Ranch & Coast Magazine

January 2025

Read Ranch & Coast Virtually Anywhere

Issue link: http://ranchandcoast.uberflip.com/i/1530951

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 66 of 91

T his was my home," said Angel the cab driver, pointing to a vacant lot, now covered with gravel, where his house of 14 years once stood. It was among the 2,200 homes and businesses destroyed in the devastating wind-whipped wildfires that swept through the historic seaside community of Lahaina on Maui in August 2023. e fire, among the deadliest in U.S. history, killed 102 people, left thousands more in need of food, water, and shelter, and caused $5.5 billion in damages. Angel picked me up at the airport where I had come to report on the aftermath of the fires and its impact on the hospitality and tourism industries. I was also visiting to join in a celebration, the Fourteenth Annual Hawai'i Food & Wine Festival, a gathering of master chefs, winemakers, mixologists, and sommeliers from all over the world. Events were held on three islands last fall including Maui, where the roster of chefs included James Beard finalist Tara Monsod, executive chef at Animae in San Diego's Gaslamp District and Le Coq in La Jolla. e festival is a program of the nonprofit Hawai'i Ag and Culinary Alliance, which promotes the islands as a world-class destination, celebrating culinary talent and locally grown produce. Since its founding in 2011, the festival has provided $5 million to local nonprofits that support sustainability and cultural and educational programs including scholarships for culinary students. e alliance has also donated $1.25 million in relief funds to more than 1,300 restaurant, bar, and hospitality workers on Maui through its Kokua Restaurant & Hospitality Fund. Roy Yamaguchi, the acclaimed chef known for a collection of namesake Roy's Restaurants, co-founded the festival in 2011 with Alan Wong, both James Beard award-winning chefs, and Yamaguchi's wife, Denise, who is also the festival's executive director. Born and raised on Oahu with an MBA in marketing and a background in government affairs, she was instrumental in getting the state agencies, airlines, hotels, and restaurants on board. "It's not about one property," she said. "It's about all the properties working together for the good of Hawaii." e 2024 festival also sent a message to tourists: Maui is now back, said Yamaguchi, whose family has roots on the island. His father was born on Maui and did most of the cooking for the family — stews, curries, chicken teriyaki — while his mother from Okinawa, Japan, loved beans, eggs, and miso. "My cooking evolved from the flavors of my parents," he reflected. " ey stand out even today." "We need to be mindful of the hurt that is still here," he continued. "But we also know that families need to move forward. It's important to let people know that Maui is open for business. As much devastation and hurt as there is and continues to be, we need to make sure we help families recover. Tourism has a big impact on people's lives." e festival is committed to Maui's revitalization, serving as a powerful platform in support of local businesses including restaurants, hotels, farmers, suppliers, manufacturers, and tourism. "By returning to Ka'anapali, the festival seeks to remind visitors that their travel can make a difference and play a vital role in restoring the livelihoods of the people who call Maui home," said Denise. e festival partners with the Ka'anapali Beach Resort Association, headed by Shelley M. Kekuna, which includes 20 properties — hotels, resorts, villas, condos, restaurants, and retail — along a pristine three-mile stretch of sand, billed as one of the best beaches on Maui by travel magazines. e association works with travel agents and members of the media to provide information on accommodations, activities, and attractions, whether visitors are looking for a family vacation or a romantic retreat. Resorts range from spacious oceanfront condominiums at Kaanapali Ali'i, popular with couples and multi-generation families who want the comforts of home, to the sprawling Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali, which just completed a multimillion-dollar renovation. "It's not about one property," Denise emphasized. " e beauty of this project is that we have multiple properties willing to work together for the betterment of the festival and the people of Hawaii." MAIN: PHOTO COURTESY OF WESTIN MAUI RESORT & SPA KA'ANAPALI BEACH: PHOTO COURTESY OF KA'ANAPALI BEACH RESORT ASSOCIATION >> Ka'anapali Beach has long been favored for its calm ocean conditions and endless days of perfect sunshine @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE JANUARY 2025 67

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Ranch & Coast Magazine - January 2025