“Feed the people!”
The motto is also a mission for Emanuela “Manu” Vinciguerra at Kumu Farms. She aims to not only feed the people, but educate and inspire them to spread the word and wisdom about eating healthy, supporting local and learning about what goes in our bodies. Once you meet Manu, you’ll never forget her. As you can see in this video, she is a vibrant, vital part of Kumu Farms’ daily operations in Waikapū; our primary contact when we show up to see what’s fresh and pick up produce for both Fork & Salad and Three’s Bar & Grill in Kīhei.
“Chefs like Travis, they come here with their own pick up truck, they choose the veggies, load them up, then they go to the restaurant and use all the produce they got from the farm,” says Manu. “By them coming here, they save us money because we are not the distributor; we are the farmer, we grow things!”
Known as “The Source,” Kumu Farms grows ALL kinds of things, in fact! Around 35 different crops, 75 to 80% grown organically, thrive on acreage at Maui Tropical Plantation. The first crops went in the ground there in 2012, although the farm has been growing on Moloka’i since 1982. It grows and ships its non-GMO Sunrise Strawberry papaya all year long, which is the same fantastic fruit featured in the signature Kumu Farms Papaya Salad on our menu.
But that’s definitely not the only produce we use from Kumu. The farm provides a healthy amount of ingredients on our salad line, and greens in our lettuce options. Here are some examples…
-kale
-arugula
-rainbow chard
-spring mix
-mango
-dragon fruit
-avocados
-kale
-eggplant
-papaya
-beets
-limes
-corn
-carrots
-green beans
-herbs
We are so proud to partner with Kumu Farms, and hope you’ll come in and enjoy the ingredients for yourself at Fork & Salad. You can also buy a bunch of that produce, along with salad mixes and Maui-made items, by visiting Kumu’s farm stand at Maui Tropical Plantation, open to the public Tuesday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The produce basically comes straight from the fields, onto the shelves and into your life! Manu calls it “food that doesn’t travel.”
“It’s as fresh as it can be,” she explains. ‘Rather than an imported salad that’s already seven days’ old, this is one hour!”
That’s not all! You can get your hands on fresh produce from Kumu and other suppliers right outside Fork & Salad at Kīhei’s 4th Friday town party every month. Our mini-farmers’ market has been a huge hit since it started during our Grand Opening at 4th Friday in August. You will often find Manu and other farmers there, ready to provide you with their amazing fruits and veggies, answer your questions, and teach you about what’s growing right here on Maui, as they work with heart, skill and dedication to do what they do best: “Feed the people!” #EatLocalEatHealthy
