Tomato on the beach with Localicious logo. Photo courtesy of Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation.

Local ingredients will be a main attraction on menus at 148 restaurants statewide for the month-long Localicious Hawai‘i campaign. The Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation (HAF) promotion runs from today through March 31, supporting ag education in public schools through sales of dishes featuring local produce, meat or seafood.

Restaurants will donate $1 for every Localicious dish sold in March to HAF’s Veggie U educational program to expand to more classrooms. 113 public schools around the state currently have garden kits and curriculum received in connection with the Localicious Hawai‘i campaign.

Now in its third year, Localicious Hawai‘i’s message to support restaurants that buy local hits home. Officials say the looming closure of HC&S sugar operations on Maui reinforces the value of HAF’s mission to promote sustainability of Hawai‘i’s ag industry.

“It is even more critical today to support local farmers, fishermen, and ranchers” stresses HAF Board Chair Dean Okimoto. “People need to start looking at what agriculture brings to this state, and if they want more sustainability, they must really start committing to buying and supporting local ag production.”

Veggie U aims to teach that lesson to our youth. Chef Matt Young of Hula Grill in Kā‘anapali, which adopted five classrooms last year, says, “Each time we visit with the kids, we try to educate them on how important it is to support our local farmers and our economy.”

Localicious salad at Hula Grill in Kā‘anapali. Photo courtesy of Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation.

Local snapper dish from Gannon’s Wailea. Photo courtesy of Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation.

Tomato with Localicious Hawai’i logo. Photo courtesy of Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation.

Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice at Zippy’s. Photo courtesy of Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation.

Tomato on the beach with Localicious logo. Photo courtesy of Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation.

As part of the month-long educational campaign, students in grades K-6 are encouraged to enter an art and essay contest called “Eat Local – My Favorite Dish Created with Locally-Grown Produce.” There are two categories, an art contest for students in grades K–3 and an art and essay contest for students in grades 4–6. Winners will receive an iPad mini, and a class party with a celebrity chef and farmer and an iPad mini. For details, visit here.

Here are the 21 participating Localicious restaurants on Maui:

Black Rock Kitchen

Choice Health Bar

Da Kitchen Café

Duke’s Beach House

Gannon’s Wailea

Hali‘imaile General Store

Hula Grill Ka‘anapali

Humuhumunukunukuapua‘a

Japengo at Hyatt Regency Maui

Ka‘ana Kitchen at Andaz Maui

Kō

Lahaina Grill

Leilani’s on the Beach

Merriman’s Kapalua

Pailolo Bar & Grill

Roy’s Kaanapali

Ruā Maui

Sangrita Grill + Cantina

Sugar Cane Maui

Tommy Bahama – Wailea

Zippy’s Restaurants

Visit here for the list of 148 participating restaurants statewide and to learn more about the March campaign.

The Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization created to promote agriculture and farming. Established in 2007, HAF’s mission is to support and sustain Hawai‘i’s agricultural industry by addressing critical needs and services of farmers and the agricultural industry in Hawai‘i, and by better connecting the farmers and the community.