A Letter for Hana

Last week I received some sad but somewhat expected news about one of my all time favorite hotels. The Hotel Hana Maui is in the process of being purchased by an investment group out of Denver. In some ways I know it is for the best- the Hotel has been struggling financially for several years and is in much need of repair. I just hope that the new owners will continue to keep the community as a top priority- in a town where the hotel provides over 90% of the jobs, and directly impacts the remaining 10%, it is easy to understand how corporate policies can quickly impact the entire region.
Change is always hard- but I hope this one turns out to be in the best interest of the community. I couldn't resist writing my own letter to the new owners.


Dear Amstar-

I wanted to write and congratulate you on your pending purchase of Hotel Hana Maui. Over the last ten years I have worked as executive chef and corporate chef for some of the most acclaimed resorts in the country; but Hana is a very special place for me. In addition to being a chef- I am also the culinary editor and photographer for Edible Hawaii, a well recognized publication within Hawaii and the hospitality community. I realize that operations, particularly F&B, are not your primary focus, but hope you will read my letter none the less.
Hotel Hana Maui was my first executive chef position at the age of twenty two after spending three years as chef de cuisine at the Post Ranch Inn. At that time I had no real interest in Hawaii and saw the hotel as little more than a stepping stone on my way to a more illustrious future. I cringed at the boxes of rotten fish and produce that were imported from the mainland. Slowly I began to build relationships with small farms and local fisherman and the hotel became less dependent on imported products. In the process of sourcing fresh vegetables I helped educate local growers on how to maximize their acreage by growing less common, yet more desirable, products. ( I’m sure that somewhere in Kula there is still a rogue artichoke field waiting to be picked. )
I ended up leaving Passport Resorts and Hotel Hana Maui three years later- taking the corporate executive chef position for Noble House Hotels. Three years ago life called me back to Hana. It was during this time that I realized how much I overlooked on my first encounter; things like the historical significance of Leho’ula (the first fish pond in Hawaii), the vibrant Paniolo culture in Kipahulu and Kaupo and most importantly the strong cultural differences between Hana and the rest of Maui.
Some people have asked me why I went back to Hana. Why leave a lucrative executive job to go back to a little hotel in the middle of nowhere? For me the answer is simple- it was to experience the place and culture while I still could. I have documented many of my thoughts and observations in various articles, a few of which can be found at www.ediblehawaii.com
I sincerely hope, for the sake of the community, that your well established investment team will be able to find the financial formula that has eluded so many previous companies. As you ponder how to best move forward I hope that you will take into consideration the fisherman and farmers who have come to rely on the hotel as a primary source of income. These individuals are important stewards of East Maui’s natural resources and help Hana maintain its rustic agrarian charm. While it is easy to calculate the yield of a locally caught fish and plug it into a recipe costing formula- it is far more difficult to ascertain how watching that fish being unloaded from a still wet fishing boat in front of the hotel impacts a guest’s overall vacation experience.
Your company may not be making all of these decisions directly- but the choices you make over the next few months will have a profound impact on the community. I have several friends in Hana- and would still very much like to contribute to the community in any way that I can. On that note please feel free to contact me if you come across any questions I might help answer.

All The Best-