Huliau Food & Film Festival
A farm-to-table celebration of local agriculture featuring local chefs and student-produced films2024 Huliau Food & Film Festival
The Huliau Food & Film Festival is a farm-to-table celebration of local agriculture featuring local chefs and student-produced films. This year’s event will take place outdoors at Sugar Beach Event’s beautiful oceanfront venue in north Kīhei on Saturday August 17th. The event will feature student films and a five course meal featuring farm-to-table dishes prepared by local chefs. Sugar Beach Events will run a cash bar featuring locally-produced cocktails, beer, and wine. Below you will find the event menu and more information about the event chefs and entertainment.
All proceeds from the event will benefit our youth programs, which focus on filmmaking, leadership, zero waste, climate change, ʻāina-based education, careers in conservation, and more. Funds will also help support our Kūkulu Pilina (“building connections”) program which works to assist schools in building connections with community partners who can support their educational efforts, and to facilitate more off-campus ʻāina-based experiences for both teachers and students. This past school year, we have significantly expanded on our efforts to support teachers and students, especially at Lāhaināluna and the upcountry schools, helping foster a positive learning environment for students. Please join us on the 17th to support these efforts!
Our 2024 Huliau Food & Film Festival was a huge success! ✨ Mahalo nui to our supportive community of talented chefs and farmers, generous sponsors, and dear family and friends.
Our 2024 Chef Team
Mahalo to the talented team of volunteer chefs who are contributing their farm-to-table culinary talents to this year’s event in support of our programs for Maui youth!
Chef Dean Louie
UH Maui College
Read Dean's bio
Since 1999 he developed, owned and operated restaurants in Hagatna, Guam and Lahaina, Maui, then began teaching Culinary Arts classes in 2005. He was the UHMC Culinary Arts Program Coordinator from 2012-2016 and now programs and coordinates non-credit Continuing Education and Industry Training courses for Maui College.
Chef Lee Anderson
Sugar Beach Events
Read Lee's bio
Chef Maja Liotta
Private Chef, Lilikoi Creations
Read Maja's Bio
The Liotta ‘ohana made Maui home 10 years ago and their first home was on an organic farm in Keokea. It wasn’t long before Maja was offered the unique opportunity to work as a chef for a private concierge to discerning clientele and her business grew from there through word of mouth.
Maja’s passion is creating diverse and healthful meals for residents, friends, family and visitors to the islands. Maja is passionate about wellness and promotes clean eating and culinary instruction for local school aged children across the island for various organizations including Haiku School, Kihei Youth Center, The Blue Zones Project and Hawaii Tech Academy. She is also a regularly featured food writer and recipe contributor for Maui Family Magazine.
Chef Maja graciously embraces alternative diet requests, especially plant based/vegan and gluten free. When she isn’t cooking professionally, Maja enjoys Maui’s splendor and loves to surf and travel with her ‘ohana.
Chef John Cadman
Pono Pies
Read John's bio
Now as owner and operator of Pono Pies, John creates delicious sugar, gluten, dairy and GMO-free raw desserts out of as many locally sourced ingredients as possible. His pies are not only delicious but also represent his contribution to eating in a more pono (righteous) way that is both healthy and sustainable.
Chef Terry Manegdeg
Pastry Chef, Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort
Read Terry's bio
Chef Carol Wallack
Huliau Food & Film Festival Chef Coordinator
Read Carol's bio
Carol worked with her sister to open and operate, a ‘great neighborhood haunt’, Deleece Restaurant for 10 years before opening her own. She opened Sola Restaurant in 2006, using Hawaiian flavors and traditions with midwestern sensibility, expressing her love of the Hawaiian islands.
She embraced the farm to table movement in Chicago and involved herself with the Green City Market bringing the bounty of the midwest to the city for the top chefs to use in their restaurants.
Carol and Sola received many awards and accolades. Sola was chosen one of Chicago’s best new restaurants 2007. She was chosen as one of Chicago’s best chefs 2009, named one of Chicago’s Culinary queens, national restaurant association / Food Arts chef BBQ winner 2008, 2009 and winner at South Beach Food and wine Festival-Rachael Ray’s burger bash, 2009, the Best of the Best at South Beach Food and Wine Festival, 2011, and 3 consecutive years being invited to cook at the James Beard Foundation.
Now retired, she devotes her time to creating ice cream flavors (a passion she discovered at Sola), making cookies, an occasional catering job, entertaining at home, enjoying beach life or skiing in the winter and raising her pup, Edie.