This story is part of Hawai‘i, the Local Way. a package celebrating the food culture and traditions of the islands. Here, culinary leaders reflect on their community’s resilience in the wake of tragedy.
Kyle Kawakami still remembers seeing Lahaina after wildfires devastated Maui’s northwestern shoreline on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. The winds howled and embers fell from the sky into the ocean. Some survivors fled burning cars and homes and waded in waist-deep waters for help. Over 2,200 homes and businesses were destroyed; 102 people died, with thousands more displaced.
Lahaina is deeply tied to the culture and history of Hawai‘i. It once served as the royal capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, until moving to Honolulu in 1845. In the decades that followed, it became a crucial whaling port, and when local industries waned, emerged as a tourism destination in the 1960s—particularly Lahaina Town, Front Street’s wharf of small art galleries and restaurants. By late summer of 2023, the region, home to a diverse group of locals and the fourth largest population on Maui, lay in ruin.
“The weirdest thing was the lack of color,” Kawakami says. “The ocean looked blue, the sand was white, and then you turn your head and it was like a bomb went off and everything was white, gray, and black. There were no trees, no life. It still kind of haunts me.”
In Hawai’i, where a close-knit hospitality industry is integral to the local community and economy, it’s no surprise that chefs immediately jumped in to offer on-the-ground support.
As we approach the second anniversary of the wildfires, recovery efforts are still underway and progress is slow. Cleaning crews cleared ash and debris in the spring of 2025. New houses and old businesses are in the process of being rebuilt. Temporary housing and scorched empty lots remain.
Here, we speak with two chefs and instrumental community advocates: Kyle Kawakami is the chef and owner of Maui Fresh Streatery, a mission-driven food truck with a tip jar that funds community needs. Mark “Gooch” Noguchi is a chef and educator at Punahou School, and alongside wife Amanda Corby Noguchi, co-founded Chef Hui, a culinary and food education non-profit that often provides emergency relief on the islands. In the following interview, the two reflect on what it was like working on the frontlines of this tragedy, and what they hope might lie ahead for one of Maui’s most storied cities.
Mark “Gooch” Noguchi, co-founder of Chef Hui.
BA: Where were you both when you heard the news of the fires? And what was your immediate next step?
Mark “Gooch” Noguchi: Part of being an active member of your community is knowing your place. Hawaiʻi is my home, but Maui isn’t my moku [Hawaiian for island or district]. Even though I have my crew there, it’s still their island. On Wednesday morning,
