Whenever we visit Maui to babysit, our daughter keeps reminding me to eat healthy, as I'm actively waiting on the kidney transplant list. While I'm seeking my longtime iconic favorites in Maui, she'll encourage me to put Fork and Salad on the rotation list. It was never a high priority must-go, but I now admit that it's a delicious, healthy and wise choice that should be at the top of my list. This review is for the Kahului location.
Fork and Salad was founded by chef-surfer owners Jaron Blosser, Cody Christopher, and Travis Morrin in 2016 in Kihei, with a 2nd location in Kahului in 2018. If these chef-owners sound familiar, they are, as they also started the iconic and casual Three's Bar and Grill in Kihei in 2009, specializing in Hawaiian, Southwestern, and Pacific Rim cuisine.
Fork and Salad provides healthy, quick and convenient farm-to-table cuisine and serves chef-and Island-inspired salads, grain bowls, sandwiches, soups, and drinks. Produce and meats are sourced from local farmers.
With about 50+ ingredients that are sourced by about 25 local suppliers, you can build your own salad + 5 toppings for one price:
* Choose your base: greens (spinach, kale, romaine, spring mix, argula); or grains (quinoa and cabbage, health grain mix and romaine).
* Choose your housemade dressing: cilantro-smoked chili, miso ginger, roasted argic balsamic, Green Goddess, Meyer lemon-herb Caesar; papaya seed, Thai lemongrass, avocado-lime.
* Choose from numerous topping ingredients, e.g., veggies (beet, chickpea, edamame, mushroom, cucumber, garlic chip, kimchee banana pepper and broccoli, sprout, sweet potato, radish, tomato, carrot, cilantro & mint, olive, cabbage, onion, eggplant); fruits (avocado, watermelon, papaya, dried cranberry, mandarin orange, apple, strawberry, pineapple, raisin); cheeses (blue, feta, cheddar, goat, Parmesan); nuts (almond, cashew); misc (grain mix, seeds, bee pollen, yeast, wasabi pea, quinoa, crouton, boiled egg).
* Add a protein at an extra cost: lemon-herb chicken, citrus poached shrimp, ginger baked tofu, baked quinoa falafel, baked ahi belly, ancho chile steak.
Other choices include:
* Signature salad of specific ingredients and made to order: Caesar, Greek, beet & goat cheese, watermelon & feta, Thai, Cobb, Maui Goddess, Super Salad, Paniolo and Papaya Dream Salad.
* Grain bowls: ancient, summer, and Buddha bowl that have quinoa and various ingredients.
* Sandwiches: lemon & thyme chicken, smoky papaya chicken, shrimp & avocado club, baked falafel & quinoa, baked ahi melt, ancho chile-seasoned steak, eggplant & goat cheese.
* Soups (in cup or bowl): tomato bisque, lamb chili, coconut butternut squash, bacon clam chowder.
* Combos: soup & salad, soup & sandwich.
* Drinks: kombucha, iced tea, lemonade. Sorry, so soda.
* Dessert: gluten free chocolate chip cookies.
* Kids' menu (w/ fruit cup or house salad): cheese &/or chicken quesadilla, grilled cheese sandwich, chicken/shrimp quinoa.
It sounded too complicated to build my own salad, as there were too many choices. Until I become familiar with their offerings, I chose the following signature salads that made for several meals:
* Maui Goddess. This delicious salad had romaine, apples, strawberries, purple sweet potatoes, cashews, curry golden raisins, blue cheese, and a creamy green goddess dressing. I subbed mushrooms instead of blue cheese. All items were very fresh and complemented each other well.
* Cobb. Delicious as well, this salad had romaine, bacon, blue cheese crumbles, avocado, boiled egg, kimchee broccoli, tomatoes with the creamy green goddess dressing. Requested this be in a wrap, with the overflow as a side salad.
Friendly staff was accommodating and happy to make substitutions; however, wished staff could be a little more helpful when I was overwhelmed with all the ingredients. They could provide suggestions as to which ingredients worked well with others or what could be substituted, and instead, I ended up arbitrarily choosing items that I was uncertain of. Self-serve water is available. Dine-in or take-out.
Hours of operation are daily from 10:30a to 8:30p. Located in the Pu'unene Shopping Center, Fork and Salad shares free parking with Target. Discounts are available: enroll in 5-Star Reward Program for future discounts, do 15 jumping jacks in the store (!), provide proof of gym membership with purchase after 3p, or access promotional discounts on their app.
I loved the variety of choices for eating healthy, as there is something for everyone! I look forward to making my own salads and trying other signature salads, as well as their soups and sandwiches. Kudos to the local chef owners who saw the potential of farm-to-table healthy eating, as I would have thought this concept would have been originated on the Mainland. As I patiently wait for my kidney transplant call, at least my daughter is happy that I give Fork and Salad a thumbs-up in supporting local and eating wisely. read more