Huliau Food and Film Festival Celebrates Local Agriculture

By Vanessa Wolf

A scene from last year’s Huliau Festival. Image courtesy Maui Huliaui Foundation.

This Saturday, Aug. 16, the second annual Huliau Food and Film Festival — a farm-to-table celebration of local agriculture featuring local chefs and student-produced films — will take place at Ocean Vodka’s organic farm in lower Kula.

The event will open with farm-to-table pupus.

• Chef Marc McDowell of The Mill House at Maui Tropical Plantation is serving miniature fresh mahi mahi lau lau with taro and Asian vegetables in ti leaves accompanied by a coconut red curry sauce and coconut macadamia nut sweet potato fries.
• Chef James Simpliciano of SimpliFresh Farms is preparing a fresh taro chip and pa’i’ai on a tea leaf with kukui sea salt, and dried mushroom lomi tomato.
• Meanwhile, Chef Lyndon Honda of Laulima Events and Catering is cooking up a lau lau spoon with Hawaiian chili pepper water-brined pork smoked with kiawe and sugar cane with lau leaf puree and ‘uala (sweet potato).
• Last up on the appetizer front is Chef Isaac Bancaco of Ka’ana Kitchen at Andaz Maui of Wailea and his fresh Kona kampachi poisson cru.

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Next is the salad course.

Prepared by Chef McDowell, the dish is sourced from Kumu Farms Organic and comprised of spring mix, baby carrot, cucumber, radish, kiawe, banana chips, crispy sweet potato chips and sugar cane coconut vinaigrette.

The salad is accompanied by fresh bread from Leoda’s Bakery.

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The main course is prepared by Chef JJ Johnson of O’o Farm.

He is serving kiawe-grilled fresh island fish, O’o Farm roasted seasonal vegetable hash, chayote squash; coffee cherry, Meyer lemon and sugar cane vinaigrette and edible upcountry flowers.

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Lastly, dessert is made by Chef John Cadman of Pono Pies and promises banana, coconut, taro and breadfruit pono pie bites with a guava and macadamia nut cream.

Organizers note that all courses also vegetarian and vegan options, as well.

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In addition, the event will feature a cash bar of 100% locally-produced beer, wine and cocktails.

Guests will also enjoy live music, a silent auction and a food-themed student film contest.

Tickets to the Huliau Food & Film Festival  are $80 and limited to 200 attendees aged 21 and over.

All funds raised will benefit Maui Huliau Foundation’s environmental education programs for Maui youth. Last year’s Huliau Food & Film Festival sold out and helped raise over $11,000 for Huliau programs.