You probably came to Maui for the surf, the sand, the volcanoes, and the gently swaying palm trees, but you have to eat too! Going on vacation is your chance to indulge in tasty meals that you didn’t heat in the microwave after a long day of work. Even if you don’t consider yourself a foodie, you’ll almost certainly notice that the fare in Maui is special.
Do the tomatoes and carrots and kale in your salad taste more flavorful than you remember? Is the meat tender and juicy? Do you feel like you’re tasting real pineapple for the first time? You aren’t imagining things. The food in Maui really is different! That’s because many of our restaurants and food stands serve farm-to-table meals by necessity.
Our Farm-to-Table Culture
Maui lies over 2,000 miles from the US mainland. That’s a long way for supplies to travel, especially fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats. As a result, here in Maui we’ve maintained a stubborn streak of self-sufficiency. Though our island is small, we are home to a handful of organic farms that grow food for many of our island’s favorite restaurants. One of the largest, Hana Ranch, grows delicious organic fruits and veggies on 3,600 acres of land and also raises 1,500 grass-fed cattle. Many of its produce and meat goes to restaurants in Maui, like Hana Ranch Provisions in Paia.
You’re a Foodie, but You Just Don’t Know It Yet
Tasting organic, farm-fresh food can be a life-changing experience. If you’ve subsisted on produce and meat that was grown on massive corporate farms with the use of pesticides and antibiotics, then you’ve never actually tasted real food the way it was meant to be. Do yourself a favor and hit the produce stall at one of Maui’s organic farms to try foods bursting with flavor, or head to a local restaurant that uses farm-to-table ingredients.
Some of the Maui organic farms we recommend are:
If you’re a foodie through and through, then Maui is already culinary heaven for you. Jump on Yelp to start planning your food vacation across our island. If you are staying at one of our beautiful vacation condos, we would be glad to give you recommendations of our favorite farm-to-table restaurants near your condo.
