Fruits are part of our history and culture, a way for us to feel connected to our community. And, if you’ve ever had a ripe mango, you know there’s nothing else like it.
Hawaii Magazine
Our 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards reveals the top new restaurants in Hawaiʻi.
Apr 29, 2021
The food scene in Hawaiʻi has changed since COVID-19. Some of the state’s most popular restaurants Alan Wong’s Honolulu on Oʻahu, Da Kitchen on Maui have closed for good. And others have had to change course, ditching fussy menus for simpler dishes that work as takeout and delivery options. And despite the economic turmoil this global pandemic has had on restaurants everywhere not just Hawaiʻi eateries opened and, more importantly, stayed open. Here are the Top 5 Best New Restaurants in Hawaiʻi, voted by you, in our 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards.
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Mitzi Toro, better known as The Maui Cookie Lady, started out small in 2013, baking cookies out of her home and selling them at once-a-month farmers markets. Over time, the reputation of her brand grew, helped by shout-outs from celebrities like The Rock and Ludacris, appearances on QVC and by national media attention.
She was ready to open her first storefront two years ago, but in Maui’s then-booming economy, she simply could not find a suitable commercial real estate space. Through 2020, two things happened as Maui bore the brunt of Hawaii closing itself off to visitors. Her online sales grew as people who couldn’t travel to Maui sought out Maui treats as a substitute. And, as businesses began to close, spaces opened up. The Maui Cookie Lady shop, opened in Makawao last month.