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"Local Grown" Comes of Age |
 Mark Ellman, owner of Maui Tacos Restaurants, remarks,
"it's hard to find a quality restaurant in Hawaii, especially on Maui, whose menu doesn’t reflect some influence of the HRC movement." Ellman has taken the best flavors of Mexico and fused them with the unique flavors of Hawaii. He recently opened an oceanfront restaurant in Lahaina and created a sophisticated, light-filled restaurant/bar. The menu explains the concept: small plates, organic whenever possible, whole grains, no preservatives, no hydrogenated oils and everything in proportion.
THE NEW FACE OF FARMING
The owners of two award-winning restaurants – pacific'O and i‘o restaurant in Lahaina – have taken their commitment to using locally grown food to new levels, and have opened their own farm. O‘o Farm currently delivers 300-400 pounds of fresh fruits and veggies to their restaurants each week, as well as to a third venue under the same ownership, Maui’s highly acclaimed, Feast at Lele Dinner Luau Show . O‘o Farms expects to receive full organic certification in January of 2008. The farm offers tours and lunch on Thursdays. $50 per person including lunch. Call 808.667.4341.
The ever-changing menu at Master Chef Wolfgang Puck’s Spago at The Four Seasons Wailea is also going more organic as well, utilizing Keahole Lobster from the Big Island, Kauai Prawns, Moi fish (which was once reserved for Hawaiian Royalty) and Maui Cattle Co.’s hand-raised Angus Beef.
 CHEESE!
Recently, many of Maui’s local farms and gardens have been opening their doors to the public offering garden tours and gourmet catered lunches to the public. One such popular venue is Kula’s Surfing Goat Dairy, which produces award-winning gourmet goat cheese. Kids will adore petting the goats and adult will savor the sumptuous cheeses they make, all without using hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, preservatives or colors. The selections and choices are outstanding and diverse. Restaurants using Surfing Goat Dairy Cheeses include Mama’s Fish House in Paia, the SeaWatch in Wailea, and Pineapple Grill up in Kapalua just to name a very few. Flatbread Co. currently orders over 60 lbs of cheese a week!
LOCAL SEAFOOD
If you enjoy fresh fish, try Mama’s Fish House or the Paia Fish Market , At Mama’s they put the name of the fisherman on each day’s menu, letting you know what was caught that morning and by whom. It tends to add a personal touch to your dining experience!
Another great seafood restaurant is The Ma‘alaea Waterfront Restaurant, located Maalaea Village. Sport-fishing vessels docking in Ma‘alaea harbor don’t have far to go to deliver their catch, and The Waterfront rewards the captains with top dollar on their best fish. This award-winning ocean-front restaurant offers several fish selections as well as nine different ways of preparing your fish. For healthier selections try one of these two preparations: Baked en Papillote: enclosed and baked in parchment paper with fresh julienne vegetables and topped with a lime and dill aioli. Or try the Hawaiian Salsa style: broiled then topped with a Maui onion, fresh pineapple, and three-pepper salsa.
EAT IN!
Wailea Wines (formally Kihei Wine & Spirits) has expanded their Gourmet Wine Store to include high-end food products including Maui Cattle Company beef, imported and domestic cheeses and seafood.
Another hidden Gem on the South Side is Eskimo Candy Seafood Market and Café. The Seafood Market and Café opened in 2003, and it hasn’t had a slow day since. There you’ll find fresh fish platters (poke, pupu platters, scallops, lobster tails, king crab legs and more), in smaller serving portions suitable for your home dining desires. What I like best is that they have small portions of homemade butters and sauces for your fish and pasta, so people can make the perfect sauce for their seafood and feel like a gourmet cook!
Just down the street from Eskimo Candy, stop into Who Cut the Cheese? This adorable little shop opened in 2003. Lots of specialty food stores have a deli case stocked with upscale cheeses, but Ann Tuomela’s store is a true cheese shop, in the old European tradition. Her cheeses come from throughout Europe and the United States and are kept in whole wheels, cut to order. If you are like me and don’t know one gourmet cheese from another; at Who Cut the Cheese? you get a cheese education – and samples.
Bottom line, eating healthy in the islands is not only possible, it can be fun! So explore the farms! Taste the fruit! Follow the food, and don’t forget to play with the goats! You’ll rest easy knowing you are making tasty and healthy choices, and enjoying Maui at the same time!
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