The Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului has presented every performance legend imaginable in its first quarter-century, including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Bob Dylan, Prince, Elton John and the Eagles.
Today it will host MACC’s 25th Anniversary Celebration of Community birthday party from 4 to 8:30 p.m., and the best part is, the family-friendly affair is free and open to the public. Festivities kick off with the King Kekaulike Na Ali‘i Big Band marching at the entrance, followed by two epic circuslike performances by Strange Fruit from Melbourne, Australia.
The company will perform “The Spheres” with artists in giant illuminated globes and perched atop 20-foot-high poles. Feel the beat of the drums with Zenshin Daiko, enjoy face painting and balloons and then tap your feet to live music by Hapa along with Henry Kapono and Willie K.
Top it all off with complimentary birthday cake, art activities and a grand finale of fireworks lighting up the night sky.
Bring your appetites, as a full gamut of food will be available for purchase from multiple Maui vendors. Just like at the MACC’s 20th anniversary, some vendors will roll back prices in theory to what it cost in 1994.
Three’s Bar & Grill will be on a roll with ahi panko rolls, bacon-wrapped hot dogs and more for $5 to $8; Outrigger Pizza will sell savory pie halves for $6 to $7; Maui Teriyaki will do mochiko chicken and rice and tempura shrimp and fries for $7 and $8; and Sea Salt Maui will offer fried fish and ulu chips for $13. Desserts will be provided by Ululani’s Shave Ice, 808 Delights and Grandpa Joe’s Candy Co. Beverages will include beer, wine and soft drinks.
For more details, visit mauiarts.org.
STEAMER POTS AND GREEN NOTES
Cary and Karin Button, owners of the gourmet Maui Prime Fine Foods in Lahaina, are excited about their trip to Rome, Naples and Sarento, Italy, along with a visit to Israel, Cypress and Crete.
“Biz is good,” said Cary. “We have steamer pots ranging in price from $99 (that feeds two people) to $129 and $149 for the prime or Cajun pots that feed four to six. You can score big with game day and holiday pots for $149 or $169 that feed six to eight hungry diners.”
The best part is, you may keep the pot. Take it to the beach and savor a seafood feast over a kiawe grill or heat it in your kitchen.
“We give you the pot filled with white wine, garlic, butter, seasonings, corn, seafood and broth,” said Maui Prime’s Jason Mahon. “All that you need to do is provide the fire and steam it on your grill or stove for a half-hour or 45 minutes. We also provide a French baguette for dipping. It’s a Maui-style clambake, and you may order the pots with any of the live products that come from our lobster and crab tank.” For more details, call 661-4912.
On a “green” note, Down to Earth health food store in Kahului recently introduced new edible spoons that are made from wheat, oats, barley, soybeans, corn and chickpeas. You may buy them in plain and chocolate for 35 cents each. They are designed to last up to 25 minutes in hot soups and 45 minutes when eating cold food, unless you can’t wait and eat them first. There are no edible forks or knives available yet. For more details, call 877-2661.
In addition, Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, has just launched more “green” or eco-friendly initiatives. It now recycles all of its cooking oil as biodiesel, boasts a “zero-waste” kitchen, and Executive Chef Ryan Urig sources 72% of produce served from Hawaii farms.
“We are also relaunching the Grand Wailea Honeybee Program by reestablishing the largest hive in Wailea and instigating sustainable pollination while providing delectable resort-made honey for guests to enjoy,” said Urig. “And Volcano Bar & Grill and Bistro Molokini no longer use bamboo steamer baskets, single-use condiment packets, disposable plates, single-use plastic cups, plastic utensils or paper napkins around the pool deck.”
Instead, diners enjoy food on melamine Rimini bowls with lids, acrylic drinkware, matching forks, spoons and knives and cotton napkins.
The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua culinary team recently unveiled an entirely new menu concept and nightly happy hour in its Alaloa Bar & Lounge. Now you can get 50% off cheese and charcuterie plates and select bottles of wine at the Wine Not Happy Hour from 4 to 5 p.m. Lift your chopsticks to nightly sushi from 5 to 9 p.m., build your own entrees and share tiki-style deep-dish pizzas and local favorites. The lounge also hosts nightly music from 6 to 9 p.m., and it boasts fire-pit lounge areas on the lanai with ocean views. For more information, visit www.ritzcarlton.com/kapalua.
THANKSGIVING DINNER TO GO
Are you looking for a place to buy a local-style Thanksgiving dinner to go in Wailea? Lineage at The Shops at Wailea is doing smoked meat, pork and peas casserole, barbecue turkey breast, garlic noodles, green farm salad and pumpkin crunch that feeds four people for $140. You can pick it up on Thanksgiving Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To order, call 879-8880.
Of course, not everyone can afford high prices. That’s why A Saigon Cafe in Wailuku makes about 450 Thanksgiving lunches a year and donates them to nonprofits such as the Boys & Girls clubs of Maui, the Family Life Center and senior centers. If you are in need, you can contact the restaurant directly.
“I feed the homeless, every year now,” says A Saigon Cafe owner Jennifer Nguyen. “I bake kalua turkeys, make stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. All of the desserts are donated by my friends. Everything is made fresh that morning. If you are in need, give us a call at 243-9560.”
Veteran journalist Carla Tracy pops the cork on Maui’s dining and entertainment scene in her weekly column. Email her at carlatracy808@gmail.com.
