OFF THE MAP:

Title: Three Days in Upcountry Maui

Words: Andrea Devon Bertoli

Images: Lauren Gerstle

Pull quote: “After a decadent breakfast and some swimming, we headed for a long drive upcountry”

Upcountry Maui Vacation

As a serious food geek, I am always searching out good food, and I am especially interested in locally grown and locally made foods. For three days last month, I left city life on O‘ahu and headed to Upcountry Maui with a lovely friend to see what Maui has to offer for local foods and good eats. 

We were lucky to have a house to stay in, so our first stop was to Mana Foods in Pa‘ia to get some goodies for breakfast.  I was amazed with the selection of local greens and many other veggies, about 30–40 percent of which are locally sourced.  Also impressive is the substantial deli of vegan, vegetarian, and raw meals, plus a great selection of raw and baked desserts.  Omnivores need not despair—they have a broad selection of meats too.  We left with locally grown apple bananas and figs, as well as homemade bread and goat cheese, plus some Maui-made herbal tea.  After a long afternoon at the beach, we headed to dinner at the Flatbread Company, known for its exceptional organic pizza.  We shared the house salad made with local greens and homemade dressing and the ‘co-evolution’ pizza, an organic whole wheat crust topped with Surfing Goat Dairy goat cheese, olives, sweet roasted onions, and peppers.  For dessert, we headed to Ono Gelato, a locally owned gelateria serving amazing gelato and vegan sorbetto, along with other Maui-made goodies.  All its milk is locally sourced, and a sign above the register shows which farms supply the various fruits, including liliko‘i, banana, and mango. 

After a decadent breakfast and some swimming, we headed for a long drive upcountry.  Though I usually avoid aimless driving, we felt pretty good about cruising around in our rented Bio-Beetle, which uses only biodiesel to power us up the mountains.   We were headed to Ali'i Kula Lavender, but we made frequent stops to take photos or pause in the clean mountain air.  We arrived at the lavender farm and wandered though the fields, then headed to the gift shop to see what is offered.  There are plenty of pretty lotions and gels, spices and baking mixes to choose from, all with the ”made in Maui” seal of approval.  There is a small selection of edibles, including yummy teas, lemonades, and scones made with fresh lavender from the fields.   Our next destination was the Market Fresh Bistro in Makawao, a new and quite affordable restaurant based around Maui-grown foods.  I was so excited to eat here that I did not bother to read about their limited hours—they serve lunch all week, but dinner is only Thursday through Saturday evenings.

We headed back for a (great) bottle of wine and a (good) meal in on of Pa‘ia’s most famous restaurants.  The food was fairly good, but I was disappointed that the only Maui product was the mahi-mahi in my friend’s curry—not the greens or avocado or the cheeses.  Our server said it was often difficult to rely on the availability and consistency of local products.  This seemed to be the rule, as other menus we browsed did not reflect a wide selection of foods from Maui’s farms and ranches.

Our third day was spent upcountry again, visiting a friend and then heading to Maui’s winery at Ulupalakua Ranch.  The winery is located in a beautiful, high-elevation area with huge old trees. The nearby vineyards were closed during our visit in preparation for the upcoming harvest, but the tasting room was open, and we were able to sample the delicious wines and take a quick (free!) tour around the grounds and the fermentation room.  The ranch is most famous for its sparkling wines and the almost-too-sweet pineapple wine.  Across the street is the quaint ranch store, stocking lots of Maui beef and locally raised elk.  At the time of our visit, the elk burgers on offer were shipped in from elsewhere because the ranch is trying to breed its herd.

Just a bit farther down the road is the Surfing Goat Dairy, home to an incredible variety of goat cheeses and the cutest little goats ever.  Though we were too late for an official tour, we were allowed to wander around, feed hay to the young goats, and watch the milking process, which was graciously explained by another visitor.  Most importantly, there are free samples of the many cheeses on offer.  Their products are available in many locations in Maui, California, and at Whole Foods Market on O‘ahu.

This journey was only long enough to sample a few of Maui’s local food offerings.  For a longer trip, it would be possible to visit the many food and coffee farms, various shops selling locally made food products, and restaurants that feature local cuisine.  The climatic diversity of each island leads to a great variety of foods, and I encourage you to seek out the quality and bounty each island has to offer.   

For more information:

manafoodsmaui.com

flatbreadcompany.com

onogelatocompany.com

aliikulalavender.com

madeinmaui.com

mauiwine.com

surfinggoatdairy.com

ulupalakuaranch.com/store.htm