I’ve been away for a few weeks – so kind of so many of you to notice. Sorry to have missed a few wonderful Maui events  – the Brewers Fest, the Diva Event at David Paul’s, Pineapple Grill’s 5th birthday party — all great fun, I heard.

As for me, I was off participating in a 12 day Wine and Food Cruise in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The food was fantastic (and plentiful!) and we quaffed and scoffed inordinate amounts of lavish goodies and libations.  Thank goodness the indulgences were tempered by at least 18 miles of walking and uphill climbing daily, endured at idyllic ports like Oporto, Libon, Nice, Monaco, Eze and Cap Ferrat. As wonderful as travel is, there is inherent stress involved such as glancing down from 38,000 feet to find ourselves face to face with the calamitous volcano erupting on Iceland. (Seeing the ominous plume, the cabin steward poured us another Brunello and drew the shades.)

We dodge the ash but saw the culprit up close

Intermixed with the joviality of our travels was plenty of chatter taking place at coffee shops and bus stops concerning such trivial matters as Greek’s financial meltdown; Britain’s new Prime Minister and will he get on with the old Parliament (and whether his wife will become a fashion plate like Ms. Obama); talk of Spain and Portugal going to hell in a leather handbag (you’d never know it while shopping in Barcelona- gals lined up in Zara and H&M as if they were giving things away, which they practically are these days…) and such newsworthy topics which could cause enough concern to promote weight loss in spite of dietary extravagance. Thankfully, regardless of ponderous headlines the chatter more frequently focused on the sheer wonderment of la belle vie always en force at European food markets, sidewalk cafes, pizzerias and Tapas bars. Oh, glory!

Market in Barcelona

Ah, yes, the heady experience of dining in Europe – pastries that make one swoon, cheeses that taste like nowhere else , peaches with juices so abundant they drip down off your elbows, veal as sweet as the milk on which its suckled, and cured aromatic meats pungent with the complex scent and flavors the result of  having been fed as luxuriously as their masters; all of which make the exhausting trek halfway around the world worth it.

Cooking Demo by Food Network Star

If port stop pleasures weren’t enough, we participated in a Wine and Food festival onboard whereby Nobu managed master sushi carvers at sea and world-class celebrity chefs presented demos and tastings to wile away time between ports. After being exposed to the international best of the best for three weeks, might a return to Maui’s food scene result in disappointment?

Ah, ha ha ha ha.

Proof of Maui’s rank as a premiere food destination is evident in the number of world-class food and art events scheduled this summer as we sweep off the welcome mat for visitors from the mainland, Europe, Australia, Asia and South America.

Sunset at Kapalua

From the esteemed Kapalua Wine and Food Festival to the Wailea Film Festival’s new Sensuous Celestial Cinema and Taste of  Wailea, stars and globetrotters will parade among us with as they did just weeks ago before my astonished eyes in Monte Carlo, where, whilst stuffing my face with the world’s best steak tartare at the posh Café de Paris adjacent the Grand Casino in Monaco, surreptitiously snapping photos of my food, Maseratis transporting glitterati raced past. “There goes Kate Moss!” someone whispered. “Yeah, yeah, but take a look at this Salad Nicoise!” I replied, proving my priorities always remain firmly in order.

Point is, even if you couldn’t make it to the Grand Prix and Cannes Film Festival this spring, don’t fret! Ready yourself for some really big shows right here on Maui this summer where the literal and figurative stars will shine like nowhere else in the world and the dining scene is as fresh and vibrant as they come.

Dine well; be hearty!