Maui is cooking right now — and I’m not talking about the record-breaking summer temperatures.

There’s a new Caribbean standout on Vineyard Street in Wailuku in the former Saeng’s Thai. The Empa- nada Lady Restaurant is a merengue of taste, color and music — breezy and open air with water features. At the walk-up counter, find Puerto Rican arroz con pollo, Dominican Republic pernil (slow-roasted, seasoned roast pork), Jamaican red curry shrimp and Cuban ropa vieja (braised beef) — all aromatic and elevated by chef-owner Sara Polanco, who moved to Hana in 2008 from her native Dominican Republic.

“In Hana, children lined up outside my house starting at 6:30 a.m. for my cooking,” Polanco said. “When they saw me at Hana Bay, they’d scream, ‘There she is: the Empanada Lady!’ The name stuck. My daughter, now a singer in Paris, wrote a theme song for me.”

NEW SEASON AT MACC

HOT ON THE HEELS of two back-to-back Paul Simon concerts with Keola Beamer and Michael McDonald joining in, followed by the signature Maui Calls fundraising gala, the Maui Arts & Cultural Center will showcase island favorites Amy Hanaiali‘i on Saturday and Halemanu on Sept. 6, both at McCoy Studio Theater, as it gears up for its new 2019-20 season.

“The MACC is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and the new lineup features ‘25 Hana Hou Favorites’ and ‘25 New Favorites,’” said Art Vento, MACC president and CEO. “For example, HAPA, with Barry Flanagan and Keli‘i Kaneali‘i, keeps selling out their popular McCoy Studio concerts.” (The fifth one is tonight, and tickets are going, going, almost gone.)

Country music fans will want to jump in the saddle fast for tickets for the MACC’s 2019 BMI Maui Songwriters Festival on Dec. 7, headlined by Miranda Lambert and Maren Morris. They are part of the new Highway Women super group, a callback to the old Highwaymen legends Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson … “Speaking of which,” added Vento, “we’re just announcing a concert with Kris Kris- tofferson & the Strangers for Castle Theater on Oct. 19. It benefits MACC and Na Keiki o Emalia.” Note that Kris and Willie are “Maui men,” and that Willie’s son, Lukas Nelson, who appeared in the hit movie “A Star Is Born” with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, also is featured in the BMI lineup. “Maui no ka oi,” said Vento. “You never know who may jump up on stage to lend a hand … creating magic with another MACC moment.”

By the way, Willie and sons Lukas and Micah Nelson were scheduled to perform last night at Maui Country Club in Spreckelsville as a benefit for Hawaii Farmers Union United and Mahi‘ai Foundation.

NBA legend and Maui entrepreneur Don Nelson (no relation) was set to introduce the other famous Nelson family members and their respective bands, Promise of the Real and Particle Kid. Don, aka “Nellie,” was proud that his daughter Lee Anderson, chef-owner of Sugar Beach Events in Kihei, was food and beverage consultant for the evening. Twelve top Maui chefs cooked, and also set to perform were Marty Dread, Pat Simmons Jr. and Tavana.

MAUI’S MAI TAI TRAIL

FRIDAY IS National Mai Tai Day, and The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua even has a mai tai map of the resort. Like the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky, no one is suggesting you visit all the stops in a single day.

“You may begin with an in-room, make-your-own mai tai kit to enjoy on your balcony,” said Daniel Schmidt, food and beverage director at the Ritz-Carlton. “For the next stop, venture to the Burger Shack, located oceanfront at D.T. Fleming Beach. There, you may sip our famous Mai Tai Milkshake, watch the surf and savor one of chef April Ma- tsumoto’s famous burgers.”

Follow the map along the scenic coastal trail and relax with a 1944 Mai Tai at Hana Hou bar at Montage Kapalua Bay. Take a short walk around Kapalua Bay to Merriman’s Kapalua and enjoy a mai tai with lilikoi foam by bar manager Kyle Dempsey outside on the lava point.

The map also points rum lovers to Taverna (via resort shuttle) for a Billionaire Mai Tai, and ends the journey with a short jaunt to Alaloa Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton for an Alii Mai Tai.

Not on the map and across the island in Wailea, the Talisman beckons like an amulet in a totem. Technically not a mai tai, the rum-tiki concept is distilled with seven primary ingredients nonetheless, according to Four Seasons Resort Maui beverage manager Ben Yabrow.

“Just like there are seven pigment colors in a rainbow, the Talisman showcases a deliberately refined execution using all seven traditional tropical ingredients: rum, coconut, pineapple, mango, almond, citrus and mint. The result is a fresh, balanced cocktail.”

“My favorite way to enjoy our Kea Lani Mai Tai is in a hollowed-out pineapple. It’s a perfect Instagram moment,” said bartender Onalani Acevedo at AMA Bar + Grill, located poolside at Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea.

At The Mill House in Waikapu, the mai tai is balanced with local ingredients.

“We stick to the traditional style of mai tai, which is bright, refreshing and both citrus and rum-driven,” said bar manager Scott Turner. “We make a macadamia nut orgeat in house, pair that with fresh lime juice, dry Curacao, a hint of overproof rum, and locally distilled Koloa white and dark rums.”

Last but not least, the mai tais at Mama’s Fish House in Kuau — called Mai Tai Roa Ae, which means “the very best” or “out of this world” — are based on the original Trader Vic Bergeron recipe.

“It’s not your poolside, sticky-sweet drink,” explained Karen Christenson, director of marketing. “It’s more tart, the perfect mai tai.”

Hmm … with all of this talk of rum, I’m starting to get hungry for some Caribbean food right about now.

Veteran journalist Carla Tracy pops the cork on Maui’s dining and entertainment scene in her weekly column. Email her at carlatracy808@gmail.com.