'The right thing to do': Local restaurants host fundraisers for survivors of Maui wildfires

Although more than 4,000 miles away, the suffering in Maui following tragic wildfires there hit home for Ricky Sakoda.

His parents have a home in Kahului about 35 minutes from Lahaina, now decimated by fires that have killed more than 100 people.

Sakoda first visited Maui when he was 2 years old. As an adult, he served three years as executive chef at Merriman's restaurant in Kapalua, 10 miles up the shore from Lahaina.

He also met his wife, Meredith, in Maui.

“Luckily our home is OK, but so many of our friends have been devastated by the wildfires,” said Sakoda, a graduate of Mundelein High School now living in Buffalo Grove. “The last I heard, at Merriman's, 78 of their employees lost their homes or were displaced due to the fire, which is crazy. That's like three-quarters of the restaurant, and that's just one restaurant.”

To help Merriman's and other Hawaiian restaurants and their workers, Sakoda is teaming with Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, and three other chefs, for a fundraiser at the restaurant Sunday benefiting the Hawaii Community Foundation - Chef Hui Fund.

Sakoda will return to Maui in September to “take stock” of friends and neighbors. He trained under Stegner and co-chef George Bumbaris at Prairie Grass Cafe before he went to Merriman's.

Stegner is a veteran contributor to relief efforts through organizations such as Chicago Chefs Cook and World Central Kitchen, “which is on the ground in Maui,” she said.

Stegner said Chicago Chefs Cook will establish an online auction of dining packages from Chicago-area chefs. People already have donated about $10,000 to sarah@prairiegrasscafe.com toward the Chef Hui Fund, she added.

“I feel like supporting other chefs and getting them back up and running is the right thing to do,” Stegner said. “It's a service. I hope that this works. I hope there's recovery as they need it.”

The restaurant, at 601 Skokie Blvd., is offering two options to help Sunday. A happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m. featuring tasting stations, passed canapes and wine. The cost is $50, gratuity not included. There will be a cash bar for cocktails and beer.

Starting at 5 p.m., a family-style dinner with wine will be offered in the Prairie Grass Cafe dining room, with selections provided by the five participating chefs. The cost is $100, not including gratuity.

Along with Stegner and Sakoda, participating chefs include Cooper's Hawk's Randall Sabado Sr., who also has friends in Hawaii, Arshiya Farheen of Verzênay Patisserie, and Sebastian White, founder and CEO of The Evolved Network.

Reservations can be made at (847) 205-4433. Diners must specify whether they'll attend the happy hour or dinner. The price for both is $150, payable upon arrival.

There also are other upcoming events in the restaurant community to help Hawaiian peers.

The Tutore Cooking School, 2755 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, is offering three pasta-making classes with proceeds going directly to families displaced by the wildfires.

In another connection with Merriman's, chef Dean Zanella, co-founder of Tutore with chef James De Marte, worked at Merriman's Big Island in Waimea. Tutore will present classes on risotto Aug. 31, “Pasta 101” Sept. 1, and gnocchi Sept. 2, from 6-8 p.m. each night.

For information and to attend, visit tutorecookingschool.com. There also is a GoFundMe account dedicated to supporting Merriman's families.

Naperville's Meson Sabika, at 1025 Aurora Ave., is donating 100% of its sales of regular menu items on Sept. 5 to the American Red Cross toward disaster relief efforts for the survivors of the Maui wildfires. For reservations, call (630) 983-3000.

This was the idea of owner Hossein Jamali, who feels a kinship toward Maui as he and other staff members have visited Hawaii.

Jamali has done similar charity efforts for flood and tornado survivors in the U.S. or for relief efforts following natural disasters in Turkey, Puerto Rico and Pakistan.

“People lost everything that they had,” he said of Mauians. “And they are helping others, so I would be ashamed of myself if I did not do anything.”