fall in love at the plantation house this month…

The Plantation House Restaurant is going through an amazing transformation with new owners, a new chef (Maui favorite Jojo Vasquez!) and a brand new menu.

Make plans to head to Kapalua as they put love back in the “House” over Valentine’s weekend Feb 14 -16, 2013.

There will be live entertainment nightly and Valentine décor to celebrate this season of Love.

The Valentine’s Weekend Menu by Hawaii 2012 Rising Star Chef award winner Jojo Vasquez includes such offerings as the Seafood Seduction Starter platter for Two featuring Ahi Sashimi, Poached Shrimp and Pacific Oysters. Entrée choices will include Beef tenderloin and Lobster tail combination or a “Fruits of the Sea” selection featuring Local Hawaiian Fish, Manila Clams and Shrimp.

Make this year’s Valentine weekend as outstanding as the views and reserve your table at the Plantation House. Please call 669-6299 for reservations.

february • 2013 keiki cover model

We want to send our aloha to Pi‘ilaniwahine, our keiki cover model for the month of February.

Mom is Jamie Lum Lung-Ka‘eo, who is currently the hotel manager at Hale Napili, and dad is Myles K. Ka‘eo, a drummer at Old Lahaina Luau and a Maui County Public Works employee.

Pi‘ilaniwahine is eight years old, and is in third grade at King Kamehameha III in Lahaina. She enjoys reading and math at school. She loves dancing hula, and has been with Kumu Hula Uluwehi Guerrero at Halau Hula Kauluokala since the age of six. Other favorite things are playing tennis with Coach Troy and Coach Bush in Lahaina and attending her church in Kahana.

Mom shares, “The day our Pi‘ilaniwahine was born was a proud and joyful moment for my husband and me, an unforgettable memory. The expressions and dimples she shares with us make our hearts melt every day.”

humuhumunukunukuapua‘a: the quintessential tropical dining experience

Humuhumunukunukuapua‘a at the Grand Wailea Resort has all the things Maui dreams are made of. Who wouldn’t go gaga over dining under a gigantic thatched-roof palapa sitting on stilts over a million-gallon saltwater lagoon that’s teeming with colorful tropical fish? And with Chef Mike Lofaro returning to his roots (he began his professional career at this very restaurant) with a fresh, new menu, there’s plenty to celebrate at this exceptionally elegant eating establishment.

Arriving at Humu, Janet and I are immediately taken by the decor: it’s wood, wood, and more wood—the entire restaurant, with the exception of the bar (it’s koa), is built with ‘ohi‘a from the Big Island. The intricately woven wood railings framing the restaurant have a sensuous quality that’s nicely counterbalanced by substantial wood chairs with bright blue cushions. As sunset settles in, the restaurant’s backdrop is like an impressionist painting with palm trees and tiki torches silhouetted against a pink and gray sky. It’s no wonder Humu was named “Best Ambiance” three years in a row by readers of the Maui News.

chef paris nabavi: a passion for philanthropy grows from a backyard garden

Chef Paris Nabavi, who owns and operates Cilantro Mexican Grill in Lahaina and Pizza Paradiso Mediterranean Grill in Honokowai, decided to build an edible organic garden in his backyard when his daughter, Layla, was nine years old. “I wanted to teach Layla how to cook,” he recalls. “Not to be a chef, necessarily, but fundamentals like the importance of using the freshest of ingredients. Layla’s friends started visiting the garden, and they thought it was really great. So we dedicated the garden to Layla, calling it ‘Layla’s Edible Garden.’” Last year, Layla’s Edible Garden produced some 375 pounds of tomatoes, as well as 90 pounds of mint, parsley, and habaneros, which were utilized in the two restaurants.

When Chef Paris saw how much fun Layla and her friends were having in the garden, he experienced the proverbial light bulb moment: “I decided I wanted to help all of our children here on Maui understand where food comes from, what makes food nutritious, and how to grow and prepare it correctly,” he says. “It’s important for kids to see what food actually looks like before it’s cooked or processed.”