CLICK CLUCK . . . Click cluck, click cluck. The clock is ticking down to the opening of Just Wing It, an original chicken wing restaurant targeted for the food court of Piilani Village in Kihei.
"We've got all of our permits in place, and we're really hoping to open our doors Super Bowl Sunday as the biggest volume of chicken wings is sold in the U.S. on that day," says partner Michael Capuano, who also owns Maui Wow-Wee Candy Bar Co. in Kahului.
Just Wing It will offer baked or fried chicken wings and tenders, battered shrimp, wraps, salads and fun sides such as fried pickles, rainbow French fries and kiawe-honey-baked barbecue beans.
Article Photos
Partners David Gamberdell (left), and Michael Capuano hope to kick off their Just Wing It eatery at Piilani Village Super Bowl Sunday.
The Maui News / CARLA TRACY photo
Wing lovers will find 13 sauces such as tequila-mango habanero, garlic parmigiano, lemon pepper and huli-huli teriyaki. You may order wing amounts from five to 30 pieces or ohana platters with up to 100.
Partner David Gamberdell ran 32 Wall Street Delis in the Big Apple and also owns the Fiesta Time Mexican eatery in Wailuku.
"We'll have 'chicken fights' Fridays with guys dressed as chickens," says Capuano. "I'm working with a taekwondo master now to get my moves down."
BITS AND PIECES . . . At the Kaunoa Senior Center in Spreckelsville, RSVPs are now being accepted for the Walk, Talk and Grind series.
On Feb. 15, Anne Lapp, fitness coach at the Maui Family YMCA, will lead a walk, followed by a presentation by Dr. S. Dwight Lyons about the role of proper nutrition and physical activity in preventing and surviving chronic diseases.
"The seats are going fast," says Sandra McGuinness, the coordinator for N-PAC, the Nutrition and Physical Activity coalition for Maui County. "Dr. Lyons will talk about heart disease and major cancers. A healthy Mediterranean-style dinner will be served."
"On March 8, Kumu Kapono'ai Molitau will present a talk about establishing a cultural relationship with the foods we eat as well as the awareness of Hawaiian traditions and protocols in the preparation and acknowledgement of these foods," according to McGuinness. "A walk will precede Kumu Kapono'ai's presentation and a healthy dinner will be served."
It's Super Bowl XLVI this weekend, and nothing screams "gridiron" more than chips, dips and cold and frothy mugs of beer. Where to go for the best crunch material on island? Fresh Tortillas of Maui at Dolphin Plaza in Kihei is where to get all kinds of chips as well as tortillas.
"We've got white corn, blue organic corn tortillas and chips with specialty flavors such as jalapeno and chipotle," says owner Barry Allison.
"We're mainly wholesale, selling to restaurants and stores islandwide, but our factory is running Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and it's a safe bet we'll be there and you can pick up chips retail."
No GMO is used in the products. Allison also runs the hugely popular Kihei Caffe on South Kihei Road across from Kalama Park. Voted "Best Breakfast on Maui" in the most recent contest of The Maui News, it dishes up pork fried rice, house-made corned beef hash, and Portuguese sweet bread French toast with macadamia nuts and bananas with maple syrup.
Speaking of GMOs, I couldn't help but notice dozens of Mauians protesting in front of Monsanto's research facility on Piilani Highway on Friday. GMO stands for "genetically modified organisms," and the protestors peacefully held signs against open-air testing.
The Run and Walk for the Whales will be Saturday with the start and finish at Makena Beach and Golf Resort. All runners will get a free T-shirt and post-race breakfast with fruit, pastries and coffee.
Of course, the race will be presented by none other than the Pacific Whale Foundation, and we hear its new Porto pizza restaurant at the Maalaea Harbor Shops also serves breakfast daily starting at 6 a.m.
You may wake up to mini vegetable frittatas made with roasted red peppers, garlic, spinach and feta cheese; smoked pancetta frittatas with cheddar cheese, local mushrooms and onions; and a 7-inch breakfast pizza with two eggs and a choice of vegetables on an Alfredo sauce or kalua pork on a pomodoro sauce.
Got restaurant / dining event scoop? Call Dining Editor Carla Tracy at 242-6342; or email carlatracy@mauinews.com.
