In response to the devastating wildfires burning across Hawaii’s island of Maui, American rooftop restaurant The Foundry, located atop AC Hotel Dayton in the Water Street District, is partnering with Hawaii-based Lahaina Fires Chef Collective to help feed vulnerable Maui communities. The Foundry encourages the Dayton community to stand in solidarity with Maui and will be donating 20% of all dinner service proceeds on Monday, September 18 to the cause.
The Foundry is honored to be working with Maui-based Chef Jason Raffin who is a member of Chef Collective, an organization composed of chefs who use their culinary skills and food service connections to feed communities in need. Despite also losing his home and belongings in the wildfires, Chef Raffin is eager to help others who have been displaced, are unemployed, grieving or otherwise in need of support because of the fires.
“We’re inspired by Chef Raffin’s work in Lahaina and we want the Dayton community to be a part of this cause,” said Ian Legors, General Manager at AC Hotel Dayton. “Every meal enjoyed at The Foundry on September 18 will help raise donations to feed and bring hope to those in Maui.”
Focusing efforts on the heavily impacted West Maui, especially Lahaina, Chef Collective is helping Chef Raffin coordinate with local Hua Momona Farms, a non-profit 501c3 foundation, to feed quality food to the impacted community with an emphasis on farm ingredients, micronutrients and long-term solutions to food insecurity.
“We have been making huge strides in fighting the food insecurity problems in Lahaina currently,” said Chef Raffin. “We are focused on creating excellent food rather than mass produced substances.”
Recently, Chef Raffin and the teams at Lahaina Fires Chef Collective and Hua Momona Farms partnered with Hungry Heroes Hawaii to provide steak plates to first responders.
As donation and distribution efforts from other organizations slow in Maui, Lahaina Fires Chef Collective and Hua Momona Farms aim to absorb these efforts and increase their output from serving 400 farm-fresh meals per day to 1,000 meals per day. To make this goal a reality, donations from The Foundry will help Chef Raffin and the team acquire a refrigerated truck, invest in two additional storage spaces and find more farm and kitchen help.
Dayton residents and visitors are invited to share in The Foundry’s cuisines on Monday, September 18 to support the cause. A meal at The Foundry will ensure someone has a meal tomorrow in Maui. On Mondays, The Foundry is open from 4 PM – 11 PM (kitchen closes at 10 PM). Reservations can be made via OpenTable.
Visit www.thefoundryrooftop.com or follow along on Instagram @thefoundryrooftop to stay updated on the latest news. To