ukulele, an’ dey wen’ give us English words fo’ sing along: Da ‘ukuleles, da ‘ukuleles are sounding gently ovah da watah. Da ‘ukuleles, da ‘ukuleles are sounding gently ovah da sea. . . . Get one noddah song called “Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi,” written by Harry Owens in 1937. Dis one get English words already: Land of sweet contentment, land of hope an’ promise, Maui, my Valley Isle. . . . In da island lore, there’s a story told; A princess fair an’ a kāne [man] bold Sailed da oceans one by one Till dey found da House of da Sun.

Music to da Ears By now, I guess you pau read about all da bes’ places fo’ grind on Maui, maybe even had a chance fo’ check out some a da rest’rants fo’ yo’self. An’ make sure you pick up da nex’ issue of MNKO, JulyAugust, ‘cause dat one going show some of Maui’s bes’ beaches. You know, all dis “Bes’ of Maui” talk wen’ get me t’inkin’ about what it takes fo’ be Da Bes’. Fo’ almos’ 150 years, people been sayin’—an’ singin’—Maui nō ka ‘oi (Maui fo’ sure da bes’). Back in da day, mele pana (place songs) was all da rage, an’ had plenny songs written about ev’ry Hawaiian island, talkin’ about how hanohano (glorious) or kilakila (majestic) each island was. But only Maui get da nerve fo’ say we not jus’ da bes’, we da bes’, fo’ sure. Dass ‘cause dass da truth. Da phrase wen’ come from couple, t’ree mele pana written by two rev’rends, so must be true, ‘cause da rev’rends no would lie. Da Rev’rend S. Pa‘aluhi, who was at Ka‘ahumanu Church in Wailuku in da 1860s, was da firs’ fo’ put ‘em in one song. Aftah him, da Rev‘rend Samuel Kapū Sr. wen’ write da mos’ populah Maui song, “Maui Nō

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Dey called it home an’ dey offered a prayer In t’anks to da gods who had brought dem there. Da name dey gave to dis land of joy Is Maui, Maui nō ka ‘oi.

See, Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi, dass not jus’ da name of dis magazine, or one tourist industry catch phrase. Fo’ old-time Mauians, born an’ raised, “Maui nō ka ‘oi” is one way of life. From small kid time, we was taught dat when you nō ka ‘oi, you get special kuleana. Kuleana get plenny meanings: rights, priva-lege, ra-sponsa-bility. Our kūpuna (elders) wen’ make sure dat we knew how lucky we was fo’ live ovah here, an’ fo’ be proud fo’ be one Maui girl or boy. An’, main t’ing, when you live in da place dass da bes’, you gotta be da bes’. You gotta do yo’ part fo’ make Maui da bes’, no do nottin’ fo’ make Maui shame. Guys from da oddah islands, dey t’ink we braggin’ when we say, “Maui nō ka ‘oi,” but we not. We jus’ tellin’ da truth about da place we love, an’ we ra-minding ourselfs about our kuleana. Like da guy Waltah Brennan used to say on TV, no brag, jus’ fack.

KATHY COLLINS (a.k.a. Tita) is an actress, storyteller

and radio personality. Like Tita, Ms. Collins grew up on Maui. Hear Tita read her column out loud at MauiMagazine.net.

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197 Plantation Club Drive at Kapalua

“Moemalie” Magnificent 23-Acre Estate in Kula

272 S. Ulukoa Place - Kaanapali Golf Estates

Over $580 Million In Maui Real Estate Sales Since 1988 NAM L. LE VIET REALTOR® (S) (808) 283-9007 mauisold.com

*REALTORS® Association of Maui

MARY ANNE FITCH OWNER & PRINCIPAL BROKER® (808) 250-1583 soldmaui.com

500 Bay Drive, Kapalua, HI 96761