MAKING HISTORY: CHEFS IN PARADISE RETURN TO HAWAII’S CULINARY ROOTS BY TIM JOHNSON

IT’S ALL VERY GREEN, AND BLUE, AND BROWN, AND RED, RICH SOIL ALL SORTS OF GOOD THINGS, AND THEN THE VIEWS FROM THESE FERTILE EIGHT-AND-A-HALF ACRES SWEEPING PAST THE WEST MAUI MOUNTAINS TO THE ENDLESS BLUE OF THE PACIFIC BEYOND. LOOKING OUT, YOU CAN ALMOST IMAGINE THE , SAILS FULL, SKIMMING HERE ON THE TRADE WINDS, BRINGING AND CULINARY TRADITIONS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND TRADERS, WORKERS AND EXPLORERS MEETING WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALWAYS FISHED, FARMED, AND SURFED. HERE ON THE ISLANDS OF HAWAII, ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS HAVE CREATED A MELTING POT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN MORE DELICIOUS THAN RIGHT NOW.

MAUI COAST WINTERFALL 2018 2020 | TRAVELERSTABLE.COM | TRAVELER’S TABLE | 21 MARK ELLMAN

KO TABLE CHEF PANG’S POKE FROM MAKANA MARKET

Here in Maui, O’o Farm rests decades, an increasing number “ was their lifeline to their on the flanks of Haleakala, a of started to prioritize culture. Here, we share family 10,000-foot volcano, surrounded the ingredients and dishes that , passed down through the by other farms, ranches and even make Hawaii so unique — volcanic, generations.” It was no different a winery. It’s a part of the island super-fertile crossroads of the for Pang himself, who grew up that feels about halfway to the Pacific with a strong Indigenous in the Chinese of his sky, sometimes bathed in clouds. culture. grandmother and father, which, Supplying two upscale he says, built his in Born and raised on Oahu, closer to the beach, the small food and culture. executive chef Tylun Pang, who spread at O’o grows dozens of began his professional career in These recipes, combined with different fruits and vegetables, in 1974, was part of the those sourced from international from leafy greens like sorrel and change. Ko, one of the restaurants cooks in his kitchen, now make up shungiku to broccolini and chayote he oversees at the Fairmont Kea the at Ko. His favorite? Lau squash, and cauliflower, Lani, means “sugarcane,” and lau, a traditional Hawaiian plus herbs and even edible flowers. brings together hardworking dating back centuries, made from It’s part of a larger movement to legacies from Hawaii, the and salted fish, wrapped in return Hawaiian to its roots. Philippines, China, Korea, Portugal taro and ti leaves and steamed It has been decades in the making. and . “In the plantation days, for hours. At his , they Long-time local chefs remember immigrants moved to the islands give it an updated twist, adding when restaurants on these islands and left their homelands behind,” fresh seafood and greens sourced focused on classic crowd-pleasers he says. “What they carried with nearby, not far from O’o Farms. tailored to the vacation crowd them was their cultural traditions, Hop across the Hawaiian islands, without regard for heritage, a few cooking , and recipes and you’ll see the long legacy of or freshness (sometimes even from their families.” harvesting. On a remote stretch serving fish frozen and brought Set under palm trees, bathed of coastline on the North Shore of by slow boat). And then, about 30 by sea breezes, Ko’s menu is a Oahu, stop at the He’eia Fishpond, years ago, and over the following melange of those influences. dating back 600 to 800 years,

22 | TRAVELER’S TABLE | WINTER 2020 88 acres of brackish enclosed by a long basaltic curving from the shore through the ocean, where generations feasted on a steady supply of fish, crab, shrimp and eels. On the quiet island of Molokai and the garden island of Kauai, tour taro fields, a root vegetable and staple of early Hawaiians, a crop that once covered 35,000 acres of these islands, brought here on by the original Polynesians, who navigated here by the stars. And on the Island of Hawaii (the Big Island), pass by connected to a herd that once belonged to King Kamehameha I, back in 1793. Chef Mark Ellman was one of the pioneers in the movement restoring heritage dishes and local ingredients in the ’90s. He notes that vital connection between the natural environment – land and sea – and what you eat on your plate. His favorite dishes include the taro-derived poi, and poke, diced fresh fish, a Hawaiian . He owns two restaurants on Maui (Honu, named after the TUNA ON A HEATED ROCK Hawaiian name for a green sea turtle, and Frida’s) and sources his seafood from three local fishermen (as as the fish market on Oahu). Both restaurants sit right on the water. “When you’re sitting on Honu’s and looking out at the sea turtles, it just tastes better.” Back at O’o Farms, Decio Dacosta says he spends plenty of time in the fields. The executive chef at Pacific’o, a seaside spot in the picturesque town of Lahaina (and one of the two restaurants the farm supplies), he talks about the connection between the two as symbiotic. “It is a fluid line – everything grown on the farm gets used as the restaurant,” he says, working with the on-site farm chef and other staff on what crops to grow, and how to best utilize them. The farm’s coffee cherries are used as a rub on the Pacific’O shoyu chicken, finished with honey from O’o. Their steamed fish is local, and served with sweet potatoes from Molokai, just across the way. It’s all fresh, and diverse, and delicious. “Here on Maui, we have so many micro-climates,” Dacosta points out. “I am truly blessed and inspired by the culinary crossroads we have here.” A melting pot that you can eat.

WINTER 2020 | TRAVELER’S TABLE | 23 RAW OYSTERS AT HONU