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Finding comfort at Maui’s Kula Lodge this season

4 min read

Naomi Cooper, deputy director for Maui Hotel & Lodging Association, said it's places like the upcountry Kula Lodge that make Maui feel like home.

Cooper, who recently joined forces with the lodge for a quarterly mixer celebrating Maui's Habitat for Humanity, said she remembers when the lodge was a central hub for residents during the wildfires.

"People were able to find a lot of refuge and support at the Kula Lodge during that time," she said.

Now she's hoping the lodge can continue to be a place of comfort. The association chose it as the location to host their quarterly mixer to help showcase the revamping of the lodge's menu and wine list.

"Because of the fact that we were still coming out of COVID and the fires happened as well, between those two things, we wanted to give them the opportunity to show their updates," she said.

The historic Kula Lodge is under new ownership and management by the Vojdani family. The family, who previously owned the 5 Palms Restaurant in South Maui, restructured and reopened at the Kula Lodge in 2022.

During the recent collaboration, Cooper said guests and attendees were provided with special food items, music and a tour of the facility.

"We had a lot of good feedback," she said. "The response from our members was very high. They had such a positive experience at the event and we were able to have a little introduction given to everyone there."

Following the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association event, the Kula Lodge hosted another special dinner featuring wine from the Far Niente Wine Estates.

John Rice, the Western Regional Sales Manager for the company, accompanied by his wife Cassidy, participated in the special dinner featuring their Napa Valley-based wines. The Kula Lodge's Chef Raul Bermudez and Executive Sous Chef Junior Ulep designed a five-course meal to go with the Far Niente portfolio of wines presented by Rice.

On the menu included seared diver scallops with braised garden fennel and royal ossetra caviar to go with a Post & Beam Chardonnay Carneros 2022. Next, they served star anise spiced duck breast with charred persimmon tamarind gastrique that went with an En Route Pinot Noir "Les Pommiers" Russian River Valley 2022 wine.

Guests were also served a delicious passion fruit sample that likened itself to shaved ice with a thai basil granita. Toward the end of the dinner, attendees were speechless while tasting the A5 Wagyu ribeye with golden pave, toasted with onion mornay and shaved truffles. The meal was paired with a Bella Union Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022 wine.

The final dish of the evening was a blood orange souffle, with grand marnier creme anglaise, accompanied by a Dolce Late Harvest Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley 2018.

Rice, who donated a round of wines during the dinner, said he is grateful to be able to work with local restaurants such as the Kula Lodge during this time.

"There's always been great synergy in the islands with the Far Niente Wine Estates," he said. "We believe great wines have a connection to great places."

"I firmly believe in those special moments made on vacation, in Hawai'i, in a magical setting with the one you love is really when connections are made to brands and to moments."

He also said working in a collaborative way with Hawai'i vendors helps to support the local economy.

"I think anything we can do to lean forward to create additional value-add for our partners is something that's important," he said.

Kula Lodge Executive Sous Chef Ulep said he hopes more people continue to find comfort at the Kula Lodge this holiday season and into the New Year.

"Everyone, come experience the Kula Lodge & Restaurant," he said. "We will continue to use local sustainable products in our special menu events to come including more wine dinners."

For more information, visit kulalodge.com.

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