Culinary journey awaits locavores on Maui

Sunday through Friday, Geoff Haines, manager of Waipoli Hydroponic Greens, wakes up at 4:30 a.m. and goes through his morning routine, which includes a breakfast of buttered toast, a boiled egg and coffee. At 5:45 a.m. he heads out to make deliveries to customers in Kahului. Four hours later he’s at the farm in Kula, fixing equipment, handling sales and overseeing operations. He winds up his 16-hour workday in his home office in Makawao, taking care of invoices, emails, payroll, tax documents and other tasks on the computer — his least favorite part of the business.

Waipoli Hydroponic Greens grows watercress and eight varieties of lettuce on six scenic acres at the 3,500-foot-elevation of Hale­akala. Thirteen employees harvest greens three days a week and clean and plant three days a week year-round.

"We harvest more than 30,000 heads of lettuce alone every week," Haines said. "Every head is planted and picked individually by hand. We’ve been growing greens for 14 years and have never skipped a week."

On Labor Day weekend, visitors can meet Haines, his partner Paul Singleton and 20 other Maui County farmers at Kaanapali Fresh, a new event at Kaanapali Beach Resort. Shelley Kekuna, executive director of the Kaanapali Beach Resort Association, says the aim of Kaanapali Fresh is to celebrate the resort as a first-class culinary destination.

"Our chefs are champions of the farm-to-table concept, and it made sense for us to honor the people who grow and raise the food that inspires the innovative menus at our restaurants," Kekuna said. "Agriculture will be visible throughout the resort during Kaanapali Fresh."

The three-day event kicks off Aug. 31 with Progressive Kaanapali, a dinner that begins at the Hyatt Regency Maui with appetizers from the hotel’s Japengo and Umalu restaurants and Hula Grill Kaanapali at Whalers Village. Guests then head to The Westin Maui for dinner tastings prepared by chefs from the hotel’s Tropica restaurant and Pulehu, an Italian Grill, at The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas. The evening concludes with island-themed desserts (think Kula strawberry shortcake and Kaanapali Coffee crème brûlée) from Sheraton Maui’s Black Rock Steak & Seafood.

Activities the next day start bright and early with the Grown on Maui Farmers Market beside the beach path fronting Whalers Village. Farmers will offer just-picked beans, tomatoes, strawberries, leafy greens, Maui onions, Maui Gold pineapple and more. Lynn and Russell Decoite from L&R Farms on Molokai will bring a sweet potato variety developed by Lynn’s grandmother. Grown only at L&R, it has red skin and purple flesh and is reputedly creamier and tastier than the common white-skinned Okinawan sweet potato.

"The farmers market will showcase the very best of what Maui County farmers are growing, as well as products made from them, including jams, sauces and chips," Kekuna said. "Chefs from Leilani’s on the Beach, Hula Grill Kaanapali and Maui Fish & Pasta at Whalers Village will be doing cooking demonstrations, and Maui County Farm Bureau representatives will be on hand to talk about their programs, including agricultural fairs and school field trips to Maui farms."

Also on the schedule is a three-hour tour of Kaanapali Coffee Farms, four miles mauka of the resort, which markets its products under the MauiGrown Coffee label. Participants will learn about coffee cultivation, harvesting, processing and the history of the company; stroll through the orchard and sample ripe coffee cherries; and sip seven MauiGrown brews.

In the evening, the spotlight turns to the third green of the Royal Kaanapali Golf Course for the Kaanapali Fresh Food & Wine Festival. Stations will feature offerings by a dozen "teams" of farmers, chefs and wineries.

"Resort chefs focused on a product that’s grown in Maui County and created a dish from it," Kekuna said. "Each chef then partnered with a farmer known for growing that product. Rounding out each trio is a winery that produces a vintage that goes well with the dish. A lot of thought went into organizing the trios; that’s going to be evident from the very first bite guests take of each delicious dish."

Maui-born slack-key guitar virtuoso Makana will provide entertainment along with headliner Spyro Gyra, the seminal jazz group that has been wowing audiences for nearly 40 years.

The final day, Sept. 2, begins with brunch at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, which promises a lavish spread of Maui’s bounty, including lamb from Ulupalakua Ranch. Chandra Lam Lucariello, director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits of Hawaii, will show guests how to create their own original drinks.

Lucariello also will present an interactive mixology lesson at The Westin Kaanapali that includes, among other recipes, the Maka Tai, a mai tai she created especially for Kaanapali Fresh.

The weekend festivities conclude with a "Concert Under the Kaanapali Moonlight" at Royal Lahaina Resort, featuring the alternative rock band Third Eye Blind; the launch of Maui Brewing Co.’s Kaanapali Golden Sands Ale, made with Maui-grown guava and lilikoi; and a barbecue dinner (mahimahi tacos, guava-glazed pork ribs, and grilled beef patties dressed with Olowalu tomatoes, Surfing Goat Dairy cheese and caramelized Maui onions are among the menu highlights).

"Food is an integral part of the visitor experience in Hawaii," Kekuna said. "Kaanapali Fresh acknowledges the important relationship between chef and farmer and tourism and agriculture. It applauds the hard work of all those involved with bringing fresh, flavorful, quality food to our tables."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.