If you’re craving a taste of Christmas, complete with giant Christmas trees, colorful decorations, Saint Nick sightings, gingerbread houses and holiday music, it’s time to get the family together and spend an evening at the Fairmont Kea Lani. I asked Executive Chef Tylun Pang and General Manager Charles Head what makes their holiday spirit shine […]
Two Chances to wine and dine with Nicki Pruss of Stag’s Leap: Plantation House and Four Seasons @fsmaui
Stag’s Leap Vineyards are well known for the part they played in the 1976 blind wine tasting in Paris France that shook up the wine world. Their 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon took top ranking in the reds, along with several other California wines. It might not have been a huge deal […]
Community Raises Nearly $100K for Maui Culinary Academy
This year’s annual Noble Chef benefit for the Maui Culinary Academy at the University of Hawaii Maui College exceeded its goals with nearly $100,000 in funds raised. The 17th annual fundraiser, held Oct. 26 in Wailea, amassed the money to help support program development and growth of the award-winning Culinary Academy. The money also will […]
Pineapple Grill Celebrates Seventh Birthday and New Executive Chef Isaac Bancaco
It was a Friday, and while there wasn’t a formal special occasion, I arrived early. I wanted quality time with the Pineapple Grill rock stars. I wasn’t disappointed, and found new Executive Chef Isaac Bancaco gearing up for the usual Friday crowd. They apparently do swift business from the 5:30pm seating straight through to 10pm. […]
Ko Restaurant New Maui Restaurant Review
In 2008, after nearly a decade with the Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, Executive Chef Tylun Pang had the opportunity to open a brand new restaurant concept. He decided that it should be a place where locals and visitors alike would enjoy the food traditions of Maui. His approach was groundbreaking, cooking local recipes intact, only […]
Talking Story With Vegan Chef Mark Reinfeld
Mark Reinfeld is a world-renowned vegan chef who comes to Maui about once a year to teach people how to create amazing vegetarian dishes. He has several cookbooks, including Vegan World Fusion Cuisine, which won several awards and was based on his Blossoming Lotus Restaurant on Kauai. Reinfeld has a celebrity following for his food […]
Big Changes At The Sheraton Maui Resort And Spa
If you haven’t had the chance to see the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa’s renovations, completed at the beginning of the year, it’s time to stop in. The resort introduced new Executive Chef Greg Gaspar recently as Chef Bryan Ashlock moved on to Kauai after 30 years with Starwood Hawaii. Gaspar will be a breath […]
Talking Story With Hula Grill Executive Sous Chef Ryan Luckey
It’s hard to believe that Chef Ryan Luckey, who cranked out the amazing cuisine that helped put Pineapple Grill in Kapalua on the map, got his start in the restaurant business as a dishwasher. We’ve followed his illustrious career from restaurants like Erik’s Seafood Grotto, Red Lobster and Kapalua Grill and Bar. Nobody has seen […]
Fleetwoods On Front Street New Maui Restaurant Review
I’m a total anglophile. I love all things British; from music to the monarchy, from gin to James Bond, my obsession and admiration is wide. So when I got word that music legend Mick Fleetwood was planning a three-level retail, club/entertainment venue/restaurant, I got giddy. That transformed into excitement when, in 2011, I met Mick […]
The Year 2012 In Maui Food
This was the year the word “gastropub” was finally added to the Merriam Websters dictionary. Defined as upscale pub grub, this genre of food had more of a stronghold on the mainland where it has dominated for the last decade, but its popularity has not gone unnoticed on Maui. Menus have swelled with gourmet burgers, […]
Chef Alan Wong Appearing On PBS Hawaii Show Family Ingredients
The simplest dishes are sometimes the most meaningful. To me, nothing tops a good grilled cheese. For Hawaiian celebrity chef Alan Wong, that favorite childhood comfort food was tamago kake gohan, an austere combination of raw egg and hot rice. Yet these simple dishes are sometimes deceiving in their appearance, which masks the nuances and […]
Historic Lahaina Celebration and Sullivan And Son and Chef Sheldon Simeon and Frank De Lima Benefit Show
THURSDAY, AUG. 22 DOLPHIN TALK – Dive into a conversation with Dr. Sarah Courbis, a research associate at Portland State University, concerning humanity’s impact on Hawaii’s dolphin population. Featured at Pacific Whale Foundation’s Making Waves Lecture series, Courbis will lead the discussion via an exclusive webinar titled “Hawaii’s Dolphins: Human Impacts and Conservation Action.” The […]
MISO PHAT SUSHI New Maui Restaurant Review
To take sushi appreciation to the next level you have to see the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi. In the film, chef Jiro Ono turns a restaurant consisting of 10 seats in a Tokyo subway station into one of the most renowned sushi establishments in the world. I dream of sushi, too, though more in […]
As the Hawaii Legislature prepares to vote on same sex marriage the island LGBTQ community comes together to celebrate Maui Pride
The annual Maui Pride Festivities always provide great excitement for our island’s LGBTQ community, but this year has much greater significance. In June the U.S. Supreme Court finally struck down the Defense of Marriage laws, and later this month our own state Legislature convenes for a Special Session on the issue of legalizing same-sex marriage. […]
Nnenna Freelon and Oktoberfest and Noble Chef and Allen Toussaint
THURSDAY, OCT. 24 NNENNA FREELON – The Maui Arts and Cultural Center is welcoming Jazz singer, composer, arranger and education advocate Nnenna Freelon this Thursday. The five-time Grammy nominated vocalist has shared the stage with Anita Baker, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. But that’s apparently not enough for her: Freelon’s passion for music and education […]
Hamlet and Fat Boy and CHALA and The Legend Of Koolau
THURSDAY, NOV. 7 ‘FAT BOY’ – This Thursday, the Maui Arts and Cultural Center is presenting Fat Boy by Teo Castellanos. In this unique example of performance art, Castellanos marries theater with social issues. Drawing inspiration from various places around the world, Castellanos explores poverty, consumerism and equality. Fat Boy also fuses contemporary elements like […]