Maui Food & Dining

Acclaimed Chef Alvin Savella was named Executive Chef of the local West Maui restaurant group that includes Māla Ocean Tavern, Down The Hatch, and Breakwall Shave Ice Co. Chef Savella known as the “Kitchen Assassin,” was born and raised in Lahaina, Maui.

Hawaiian Electric employees are raising funds for United Way chapters on Oʻahu, Maui County, and Hawaiʻi Island through Stay Home, Cook Rice – A Pandemic Limited Edition cookbook.

Lahaina Gateway, West Maui’s largest outdoor shopping center, adds Da Shrimp Hale West to its tenant roster. The new eatery marks the first expansion for the family-owned restaurant, which opened its original location in Kahului in 2016.

Hua Momona Farms, a West Maui provider of micro greens, is expanding their weekly offerings to include the new “Maui Meal Kit” product line.

Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation’s “Localicious Hawaiʻi Art and Poetry Calendar Contest” for the 2020-2021 school year is now open for submissions from Nov. 1-30, 2020. The contest is presented by Hawaiʻi Gas and is open for students from grades K-8. Students are invited to submit original artwork or poem about their favorite dish made with locally grown, caught or raised products.

Manoli’s Pizza Company on Maui welcomes back kamaʻāina and visitors on Nov. 3, 2020.  The restaurant overlooks the Wailea Blue Golf Course, offering al-fresco dining.

Popular West Maui eatery, Star Noodle will reopen in early November at the spot previously occupied by its sister restaurant, Aloha Mixed Plate. Now with enhanced safety measures and distancing requirements, restaurant managers say the new ocean-front space at 1285 Front Street, will provide the open-air and increased capacity they need.

Mick Fleetwood, legendary drummer and co-founding member of the iconic band, Fleetwood Mac, announces the reopening of his Fleetwood’s on Front Street restaurant Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The West Maui eatery transitioned to a temporary closure amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but is preparing to reopen.

Moku Roots, Lahaina Gateway’s zero-waste vegan restaurant, has been named the Best Vegetarian Restaurant in Hawaiʻi by Yelp.

Son’z Steakhouse and Nick’s Fishmarket are among the wave of locally-owned small businesses working hard to re-open and support the revitalization of Maui’s economy.

Entremets, pronounced ‘ontra-may,’ are complex cakes – they involve difficult techniques, advanced knowledge of flavors and textures and the construction is nothing short of architectural.

Located on the ground floor of The Shops at Wailea, the Italian seafood restaurant will serve dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, before launching breakfast, lunch and dinner service starting Saturday.

After almost six months of closure, Frida’s Beach House announced that the Mexican restaurant will reopen on Thursday, Oct. 1. The Lahaina restaurant will be open on an adjusted schedule, tentatively opening for four days a week from Thursday through Sunday, from 2 to 8 p.m.

More than 15 Maui businesses, including eight restaurants, have closed their doors for good due to the lack of tourism and other economic woes caused by the coronavirus. Many more Maui businesses are teetering on the brink, as government assistance programs for small businesses dry up and the pandemic drags on. “We are literally hanging on by our fingertips,” said Josh Curi, owner of Da Babooze Bar in Wailuku.

Mayor Victorino notes that some local businesses are not qualifying for small business grant programs because they exceed revenue thresholds currently in place. “We had to set thresholds because I wanted this money to go to our small local businesses, not to some big conglomerate someplace else… we’re committed to help our local businesses, our small mom and pops wherever possible.”

Valkirs is hopeful that Chocolate Laulima can provide not only a benefit to the chocolate factory and to local nonprofit organizations, but that the benefit has even more direct results, as all money raised stays in Hawai‘i and mostly on Maui.

The eatery was previously located behind the 76 gas station in Kīhei near the “triangle” but closed that location in March. Now, the business is reopening at a new location at the Aloha Open Air Market, located at 1794 South Kīhei Road.

Moku Roots in Lahaina Gateway announced Monday a new menu featuring plant-based “handheld” food items and a new head chef, Brandon Martinez.

Koholā will start brewing beer in the next two weeks and prepare the tap room to welcome guests once again. The business is targeting a re-opening in approximately three weeks.

According to the company, the number of customers at the shop decreased to less than five per day since the the reinstatement of the 14-day quarantine for interisland travelers.