The lynchpin of the famed regional cuisine in Maui, Hawaii, is fresh, local produce, fish, meat and eggs. It is this lush agricultural bounty and the cultural history of Hawaii that have been celebrated by local chefs paired with local farmers, ranchers and fishermen at the Taste Education Tent at the Maui County Agricultural Festival for the past two years.

Taste Education events, coordinated by Maui County Farm Bureau members, have proven to be a smashing success and planning already is under way for additional activities in 2010, according to Warren Watanabe, executive director.

“Events like Taste Education help farmers by providing diversity in their overall marketing strategy (direct, retail, restaurants), assuring business success and demonstrating to consumers the variety and quality of local ag products,” Watanabe, himself a farmer, told Foodie News.

At each Taste Education event, the focus is placed firmly on increasing consumer appreciation for the true flavors of food and for those who produce it. Attendees are encouraged to take their time visiting tasting stations where they meet chefs and producers who serve samples of palate-pleasing foods and beverages that feature Hawaii’s canoe crops (breadfruit, taro, sweet potato), as well as carefully prepared local fish, beef, lamb, eggs, fruits and veggies.

Peter Merriman, chef/owner of acclaimed restaurants on two islands, including Merriman’s Kapalua, helped Watanabe and the Maui County Farm Bureau members organize the inaugural Taste Education event. A creative and award-winning chef in Hawaii, Merriman is revered as a pioneer in developing Hawaii’s regional cuisine. And he continues to work tirelessly to raise awareness of local agriculture and “shorten the distance between table and farm.”

Blessed with numerous climates, Maui soil can grow just about any fruit or vegetable, at least somewhere. And farmers on Maui are fortunate in that they do not have to contend with severe snowstorms or frozen soil. But farming on Maui does pose other challenges, as many island crops yield in abundance only during certain seasons.

Encouraging consumers to eat what is in season and what is grown locally is clearly a heartfelt mission for Watanabe. “Agriculture depends on the pleasure of food. Every day is a good food day on Maui!” he said.