Phillips Armstrong, CEO and founder of Destination Hospitality Group, stands behind Aurum Maui General Manager Natasha Ponte and Chef Taylor Ponte. Armstrong is opening Aurum Maui at The Shops at Wailea in a partnership with the Pontes. Photo courtesy Amber Vision Photography

A Colorado-based restaurant group known for fine dining at world-class ski resorts is bringing the “gold standard” to Maui.

Aurum Maui, a new restaurant from the Destination Hospitality Group, is set to open at The Shops at Wailea in June with two Maui natives — Chef Taylor Ponte and General Manager Natasha Ponte — as partners in the new venture.

“Opening Aurum Maui at The Shops at Wailea is a significant milestone for me as a chef,” Taylor said in a statement. “Our menus celebrate local farms and sustainable products, reflecting the community that makes hospitality in Hawaii unique. We pursue excellence in every aspect, from food and service to creating a warm, welcoming experience that embodies the essence of aloha.”

The concept that’s made Aurum Food & Wine successful prioritizes fresh produce, sustainable protein and whole-animal utilization with a community-focused approach. Through partnerships with local farms and fisheries, Aurum Maui plans to embrace that same philosophy while plating flavors unique to the island and supporting Maui’s agricultural heritage.

“There are like 20 different providers that (Taylor) has built this menu around, and so it really gives us an opportunity to showcase his relationships,” said Phillips Armstrong, CEO and founder of Destination Hospitality Group. “It’s Aurum, but it’s like Taylor Ponte’s sort of version of Aurum because his relationships in this market are so deep. … I think it’s a wonderful way to make the Aurum menu part of this community.”

Aurum currently has locations in Steamboat Springs, Aspen and Breckenridge — all well-known resort destinations in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains — and Aurum’s debut on Maui will mark the first and only one of its restaurants outside Colorado.

Phillips Armstrong, CEO and founder of Destination Hospitality Group, as well as Aurum Maui General Manager Natasha Ponte and Chef Taylor Ponte are excited to open a new restaurant at the Shops at Wailea that will feature local produce. Photo courtesy Amber Vision Photography

At first glance, it might seem like a stretch for a small family of restaurants to grow from Colorado’s ski slopes to an island in the middle of the Pacific. However, for Armstrong, the jump makes perfect sense.

Armstrong recalled how, during a vacation to Maui in 2022, he saw similarities between Colorado’s ski resorts and Maui, as both offer a vibrant scene with a wealth of culinary options catering to locals and to guests.

Armstrong said that realization led him to start entertaining the idea of opening a restaurant outside the core of the Colorado mountain towns. From there, he started talking to commercial brokers on Maui as he continued to feel out the idea. Then Armstrong met Taylor and Natasha Ponte, and things really snowballed from there.

“It just sort of all made sense, and then coincidentally, I fell in love with Maui and decided to move here, which was not a planned event at all,” Armstrong said. “But originally, we were interested in trying to prove the concept outside the Colorado resort markets and this felt right.”

The restaurant’s name comes from the periodic table of elements, where gold is represented by the letters AU. While Aurum’s menus all offer the same “gold standard” dishes, Aurum Maui will use Hawaii’s produce to craft dishes that balance tradition, innovation and sustainability while also showcasing a number of local producers.

In addition to supporting local producers, Aurum has thrived while investing in the communities where the company operates. Phillips said that same support will carry over with Maui.

“Maui is no different,” he said. “I’ve literally moved my family here full time, and we’ve really invested in Taylor and Natasha being sort of the lead face of this business. … Where we differ from maybe a typical mainland company coming into Maui is that we’re all-in on the community.”

Armstrong said he, Taylor and Natasha all want to invest in local causes on Maui too.

“We’re not like that mainland group that comes and puts an outpost on Maui and checks in from a corporate level every once in a while. We live here. We’ve built our entire management team from local people. I think that’s an important part of our story,” Armstrong said.

Aurum Maui is now hiring hospitality professionals to join its team. For more, go to AurumMaui.com.​​