Hawai'i - A Foodie's Paradise
FOOD FESTS – Plan your trip around one of Hawai‘i’s amazing food festivals. The eighth annual Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival October 6-28 on Maui, Hawai‘i Island, and O‘ahu features over 100 internationally renowned master chefs, culinary personalities, plus wine and spirits producers celebrating island sourced ingredients at one-of-a-kind dinners, tastings, demos, and excursions. Hawai‘i’s world famous java is the focus at Kona Coffee Cultural Festival November 9-18 on Hawai‘i Island while historic Hanapēpē hosts the Kaua‘i Chocolate & Coffee Festival October 19-20, a street fair with samplings, educational displays and workshops, plus farm tours.
‘ONO-LICIOUS EATS – New eateries and dining experiences pop up all the time. Our Place Kaua‘i in Kapa‘a creates gorgeous and delicious vegan dishes with Kaua‘i-only raised ingredients while following sustainable practices. On Maui, Chef Roy Yamaguchi’s Humble Market Kitchen features dishes rooted in Hawai‘i’s plantation days prepared with innovative flavors and twists on island classics. O‘ahu’s exciting new foodie destination, Lanai @ Ala Moana Center, has local favorites and eateries new to Hawai‘i like Ahi & Vegetable, BRUG, Mahaloha Burger, and Sobaya.
FARM FRESH – Visit Surfing Goat Dairy, award winning cheesemakers, on the slopes of Haleakalā where you can take the 3:30 Evening Chores & Milking tour and then drive to the volcano summit for an epic sunset. On Kaua‘i, the Chocolate Farm Tour at Steelgrass Farm reveals everything you need to know about branch to bar chocolate production and includes tastings of fresh tropical fruits and farm produced chocolate and honey. At Na Mea Kupono Taro Farm on O‘ahu, you’ll learn about this ancestral crop and the Hawaiian concept of aloha ‘aina (love for the land), work in the loi (taro pond), sample taro products, and even enjoy hula, Hawaiian song, storytelling, crafts, and games.
