Mochi Ice Cream - Everyone Loves It

No matter how you celebrate, the holidays are all about hopes, dreams and good food! Here on Maui, food and unique local dishes create cravings which become particularly intense during the holiday season. Especially among those who won’t be “home for the holidays.”

To illustrate, we polled three former Maui residents and a slew of local foodies to discovery what’s on everyone’s Top Ten Maui Food List this year. The most common Maui food yearnings cited by those who have left the island recently is Spam Musubi, followed by Chow Funn, Crab Cakes from Mama’s and Poke from Foodland. Although most expressed fairly simple tastes, one recent graduate from the Maui Culinary Academy lamented the absence of Lobster Salad from the Fish Store in Honokawai, seeing as she’s in Texas now. Another almost cried thinking about the Black Pearl dessert from Mama’s and Hula Pie from Kimo’s. The item mentioned by the most people was Triple Berry Pie from Lahaina Grill!

Products from the Ali`i Lavender Farm were also frequently mentioned, including the Lavender Lemonade or Salad Dressings. It seems those deceptively gentle items pack a punch that can’t be forgotten! Fried Rice from Gazebo made many Top Ten lists, as did Kalua Pork, (from anywhere), Bale’s Pho, and Malasadas from Komodo’s.

We’d like our readers to chime in on your Favorite Maui Foods. Which items are sure to be on your party and holiday tables? Here’s a list we put together to get you started:

Mochi Ice Cream
Guri Guri
Malasadas
Ahi Poke (love the recipe from DK’s cookbook!)
Maui Gold Pineapple (eat one this New Year’s Eve to bid farewell to MLP’s future production)
Hawaiian White Honey (overheard folks in the Bristol Farms, LA, praising this coveted product)
Chocolate Covered Mac Nuts
Shave Ice
Taro Chips
Sushi and Hawaiian Ceviche

There is are so many more … what are your favorites?