Four Seasons Resort Maui Pairs High End Food and Wine with ‘A Wayfinder’s Journey’

To more than 10 million tourists every year, Hawaiʻi represents vacation paradise. But the idyllic island chain in the middle of the Pacific is so much more than that. It’s a sacred home to Polynesians with rich cultural legacies stretching back centuries. The most responsible hotel properties across the state are the ones which help advocate these proud folkways, offering guests an opportunity to find a deeper, lasting connection with the land and its peoples.

In service of such, the Four Seasons Resort Maui recently launched “A Wayfinder’s Journey.” It’s a private sunset sail aboard a catamaran hosted by acclaimed Hawaiian navigator, Kala Baybayan Tanaka. During the three-hour adventure, up to six guests are regaled with her personal accounts of exploring the open seas. They learn some of the tools and insights necessary for such daunting adventure and even put some of those skills to the test as countless constellations emerge in the star-filled sky—aiding in nighttime navigation.

“I am really lucky because all of the dinners and experiences have been special with great weather, beautiful views of Maui Komohana and Lahaina, as well as clear skies for stargazing,” says Baybayan Tanaka. “Every time we embark on our evening sail we always pass the Hawaiian voyaging canoe, Moʻokiha, moored in Lahaina, which is a special experience for guests to witness. It's not common to see a Hawaiian voyaging canoe as you are departing a harbor.”

And it’s all paired with Michelin-caliber food and wine. Because this is the Four Seasons, after all. The dishes experienced during the dining service incorporate native ingredients: fruits, vegetables and seafoods collected from the beautiful landscape that surrounds. Wine director Aaron Wood-Snyderman is then tasked with the monumental task of selecting liquids befitting of this setting.

“I always try to pair the wines and beverages with all aspects of the experience,” he tells Forbes. “Is it hot outside? Cooler white, sparkling or rose wines. Is the water rough? Lighter alcohol wines. Is it a chilly night atop Haleakala? Bigger, more robust wines. We strive every day to create amazing experiences, and wine and beverage pairing is one of my favorite ways to help create these moments.”

He also enjoys bringing lesser known varietals abroad the boat. Chenin blanc from Huet Vouvray is a perennial favorite not only because it's fun and floral, but because it’s under-appreciated. It happens to holds a backbone of minerality, which helps complement the briny ocean air.

“We sense acidity with our salivary glands, it makes our mouths water,” he adds of what he’s looking for in the right wine at mealtime. “This makes it appropriate for food pairing. A wine with an excellent finish is necessary for great pairing. We don't typically have the food and the wine in our mouths at the same time. What I'm pairing with the food is not just the attack or mid-palate of the wine, but the finish. Is it lengthy? is it complex? Is it balanced?”

As the courses emerge throughout the evening, Baybayan Tanaka explains the specific arrangements and how they each relate to her three separate open ocean crossings between Hawaiʻi and Tahiti. “In all the places that I have voyaged in the Pacific these Native ingredients are present and make up the structure of some of the most delicious dishes I have tasted,” she says. “As guests taste the preparations—depending on the dish—I offer stories of the roots of these Native ingredients and how and where they are embodied in our Hawaiian culture.”

The current canoe plant-inspired tasting menu includes the following courses:

• Breadfruit Gnocchi (Breadfruit | ՙUlu): bacon espuma
• Kampachi Crudo (Coconut | Niu): coconut gazpacho, pickled fresno, finger lime caviar, coconut crisp, fennel radish slaw
• Poi Panna Cotta (Taro | Kalo): American caviar, frisée, bitter crema, kalo crisps
• Grilled Heՙe (Turmeric | ՙOlena): ginger-turmeric miso lackage, pea tendrils, sugar snap pea, turmeric lemongrass emulsion
• Seared Ahi (Sweet Potato | ՙUala): Molokai sweet potato, aliՙi mushrooms, seafood bordelaise, pea shoots
• The Banana (Banana | Maiՙa): Iholena banana flambe marmalade, fresh coconut mousse, chocolate whipped ganache

Wayfinder’s Journey is part of an ongoing series of programming at the Four Seasons property in Wailea aptly titled “Unforgettable Experiences.” As for Baybayan Tanaka, she is confident that the knowledge paired with the meal—even more so than the wine—will help create those lasting memories.

“Learning about Hawaiian voyaging and navigation has shown me the beauty and relevance that is ancestral knowledge,” she says. “If we listen with all of our senses we can begin to realize these important wayfinding marks, helping to guide us in our journey to voyage back to ancestral homelands as well as our futures.”