Located on the island’s windward northeastern side, the spectacular Hamakua Coast has long been the Big Island’s agricultural heartland, but its produce has changed since the days when the sugar dominated the local economy. Today, the lush valleys that lie upland from the dramatic coastal cliffs are home not to growers of cane, but to farms run by inventive entrepreneurs using sustainable methods to grow gourmet ingredients for some of Hawaii’s finest restaurants.

Hawaiian master chef Alan Wong, whose formidable international reputation was built on his use of fresh, organic, locally produced ingredients to showcase the flavors of Hawaii, recently led a group of his kitchen staff on a tour of Hamakua’s working farms. The trip was an educational experience for both chefs and farmers. "It’s important for farmers to know how food is used and recognise its value in the kitchen," Chef Wong explains. "And it's grounding for my staff to know the source of a product and understand all the effort that goes into nurturing it. Once a connection is made, they respect the food and put the same care into how they prepare and serve it." Hamakua Coast goods are featured prominently on the menu of Wong’s Big Island establishment, The Hualalai Grille, and also at his flagship restaurant on King Street in Honolulu, where diners may enjoy a Hamakua Spings heirloom tomato, beet, and avocado salad and red snapper with miso sesame vinaigrette and Hamakua mushrooms.

Hamakua Springs Country Farms is just one of many coastal farmers that supply Wong and other chefs come for the organic Japanese cucumbers, tomatoes and bananas. “Sustainability is a buzzword these days,” says Ha, “but here at Hamakua Springs it’s a philosophy we live by.” The same sustainability philosophy holds true at the Heritage Mushroom Company, which dubs itself as “Hawaii’s Gourmet Fungal Jungle.” Chefs are able to cull from an extraordinary variety of mushrooms, including kea hon-shimeji, shiitake, gray cluster oyster, maitake, alii oyster, nameko—and in the near future pepeiao.

If you’d like to visit these and other Hamakua Coast farms up close, excellent tours are organized by Hawaii AgVentures, an agricultural tourism project created by the Big Island Farm Bureau. These hands-on tours include opportunities to purchase products directly from farms like Hamakua Heritage Mushrooms, Long Ears Coffee, Volcano Island Honey Company, and Hawaiian Vanilla Vineyards. Tours may be customised around your specific interests and include visits to private properties, and even on-farm, catered events. Merriman’s Farm Visits & Dinner also offers a Hawaiian Regional Cuisine experience that includes a visit to two Big Island farms and a four-course dinner afterward at Merriman’s Restaurant in Waimea. Contact Centurion Concierge for reservation inquiries.

And if you’re looking for a Hamakua Coast specialty meal in a private setting whilst visiting the Big Island, Olelo pa'a Faith Ogawa’s company, Dining By Faith, prepares elegant, organic dinners at your house, condo, or villa. You might request Ogawa’s mahi-mahi with vine-ripened tomatoes, and onion confit with coconut sauce and wilted taro leaves—or maybe her seafood flan with pepeiao and green consommé. “People who travel to the Hamakua Coast are very concerned about their health and their environment and sustainability, Ogawa says. “They’re looking for different experiences and uniqueness—and we have it.” Contact Centurion Concierge for booking inquiries.