Never one to say no to tasty food, I tried nearly everything on the menu, and unshockingly, it was all delicious. Other notable menu items included Kaffir Lime Crusted Ahi, Hawaiian Snapper Ceviche, Crispy Pork Belly with Kimchi Fried Rice, Coconut Porter Short Rib Sandwiches, Tomahawk Ribeye, and Grilled Flatbreads. Grand Wailea’s newest foodie extraordinaire, Chef Ryan Urig, was tasked with creating a menu specifically for the event, largely inspired by Hawaii’s seasonal seafood offerings, including Hawaiian tako (octopus), Hamachi tartare, oysters, and a poke bar.
Live music from local musician, Ah-Tim, was a nice addition to the evening festivities, as was the outdoor photo booth (with optional Hawaii-inspired props). The set-up was very Maui’esque, with tiki torches, bright string lights, a thatch-roof tiki bar, retro Hawaiian posters, surfboards, festive table decor, and plenty of aloha-clad attendees, and the view of Wailea Beach and swaying palm trees wasn’t too shabby either. While standing in line to enter the event, we spotted actors Colin Farrell, Adam Driver, Scott Eastwood and Teresa Palmer, all in attendance to receive awards during this year’s festival. I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to the brand new Maui Film Festival opening celebration, the Taste of Summer, held on the Molokini Gardens lawn at the Grand Wailea. Outdoor movies under the stars, a variety of fascinating films, extravagant events with gourmet food, and plenty of celeb-spotting (if you’re into that). The Maui Film Festival is like pie – it’s all pretty damn good. I’ve accomplished this by developing amazing business relationships with local organic farmers and unique product vendors from various islands so that I can buy directly from them, thereby supporting local businesses and avoiding costly store mark ups.I Think This is the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship…
BARTENDER CLASS ON MAUI PROFESSIONAL
My passion for entertaining and making delicious drinks actually made me a bit of a local celebrity on Maui, and after repeated requests to cater numerous weddings and private events I started realizing that this is the business avenue I was meant to follow… and Aloha Bars Maui was born! Since then I have been focused on filling a very important niche within the Maui wedding & event industry… clients who want a high quality, professional mobile bar service that gives their guests a real “taste of Maui”, while staying within your budget. These experiences have broadened my knowledge of pairing fine wines with gourmet cheese and Pacific-rim cuisine as well as allowing me to think outside the box in creating cutting edge, island-inspired cocktails. I have also had the yummy pleasure to work at the only gourmet cheese & wine boutique on the island… Guava, Gouda & Caviar(formerly Who Cut the Cheese?) for several years. Fortunately, my extensive background as a bartender and corporate hospitality trainer for a large restaurant chain in Florida helped me to attain bartending positions at several premier restaurants on Maui including Wolfgang Puck’s Spago at the Four Seasons Resort, Chef Yamaguchi’s Roy’s (formerly in Kihei) and Capische?, located at Hotel Wailea. I loved it so much that I decided not to catch my return flight and stay indefinitely.
I immediately fell in love with the spectacular beauty and the Aloha Spirit that embraces the island. In 2004 I was given a surprise vacation to Maui for my birthday (Thanks Mom!). It is used to say hello, good-bye and best of all… Love. ALOHA – Aloha embodies a deep spiritual and social ideology at the heart of Hawaiian culture.
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