Featuring Performances From Dumpstaphunk, Ernie Isley, Bernard Fowler Of The Rolling Stones, Hawaii Native Paula Fuga, And Celebrity Chefs Including Maui’s Own Zach Laidlaw
Experience Expands Stateside With Additional 2025 Events, More Details Coming Soon
Three City Benefit Tour Supports Food Security, Lahaina Wildfire Relief, And Maui Youth Music Programs
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Wednesday, July 9 - Today, the Hua Momona Foundation announces the second annual Maui Music & Food Experience (MMFE), taking place on August 15-16, at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa.
The MMFE will feature a host of acclaimed musicians and world-class chefs for a celebration of the Maui community and the aloha spirit while supporting the Hua Momona Foundation’s mission to combat food insecurity, accelerate the Lahaina rebuild following the fires, and cultivate Maui's youth music scene.
Single-day and two-day GA and VIP tickets, as well as platinum passes for the Maui Music and Food Experience, are available for purchase here. Ticket prices will increase on August 1 and again on August 11.
Led by legendary Chicago musician and Experience Music Director Nicholas Tremulis, Maui Music and Food Experience’s roster of performing artists includes Mongoose (led by Bernard Fowler of the Rolling Stones), Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk with special guest Ernie Isley (Isley Brothers), who will join forces for a Jimi Hendrix tribute, in addition to local Hawaiian artists Paula Fuga (Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley collaborator), Kanekoa, Marty Dread, Tavana, Wayne Baker Brooks, Frank Orrall and Hawaiian National Heritage Award-winning slack-key guitarist Ledward Kaapana, among others. In addition to their scheduled performances, artists will gather for nightly post-concert jam sessions at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, extending the festival’s energy into the evening.
The event will also spotlight celebrated chefs and their culinary artistry, led by local Hua Momona Farm Chef Zach Laidlaw, a champion of sustainable agriculture and immersive dining whose standout performance as a finalist on Next Level Chef highlighted his deep connection to Maui’s land and flavors. Joining him is Next Level Chef Season 3 winner Gabrielle Chappel, along with World Rice Champion Chef Ryan Von Smith (Chef Von), and Charles Andres, from Wailea Beach Resort. Together, they’ll craft a vibrant culinary experience that celebrates local ingredients, bold creativity, and the spirit of aloha. To kick off the celebration, the MMFE will host a Gathering at Halona Kai on August 13th exclusively for hotel guests and MMFE ticket purchasers. The event will feature chefs and musicians from the tour.
Last year's inaugural Maui Music & Food Experience raised $250,000 for the survivors of the Lahaina fires, spurred the struggling Maui economy, and brought together a historic collection of local and mainland artists, as well as celebrity chefs. The Experience culminated in an epic homage to Jimi Hendrix, featuring Billy Cox, Mick Fleetwood, Ernie Isley, Daryl Jones, Charlie Sexton, Ivan Julian, Ron Artis, Wayne & Ronnie Baker Brooks, Isaiah Sharkey, and many others. Watch the group’s performance of “Purple Haze” HERE.
“Based on the amazing response in 2024 on Maui, we are pleased to celebrate the Aloha spirit with food and music across this three-city benefit concert-style tour!” said Gary Grube, Founder, Hua Momona Foundation, Lahaina. “We’re grateful for the support from our donors, sponsors, artists, and concert guests to make this happen so that our Maui community programs continue to thrive.”
"The situation in Hawaii is both deeply important and personal to me,” said returning musician Ernie Isley. “I’ve had the chance to visit Lahaina several times, and I’ve always found it to be one of the most charming parts of Maui. There’s something special about its history, the walkability, and the slower pace — it gives you the opportunity to connect with the shops, the people, and the local restaurants. It really captures what it feels like to live on the island. Last year’s show was a lot of fun. The audience's energy was incredible, and revisiting those familiar songs felt like a shared celebration. It was a bit like singing 'Happy Birthday' — everyone knew the words, and everyone joined in. It was a great experience."
"Last year’s festival was deeply personal for me, not just as a chef, but as a member of the Lahaina community still healing,” said Executive Chef of Maui Music and Food Experience Zach Laidlaw. “I’m honored to return and lead the culinary team again—this time with an even bigger mission. Cooking for a cause this meaningful, surrounded by music, ‘ohana, and resilience, is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of feeling."
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Maui Music & Food Experience 2024. Photo Credit: J. Anthony Martinez Photography.
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Maui Music & Food Experience 2024. Photo Credit: J. Anthony Martinez Photography.
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Maui Music & Food Experience 2024. Photo Credit: J. Anthony Martinez Photography.
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This year, the Hua Momona Foundation is bringing a taste of the islands to the mainland, with MMFE making a stop in Chicago on November 7 as well (more details coming soon).
As the official resort of the MMFE'25 ’25, The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, a AAA Four Diamond-rated hotel, will offer discounted rooms to MMFE attendees. More info here. In addition to Hyatt Regency Ka'anapali, sponsors include Hawaiian Airlines, Ocean Vodka, Volcano Wasabi, and the Will Smith Foundation (San Antonio).
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Maui Music & Food Experience 2024. Photo Credit: J. Anthony Martinez Photography.
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ABOUT HUA MOMONA FOUNDATION
The Hua Momona Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was founded by the team at Hua Momona Farms to support the Maui community. The Foundation's mission includes providing food, facilitating replacement housing, supporting mental healthcare programs, and hosting fundraising events to benefit local residents. Hua Momona Farms is located on 25 acres in Kapalua, West Maui, 1300 ft above sea level with a jaw-dropping view of the neighboring island of Molokai. The farm grows fresh, organic microgreens and more from our elevated oasis. The Hua Momona Foundation supports on-island charitable efforts through agricultural activities, providing hot meals, distributing fresh local produce, facilitating housing replacement, supporting mental healthcare programs, and is now launching the Hua Momona Youth Ukulele Ensemble and Music Program with teenagers from Lahaina. To date, the foundation has served over 80,000 hot, fresh meals to those impacted by the Lahaina Fires.
ABOUT HYATT REGENCY MAUI RESORT AND SPA
Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa is a AAA Four Diamond-rated hotel offering everything desired for an unforgettable getaway in paradise. Ideally situated on 40 oceanfront acres on world famous Ka’anapali Beach, voted “#1 Beach in the U.S. Traveler’s Choice” by TripAdvisor and ranked in the top 10 of the 2025 Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards “Top 25 Resorts in Hawaii”, this resort features an expansive open-air atrium lobby, three towers, and 810 re-imagined guestrooms, including 31 suites. Each guestroom is well-appointed with authentic Hawaiian touches, elegant furnishings, modern finishes, open closets, and private balconies with glass railings to enjoy breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and west Maui sunsets. This LEED-EBOM Gold Certified resort is a standout in world class hospitality and truly offers something for everyone: rooftop astronomy program; beachfront free-form pool with a 150-foot lava tube water slide; children’s splash pool; oceanfront daybeds and cabanas, beach activities; manicured tropical grounds; daily Hawaiian cultural activities; wildlife tours; tennis; pickleball; championship golf; 100,000 square feet of event space for meetings or destination weddings; retail boutiques; 24-hour fitness center; daily outdoor yoga and fitness classes; Maui’s only oceanfront full-service spa and salon; live entertainment including the on-site Drums of the Pacific Lu‘au; and ten food and beverage offerings, such as the award-winning restaurant Japengo.
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