Story by Becky Speere | Photography by Mieko Horikoshi
Theobroma cacao is Latin for chocolate meaning “Food of the Gods.” Aside from cocoa flavanols being good for cardiovascular function and supporting healthy blood vessels and flexible arteries, chocolate makes you feel good. Incredible desserts such as these highlight local, farm-to-bar Maui Kuʻia Estate Chocolates Eating them will actually give you another way to “feel good”: MKEC returns profits from the chocolates they produce to community charities and non-profits. So enjoy, and know you’re doing your part to help Maui—with every bite!
Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop
There are dessert places, and then, there are dessert places. Indulgent, home-girl destinations that fit into one’s lifestyle like a comfortable old robe. That’s how I feel about Leoda’s. Winner of the 2019 ‘Aipono Restaurant Awards for Best Dessert, it’s really no wonder guests like me keep coming back for their tasty confection. Pastry chef Ed Morita created the chocolate goat cheese tart for the premier 2019 Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, and I’m hoping that it’ll be a regular in the refrigerated pastry case, right next to their famous banana cream pie.
Not in the least bit “goatie” in flavor, the tart’s creaminess mimics the softest velvet with a generous balance of chocolate. Although this dessert was made with Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolates’ mocha-flavored dark chocolate (using locally grown coffee beans freshly roasted by Kimo Falconer of MauiGrown Coffee in Lahaina), the recipe that follows lists 65% dark chocolate. 820 Olowalu Village Road, Olowalu, 662-3600.
