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e resort association also takes care of its own. In the aftermath of the Lahaina fires, member hotels and restaurants provided food and lodging for months to hundreds of victims, many of whom worked in the hospitality industry, as well as workers with the Federal Emergency Management Organization (FEMA), the Red Cross, and medical clinics. Additionally, the association tries to bring a sense of normalcy to the community by sponsoring Halloween and Fourth of July events, which had usually been held in Lahaina. It is now working to "spread the message that Maui is open to visitors." e three-day food and wine festival was "a celebration with a purpose," Roy told me, bringing chefs together from all over the globe to raise funds for relief efforts as well as culinary scholarships to schools that include the Culinary Institute of the Pacific where he is director. e Maui festival began with the sold-out 26th Annual Roy Yamaguchi Golf Classic at the Ka'anapali Golf Course, featuring six Maui chefs who provided tastings on the tees followed by the 19th Hole Reception at Roy's Kaanapali restaurant. e festival's signature event was a grand tasting on the grounds of the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa where hundreds of guests gathered for light bites and libations from dozens of restaurants and wineries. Billed as "Vita La Vino," the tasting featured wines from Italy and the Mediterranean. Charles Andres, the Sheraton's executive chef, was a familiar face. Andres once ran Roy's Restaurant in La Jolla and opened the now-closed Ocean Pacific Grill in the Gaslamp before returning home to Maui. Here he met his future wife, ironically, a San Diego native who was vacationing on the island. "I love it when all the chefs come together to help families in need without hesitation," he told me. "It shows the world we're here, and we're strong. Come back and enjoy Maui once again." e next day, the festival sponsored its first ever pickleball tournament at the Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows followed by the Backcourt BBQ, a sizzling Sunday brunch where chefs and "pitmasters" including Monsod fired up the grills to celebrate the art of alfresco cooking featuring Hawaiian-sourced ingredients. She and her team seared local mahi mahi for a large, enthusiastic crowd of foodies. "I was honored to be part of the event to help support those impacted by the fires," she told me upon her return to San Diego. While on Maui, Monsod talked with many industry workers about their experiences during the devastating wildfires. "It hit closer to home for me," she reflected. "All I wanted to do was help them during this hard time." Tickets to the Fifteenth Annual Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival at Ka'anapali on October 24 to 26 will go on sale this spring. e festival also features culinary events on the islands of Hawaii and Oahu. 808.738.6245, hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com detour destinations << TOP Hundreds of guests gathered at the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival Grand Tasting on Maui to celebrate the area's bounty and raise funds for victims of the Lahaina fires MIDDLE Hawaii Food & Wine Festival Co-Founders (standing left to right) Alan Wong, Denise Yamaguchi, and Roy Yamaguchi with their festival team at the event's Backcourt BBQ BOTTOM San Diego's acclaimed chef Tara Monsod of San Diego's Animae and La Jolla's Le Coq prepares for the Backcourt BBQ brunch at Maui's Royal Hawaiian Resort & Spa ranchandcoast.com 68 JANUARY 2025 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE