More Than Just Food

Wailea is known for putting on spectacular annual events, and each one seems to top the previous years. Such gatherings that garner island-wide recognition are “The Maui Film Festival Wailea” and accompanying “Taste of Wailea,” “Shane Victorino’s Dinner & Golf Classic,” and “May Day is Lei Day in Wailea.” This week signals the start of a foodie’s dream in South Maui, “Restaurant Week Wailea.”

When I moved to Maui 30 years ago, it was hard not to notice a different way of life compared to the mainland. Time seems to move slower, the beach is a home away from home, spreading aloha is a mantra and lifestyle, and it’s all about enjoying the little things. Maui taught me that there are four essentials for a great time: good company, delicious food, tasty drinks, and the perfect backdrop. Restaurant Week Wailea executes these perfectly, blending all four, and each restaurant presents this authentic Maui experience.

No island does it better than Maui (decidedly so by the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards), and Restaurant Week lets you taste food in true Valley Isle style. In particular, Hawaiian Fusion (a blend of Asian/Pan-Pacific/Continental cuisines) is a favorite, combining various island delicacies with fresh, locally-sourced, organic ingredients, and revved up with world class preparation and detail.

This celebration of Wailea’s finest cuisine can be enjoyed at the 21 participating resort restaurants throughout the community, with the festivities kicking off Sunday, Nov 3rd and lasting until Saturday, Nov 9th. This is an opportunity for the restaurants to expand beyond their base clientele (with prices lower than usual), and entices the chefs to express their culinary prowess.

Each chef crafts a remarkable three course, pre-fixe meal (usually with options for vegetarian, seafood, and meat eaters), for $29, $39, or $49 per person. Pricing depends on the restaurant, so be sure to view the full list of menus here. Furthermore, some of these prestigious restaurants have gone a step further by providing intriguing wine pairings, at a very special price.

Finally, this event is honored to be supporting the Maui Food Bank, an organization that I have been a proud board member for years. Each participating restaurant has agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds to the Maui Food Bank, as part of the resort’s determination to give back to our fine community. No tickets, passes or coupons needed—simply make your reservations (which we strongly recommend) and enjoy!

Which is Your Preferred Restaurant?

As you can see, there’s a plethora of choices to enjoy. Personally, I’m going to try to visit a different venue each night and get an optimal range of flavors! If you dine at any of the participating restaurants, we’d love to hear about your expreinces it in the comments below. Hope to see you there!

Mahalo,