Like many professions, chefs and other food and beverage industry experts consider Maui a wonderful location to establish themselves and refine their craft. Lucky for us foodies, this means constant stream of culinary events happening around the island throughout the year.
Here are ten of the hottest culinary events on Maui. Mark your calendars!
“Knife Fights” at Cow Pig Bun
Are you a fan of Iron Chef? You know, the genius Food Network show where two chefs battle it out in a kitchen arena. Maui has its own version at a burgers and bourbon restaurant in Kihei with the curious name of Cow Pig Bun.
O’o Farms Tours
O’o Farms is situated upcountry, in Kula, where the soil is rich and fresh mountain breezes cool the air. The farm grows Hawaiian coffee, fruit trees, fresh produce, herbs and flowers.
You can choose from a farm and luncheon tour (featuring dishes such as kaffir lime fresh catch with sizzling lemongrass oil and O’o Farm vegetables) or a “Farm t0 Cup” coffee tour.
Ocean Vodka Distillery Tour
How does a vodka distillery tour sound? How about a vodka distillery tour in beautiful Kula with a sustainable and organic commitment that takes you from planting sugar cane to distilling to bottling, then drops you off at a tasting room for some samples of not just vodka but also rum?
This highly-recommended TripAdvisor tour is about 30 minutes long and only $20 person. The tastings are included, as is a souvenir shot glass (for drinkers of legal age).
Maui Onion Festival
Maui onions, in case you didn’t know, are sweet and tasty. They don’t make you cry when you cut them, either.
The Maui Onion Festival at Whaler’s Village in Lahaina is an annual event celebrating this tasty bulb. Here you’ll discover the one-of-a-kind “Maui Onion Challenge,” a drink making contest, a Maui onion recipe contest and — of course — a raw onion eating contest.
The Festival took a break in 2015 due to renovation but is set to make a comeback on the first Saturday in May, 2016.
Taste of Wailea at the Maui Film Festival
It’s one thing to soak in all the glitz at the Maui Film Festival, it’s another to get spoiled by some of the best food on the planet.
The Taste Of Wailea is billed as the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the Maui Film Festival’s culinary events, and it’s pretty obvious why: all the best chefs on Maui come together with their finest culinary creations, such as:
- Stuffed Mussels In Haiku Heirloom Tomato Spicy Pomodoro Sauce
- Keahole lobster slider, Canadian Bacon, Spicy maple mayo, clover sprouts
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Keanae Lilikoi Chiffon Cake Featuring Maui Cheese Company’s Fromangina
Maui Craft Session
Do you like beer, food and other fine spirits? Chances are you said yes to that, which means you’ll love Maui Craft Session — an annual celebration of “the craft industries of spirits, beers, cigars, and the culinary arts.”
The event is basically a throwdown of the island’s best craft brewers, spirit makers, chefs and other aficionados of fine cuisine and drinks. Need we say more?
Rum Scrum Cocktail Contest
Rum rhymes with yum for a good reason: it’s seriously tasty when you mix it with the right ingredients. Finding the right combination of ingredients, however, is a challenge set forth by Maui’s Rum Scrum Cocktail Contest.
The inaugural contest to discover the best rum drink in Maui was held this past July in Kā‘anapali. The winning drink, by Gabe Harvey, is called the Maika‘i, and consists of rum, fresh pressed lilikoi and lime juice, homemade coconut orgeat syrup and orange curacao.
Maui Taro Festival
Taro is a staple food in Polynesian culture, akin to the potato or corn. You may know its most common form as poi.
At the East Maui Taro Festival — now approaching its 24th year — you can not only pound your own poi, but you can also try taro pancakes, fried taro chips, taro burgers and other delicious taro foods.
Hawaii Food & Wine Festival Maui
Each year for two weeks in October, the premiere culinary event of the Pacific takes place on Oahu, the Big Island and Maui. This massive festival features over 100 internationally-accomplished chefs, culinary personalities, and wine and spirit makers.
You can enjoy cooking demonstrations, wine tastings and exciting dining opportunities with dishes “highlighting the state’s bounty of local produce, seafood, beef and poultry.”
Kapalua Wine and Food Festival
Want to mingle with master sommeliers and winemakers from around the world as well as some of the top chefs in Maui?
The Kapalua Food and Wine Festival is your chance. From 9-12 June, 2016 at Kapalua Resort, you can attend the longest running food and wine event in the USA (2016 will be the 35th running!). There will be wine seminars and tastings, a golf tournament, a master tasting event and more.
We would be delighted to be part of your next Maui vacation. If we can assist you with planning your perfect Maui vacation, please contact our Sunny Maui Vacations’ team at info@sunnymauivacations.com or at 808-240-1311 Extension 21. Let us help you reserve your vacation rental condo in South Maui and assist you with island recommendations and activity planning through our in-house Concierge at 808-240-1311 Extension 71.
Image credits: O’o Farms, Cow Pig Bun, TripAdvisor, MauiNow, 7869241@N08, chriscorrigan, Frolic Hawaii, Kapalua Food and Wine Festival
Need a hand with your next Maui vacation? Please contact the Sunny Maui Vacations team at info@sunnymauivacations.com or call 808-240-1311, ext. 21. We’ll find you the best vacation rental condo or rental home in South Maui and help you with any and all recommendations and activities across Maui.
