Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea announces “Fire & Wine,” a culinary adventure designed to give guests a rare glimpse into Hawaii’s wild side, with the sophisticated touch for which the legendary property is famous. Exclusively for Four Seasons Maui guests, Fire & Wine offers a window into the Hawaiian lifestyle of fishing, hunting and gathering Maui’s unique seafood, game and produce, which is cooked over flame and paired with extraordinary fine wines.
Getting there is all part of the fun. Guests will depart on their journey via Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, just a few minutes from the resort. The aerial tour highlights hidden waterfalls, sea cliffs, and a peek into the island’s majestic Haleakala Crater before landing at Haiku House, a historical estate nestled at the edge of the jungle on the island’s rugged North Shore.
Once on the estate’s manicured grounds, there is plenty to see and do. Zip around the property on electric bikes or simply stroll to the garden, citrus grove, or take in the over 50 varieties of exotic trees. After exploring the grounds, guests meet Yeshua Goodman, owner and head chef at Kiawe Outdoor and the island’s most accomplished advanced sommelier, at the fire, where their personalized menu is already cooking over flames. Goodman sources the night’s ingredients from the island—whether it is diving for octopus, deep-sea fishing, hunting axis deer, or gathering unique ingredients from one of the island’s many farms and even Haiku House itself.
“What I love about sharing open-fire cooking with guests is that it brings us back to our source,” says Goodman. “Cooking over a fire is primal; there is a sense of returning to your roots, especially here in Hawaii. I love creating experiences for guests that evoke a sense of belonging, of being home.”
After an interactive blind wine tasting led by Goodman that will decide wine pairings for the night, guests take an insider’s guided tour of Haiku House. The historic estate has a storied past but is best known on the island for its connection to the bygone days of the sugar industry, which was the island’s economic engine for nearly a century. The house tour is led by a representative of the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum, and a portion of the experience’s profits benefit this nonprofit organization that strives to preserve and present the history and heritage of the sugar industry.
The main event features a multi-course meal, which has been cooked over kiawe (mesquite) wood embers for hours and expertly paired with the fine wines from the day’s blind tasting. Under a canopy of monkeypod trees, Goodman services the dinner tableside. Then, the night ends sweetly, with a nod to the estate’s history: a demo and delectable dessert by Four Seasons Maui Executive Pastry Chef Riccardo Menicucci enjoyed around the fire with new friends made throughout the day.
Fire & Wine is the newest of the Resort’s Unforgettable Experiences, a highly customizable series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences that connect guests to the most interesting places and characters on Maui in exclusive ways that only Four Seasons can.
“I am so excited to offer Fire & Wine to our guests because this experience is truly near and dear to my heart,” says Four Seasons Maui Director of Guest Experience, Shermaine Rodrigues, who is charged with the Resort’s top-tiered suite guests. “I grew up hearing stories of the sugar plantation life, as both my father and grandfather worked in the industry. This newest Unforgettable Experience gives guests a unique glimpse into a part of Hawaii’s history that is so important but often unexperienced. Haiku House itself is a treasure, but add Yeshua’s open fire cooking and the world’s best wines, and the experience is nothing short of spectacular.”
To learn more about Fire & Wine and other Unforgettable Experiences, visit fourseasons.com/maui/experiences or contact the Resort at 808.874.8000.