Chicago is on a mission to rebuild Lahaina through music and food

Hua Momona Foundation (HMF) is taking the annual Maui Music and Food Experience fundraiser to the mainland on Nov. 7 at the Copernicus Center’s Gateway Theater in Chicago.

Performers include: Grammy-winning Hawaiʻi musician John Cruz, soul icon Bettye LaVette, Grammy-winning Rolling Stones collaborator Lisa Fischer, Chicago rock-and-soul mainstay Nicholas Tremulis, Stones collaborator Bernard Fowler, and Chicago house music icon DJ Lady D.

The event features culinary selections from Lahaina-born chef Nate Domingo of Da Local Boy, the acclaimed Hawaiian restaurant in Chicago’s neighborhood Highwood, and Maui-based chef Zach Laidlaw, resident chef at Hua Momona Farm and a finalist on Next Level Chef and Chopped. 

In addition to the concert, HMF will host a special gala fundraiser on Nov. 8 at the Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington, IL. The event will feature a four-course dinner prepared by Hua Momona Farm’s Chef Zach Laidlaw, wines selected by Hua Momona’s Sommelier, Richard Olson, live performances by John Cruz and rising talent Naiwi Teruya.

HMF has been working on relief efforts following the devastating 2023 Lahaina fires – the deadliest in US history. With recovery still slow and thousands of residents in need of food, housing, and jobs while awaiting federal funding, the foundation has served more than 80,000 meals and raised $450,000 to provide food distribution, housing assistance, mental health care and youth programs – including the new Hua Momona Youth ʻUkulele Ensemble.

This show follows the 2nd annual MMFE at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa on Aug. 15 and 16, which welcomed more than 1,000 guests and raised $200,000 for HMF. The event featured performances by Hawaiian acts such as Paula Fuga, Tavana, and Kanekoa; Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk was joined by special guests Mick Fleetwood, Ernie Isley, Bernard Fowler, and Wayne Baker Brooks for a lively tribute to Jimi Hendrix.

The inaugural MMFE in 2024 raised $250,000 for the survivors of the Lahaina fires and spurred the struggling Maui economy, and featured performances by Billy Cox, Mick Fleetwood, Ernie Isley, Daryl Jones, Charlie Sexton and many others.