Yet award-winning Chef/Owner Bev Gannon’s innovative comfort food has been drawing customers to the Haliimaile General Store for decades: Think Sashimi Pizza, Kalua Pork Enchilada Pie and Grilled Rack of Lamb with Black Bean Hunan Sauce and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes.
Gannon is one of the 12 acclaimed chefs who launched the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement in 1991.
Focused on fresh local ingredients, that philosophy caught the attention of gourmets worldwide and put Hawaii on the culinary map.
The building that houses the restaurant is also notable. It dates back to 1925, when pineapple was a booming industry in the Islands.
The original Haliimaile General Store was a one-stop shop for plantation workers in Upcountry Maui, selling not only groceries but clothing, appliances and household goods. Gannon took over the lease for the building in 1987, kept its name for her restaurant, which opened the following year, and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.