Aloha, from Wailea! 
This was our last full day in Maui, and had planned nothing for today other than a nice Chef’s dinner in the evening. The six days we’ve been in Maui have been so relaxing, but have flown by so quickly!
We used the day to buy a couple last minute souvenirs at the ABC store in the Wailea shopping center next door, and also went to their new sister store also in the same shopping center. The Island Gourmet shop is somewhat of a hybrid upscale grocery store with fine wines, large deli with ready made and custom made sandwiches, salads, personal pizzas made on-site, meats, fruits, and even prime rib sliced fresh. Their wine selection, much like their sister ABC store offers an amazing selection of fine wines such as Caymus Select, Silver Oak, Jordan etc – quite a selection that many wine and liquor stores would be proud of!
Our dinner was early tonight at the outdoor, covered restaurant, and easy to pronounce named ‘Humuhumunukunukuapuaa‘ Restaurant, overlooking the water and beautiful sunset. We arrived early fortunately for the 6:15pm checkin, and although it was by reservation, the seating at two long tables was open seating, and was already filling up. 
DOS and I got two seats together and had a nice group of table-mates we chatted with throughout the evening. The couple next to me was from San Diego, and he was a graphics engineer and taught me a few photo tips on my new Iphone 6s Plus which was really helpful. These sunset photos offer some proof to that – amazing sunset as we had our meal.
The Hawaiian Chef’s meal was quite unique, and we’ve been to many food and wine pairings before. This one was definitely Hawaiian-themed with authentic foods prepared uniquely and fabulously, paired perfectly with a various selection of wines. As what seemed at first odd, but later thought-provoking, our first ‘course’ was water; served Hawaiian style with the flavor of fresh flowers. The story behind this is the simple, yet life sustaining power of water, essential for life.
In between courses, we were introduced to the next dishes and wines by a trio of staff, including a native Hawaiian man who introduced us to some Hawaiian traditions that were not only interesting, but thought stimulating. Shown below are the next series of courses we had throughout the night; each thoughtfully and authentically prepared just for our dining group. Not something we could ever duplicate at home, nor would see at a typical Hawaiian luau, the dinner was not only authentically Hawaiian, but offered a glimpse into the very soul of Hawaiian culture.
And of course dessert is always the best; this time done with a flair and a fog up machine and served in an actual coconut!
At the end of the evening, our host presented each couple with a Hawaiian calendar, explaining their 360 day calendar, as well as the moon cycles and effects on tides, moods, etc, and encouraged us to jot our thoughts down each day to look for monthly cycles for patterns, as the Hawaiians had done for centuries. Similar to a farmer’s almanac, Hawaiian style, he said it was possible to plan the weather based on trends in cycles should you keep up with this over time. I haven’t done it yet, but it does sound interesting. He did caveat this by saying it probably won’t work if you travel all the time as you’re in different locations, but for locals he said it really made sense to try it.
So on our last night in Maui, we left blessed to have come here, learn a bit about the Hawaiian customs, and already planning to come back next year
‘Twas a wonderful Hawaiian night for all!