Get an inside look at one of our 2021 festival attendee’s Mālama ‘Āina volunteer experience! Read more at USA Today.
How this innovative food festival in Hawaii is giving back to the environment
The Hawaii Food and Wine Festival helps guests learn about the oceans, land and sustainability
BY MARLA CIMINI
Pulling weeds in the hot sun was never one of my favorite activities, but that’s exactly what I was doing on the island of Oahu in Hawaii last fall. More accurately, we were “clearing land,” as our guide explained to us during an immersive volunteer activity on the sprawling Kualoa Ranch, a 4,000-acre private nature reserve.
This educational (and surprisingly fun!) experience was arranged by the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival. So, my husband and I, together with a small group of chefs, food professionals and attendees, participated in an early morning hike where we learned about taro cultivation while working together to re-direct a small stream and re-plant seedlings in beautiful natural surroundings. Overall, it was a memorable learning experience with breathtaking views – and it turned out to be an enlightening and motivating way to start our day.
Blending culinary events with immersive volunteer experiences, The Hawaii Food and Wine Festival (HFWF) is inspiring festival guests to become more actively involved with sustainability and learn about how to care for the ocean as well as the land. By remaining actively involved in the community, this organization shows they are about much more than elegant dining events showcasing world-class chefs.
Now in its 12th year, the HFWF was founded by CEO Denise Yamaguchi along with award-winning chefs Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong. This robust organization’s annual event attracts chefs and food-lovers from Hawaii and across the world – and most importantly, gives back to the islands on an ongoing basis.
HFWF CEO Denise Yamaguchi and HFWF co-founder chef Roy Yamaguchi with volunteers in the taro patch at Papahana Kualoa — Photo courtesy of Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, Makaha Studios
As the Hawaii Food and Wine fest evolved, the organization has identified ways to connect chefs, food and beverage experts, and festival participants directly with local culinary culture. In 2021, as visitors made a more conscious return to Hawaii during the pandemic, the festival’s organizers created several new educational, culinary-focused volunteer activities. They center on the importance of caring for the land and ocean, as well as giving back through linking culinary talent with promoting diverse agricultural abundance and the natural environment.
“At the core, our festival is about sustainability,” explains Denise Yamaguchi. “The Hawaiians were once 100% sustainable, so it was important that we tell that story from a cultural and historical perspective. Over the years, we’ve seen how the festival and its participants can have a positive impact on helping these organizations. This sensibility is grounded in the same values we have always held – promoting our diverse agricultural abundance, exceptional culinary talent and stunning natural environment.”
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