For the second year in a row, Hua Momona Foundation will host the Maui Music & Food Experience, a benefit featuring a mix of local and Mainland musicians and chefs.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Lahaina wildfire survivors. Last year, Maui Music & Food Experience raised $250,000 for Hua Momona Foundation’s Lahaina fire relief and recovery efforts, part of which has supported thousands of hot meals for the local community.
Much of the West Maui community was destroyed in a wildfire on Aug. 8, 2023, that killed more than 100 people and displaced thousands of local families. Tourism has been slow to return, Hua Momona Foundation Founder and President Gary Grube told Aloha State Daily. “It’s going to take some time.”
"Last year’s festival was deeply personal for me, not just as a chef, but as a member of the Lahaina community still healing,” said Zach Laidlaw, executive chef for Maui Music and Food Experience, in an announcement Wednesday. “I’m honored to return and lead the culinary team again—this time with an even bigger mission. Cooking for a cause this meaningful, surrounded by music, ʻohana, and resilience, is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of feeling."
This year’s three-city tour will begin on Aug. 15 and 16 at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, travel to San Antonio on Sept. 20 and Chicago on Nov. 7, according to organizers. Headliners for Maui will include Paula Fuga, Tavana, Ledward Kaapana, Dumpstaphunk, Ernie Isley and Bernard Fowler of the Rolling Stones, among others. Musicians for the Mainland shows have not yet been announced.
“I feel like it’s part of my destiny to help export the best of the aloha spirit, and of the people, the culture, the music and the food outside the state of Hawaiʻi because not everyone can afford the plane ride,” Grube said. “... I’m not doing it for financial benefit. I personally don’t get a dime for the time I put into this.”
Grube, who works in the tech industry and splits his time between Chicago and Lahaina, added, “New this year, we’re bringing that excitement to Chicago and San Antonio. The important thing besides the people who come to enjoy the event is the talent involved, including local chefs, who will get exposure outside of the state.”
Hua Momona Foundation is the nonprofit arm of Hua Momona Farms, which sits on 25 acres in Kapalua in West Maui, growing and selling organic produce, microgreens and more. The Grube family founded the farm in 2019, and in 2021, created the foundation to donate food to residents in need.
Grube told ASD that immediately after the 2023 Lahaina fire, the farm ramped up to provide about 6,000 hot meals per month. The organization continues to serve hot meals, he said, but now closer to 1,000 meals each month. To date, Hua Momona Foundation has served over 80,000 hot meals to those impacted by the fire.
“It just fuels the soul,” Grube said. “We hear those comments all the time. It’s very rewarding and I think we’re the only ones still doing [providing hot meals].”
In addition to combatting food insecurity in Lahaina, Grube said the foundation is also focused on cultivating youth programs around agriculture and music.
“We really want to scale the Maui youth music programs, raising more money to impact more children and teenagers,” he said. “Stats on mental health show there’s a much higher rate of depression, especially with kids. And what we’re doing is giving kids the opportunity to learn music. If they don’t have a ukulele, we will get them one to borrow and practice with.”
Maui born and raised Chef Naiwi Teruya is the instructor for Hua Momona’s Youth Ukulele Ensemble, which Grube said will make its first on-stage debut at this year’s Maui Music & Food Experience.
Looking ahead, Hua Momona Foundation plans to fundraise to build a 3,000-square-foot pavilion on the farm’s property, he noted, which will function as an event and community center “for healing.”
The building permits took 33 months to get approved, he said, so next steps are finding for sponsors to help bring the vision to life. “I’m grateful they got it done and now we just need to raise the rest of the money to build a permanent facility.”
“I encourage the community to keep Lahaina in their hearts and minds,” Grube said. “Come to Maui on Aug 15 and 16, and if your budget allows, stay at the Hyatt, which will be offering a discounted room rate for those planning to attend the event”
Some of the local sponsors for Maui Music & Food Experience so far include The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, Hawaiian Airlines, Ocean Vodka and Volcano Wasabi.
Tickets are available online here. Prices will increase Aug. 1 and again on Aug. 11.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
