Side Orders • April 27, 2017
Choice Health Bar in Lahaina won “Best Healthy Fare” on Sunday at the ‘Aipono Restaurant Awards. The owner is Emily Kunz (from left) with Astro Girl Amy Erickson, Kellie O’Rourke and May Lee. A satellite kiosk will be opening in Kaanapali. CARLA TRACY photo
Poi By the Pound’s Lee Toney (left) and Alika Cemford will participate in East Maui Taro Festival Saturday. CARLA TRACY photo
Choice Health Bar in Lahaina won “Best Healthy Fare” on Sunday at the ‘Aipono Restaurant Awards. The owner is Emily Kunz (from left) with Astro Girl Amy Erickson, Kellie O’Rourke and May Lee. A satellite kiosk will be opening in Kaanapali. CARLA TRACY photo
Poi By the Pound’s Lee Toney (left) and Alika Cemford will participate in East Maui Taro Festival Saturday. CARLA TRACY photo
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JIN-GO-LO-BA! . . . Maui is at full tilt boogie these days with Carlos Santana and band returning to Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Tuesday among many other fun isle happenings.
The MACC's food and beverage Events Lawn opens at 4 p.m., so get into the conga line for Niihau lamb chili and beet and goat cheese salad by Fork & Salad; chant "Oye Coma Va" as you groove to Teddy's Bigger Burgers; sing "Evil Ways" and atone at Star Anise Catering with its vegan coconut curry plate or at Maui Ohana Catering with vegetable fried rice and more. See Maui Beat on Page 3 for concert times and ticket details.
Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine presented its annual 'Aipono benefit for the University of Hawaii Maui College accredited Culinary Arts Program on Sunday. I surmised in last week's column that it would be a sea of Spock ears with the space theme and I was right on the money. One Spock ear wearer was Jennifer Nguyen of A Saigon Cafe (see Page 2), whose establishment won Best Southeast Asian Cuisine.
David Bowie's "Space Oddity" was one of the highlights as people waved glowing chopsticks to laser lights.
The Icon Award went to Robert Aguiar, Michael Moore and Tim Moore, owners of Na Hoaloha 'Ekolu, the umbrella group of Old Lahaina Lu'au, Star Noodle, Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop and Aloha Mixed Plate restaurants. These guys do so much for the community and it was great to see them honored.
Best Healthy Fare went to Choice Health Bar of Lahaina, which will open a satellite kiosk in July at Whalers Village with acai bowls and smoothies.
Jojo Vasquez of the Plantation House won Best Chef. Geez, I just wrote a feature story on him last week and he was so down to earth and humble.
Of course, The Maui News has its own annual restaurant awards, the Best of Maui. Our current Best Chef on Maui is Matteo Mistura of Matteo's Osteria in Wailea. Look for new Best of Maui ballots to break in our paper in early May.
The East Maui Taro Festival will be pounding all day on Saturday and you may get fresh poi by Poi By the Pound, the Hawaiian restaurant that just moved to the old Denny's in Kahului.
"The Booze Traveler" will air on the Travel Channel on Monday featuring Down the Hatch at the Wharf Cinema Center in Lahaina and its sister restaurant Breakwall Shave Ice Co., the Steel Horse Saloon in Wailuku and more, says DTH owner Javier Barberi.
Executive Chef Tom Muromoto, who leads the kitchen team at Ka'anapali Beach Hotel, is back from a promo trip to Denver sponsored by Maui Visitors Bureau with chef pals Gevin Utrillo of Japengo and Mike Lofaro of Humuhumu. The Maui Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival will be plucking at KBH Friday to Sunday, showing we are in the thick of it all. Just join a conga line and have some fun.
* Got restaurant / dining-event scoop?
Call Dining Editor Carla Tracy at 242-6342; or email carlatracy@mauinews.com.