Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/226563
a the size of what you'd find in Loblaws and exotica like dragon fruit emitting a fragrance so pungent, you'd swear you were wearing a lei. After picking up a bag of Maui-made spirulina popcorn and a Kalua pulled-pork sandwich, we're off to Hana. As we corkscrew along the aptly named Highway 360, I realize my snack run wasn't at all necessary. "Honor stands" pop out behind every second hairpin turn with a failsafe ratio of $3 to $5 for 10 pieces of gargantuan produce ranging from avocados to mangos. The deeper we push, the more frequent and rustic the stands. And the bigger the fruit and vegetables. We arrive at the iconic hotel Travaasa Hana just as a sunset lights up the three churches in town in roses and crimsons reminiscent of Mana Foods' dragon fruit stacks. We beeline for the Ka'uiki Dining Room, the It's our sixyear-old's dessert that coaxes the iPhone out for an Instagram. The Black Pearl turns out to be as delicious as it is striking: a lilikoi-chocolate mousse in a seashellshaped pastry tion, flies under the radar despite boasting some serious cultural heft. The market has been featured on numerous cooking shows, and chefs like Puck and Bourdain have had their minds blown by the 70-acre, off-the-grid rainwater-irrigated promised land. The Boerner family has farmed here for more than 35 years. Daughter Lilia and a pal inspired the movie Blue Crush. For our part, we gather the biggest fruit we can find and head back along the Hana Highway toward our last few nights in Ka'anapali, on Maui's west coast. For the entire drive back, I'm overwhelmed with the desire to cook for my family with the bounty that's surrounded us over the past week. Upon arrival at the luxe Honua Kai, one of Ka'anapali's newest resorts, I can't believe my luck: the second annual Ka'anapali Fresh, a celebration of local food and culinary innovation, is town's best – and among its priciest – restaurants. But here, at the already rolling. I pick up Maui onions and Maui Gold pineapples at the end of the road, it's worth splurging on the Hana-inspired variety of sprawling Grown on Maui Farmers' Market, and hunt desperately for a local pork, lamb, fish and daring veggie options, all complemented with fish market for my own attempt at Mama's religious opakapaka. With ancient staples like breadfruit, pohole (crunchy local fern shoots) and the market wrapping up, I resort to a Safeway. I opt for several fillets of sweet potato. Chef Barry Villiarimo was born and raised on the island, opah instead, but am shocked by the local selection – not exactly Mana and it shows in every entree. Foods, but piles of local produce. I recall Mama's Chef Perry noting that After a day of choose your own adventure on the hotel property – Safeway on the Big Island recently put a call out for local producers. divided into a general area with pool and free sports gear ranging from As I await the fish grilling on one of the Honua Kai's communal bar- boogie boards to bikes and an adults-only retreat that looks ready for becues, the sweet scent of caramelizing Maui pineapple rising over the an episode of The Bachelorette – we push farther past Hana until we hotel's restored dune system, I'm hit by Maui's profound sense of stew- risk voiding our rental car agreement. We stop just short, at the most ardship. The love of a place, after all, is the devotion to remain there no remote (legal) farm on Maui. ONO Organic Farms, located a couple of matter what. And devotion of any kind usually starts with the ability to miles past the Seven Sacred Pools, Hana's most popular tourist attrac- break bread. Or breadfruit. ■ TIC ROMAN TRAAVASA HANA THE INN AT MAMA'S FISH HOUSE ANDAZ MAUI AT WAILEA This is the hotel in Maui's remote eastern jewel. The adults-only area is pure, infinity-pool bliss, while the family-friendly wing has tons of free activities. This property is Old Hawaii from check-in to check-out. traavasa.com/hana The freshly expanded inn complements a meal at the famous restaurant better than any aperitif. Traditional Hawaiian décor, combined with fresh flowers are rivalled only by the sunsets from your hammock. mamasfishhouse.com Maui's newest hotel (and the latest venture from hotelier-of-the-decade André Balazs) is 15 acres of subdued luxury on the Wailea sand and the boutique chain's signature personalized service. maui.andaz.hyatt.com bcliving.ca p40-47_Travel-Maui.indd 47 NOVEMBER 201 3 | 47 2013-10-28 9:28 AM