Is Maui Good for Vegans?
Gentle World founders Light and Sun established Maui’s first documented vegan restaurant 35 years ago.
When reflecting on the state of vegan life on Maui in 2025, it’s helpful to begin by counting our blessings. Numerous farmers’ markets and grocery stores feature local produce and vegan products. The year-round weather is amenable to a variety of outdoor activities in gorgeous settings. It’s not too hard to find restaurants that offer adequate vegan options. If you can afford to live on Maui, life can be incredibly healthy and rewarding.
On the other hand, attempts to sustain vegan meetup groups fail. Animal rights activities are rare. The most recent Maui vegan festival that we could identify occurred 16 years ago. We don’t have any upscale vegan restaurants. It’s understandable that community-minded vegans bemoan a lack of local resources.
It’s not like there’s nothing going on. You may enjoy free vegan food monthly at Paia Bay. A terrific pro-vegan animal sanctuary offers tours and volunteer opportunities. Once in a while, a visiting plant-based doctor or nutritionist will explain how eating the right food will save you from various diseases. There’s an annual protest against animal cruelty at the Makawao Rodeo.
Yet none of these disparate activities has catalyzed the development of a visible and cohesive local vegan community.
Why?
Maui is “mavericky” — people here tend to act individually or in very small groups. Moreover, Maui apparently does not have a population large enough to support the infrastructure of a thriving vegan community. Also, sky-high housing costs deter activists from living here.
On the restaurant front, there’s good news. History suggests that we’re moving in the right direction.
Maui’s first documented vegan restaurant, The Vegan, was located in 115 Baldwin Avenue, Paia.
Vegan restaurants started appearing on the mainland in the mid-seventies. Maui was late to the party. The first documented vegan restaurant here was established by Gentle World co-founders Light and Sun in 1989 or 1990.
“When we got to Maui, you could open a restaurant in a little town, and so we had the first vegan restaurant on Maui,” recalled Light in a 2023 interview. “We had a sign over the door like the one McDonald’s has saying, ‘A billion served,” but ours said, ‘A million saved.’ On every table, we would have all these quotes of famous people. We were trying to turn people on to veganism.”
Located at 115 Baldwin Avenue in Paia, “The Vegan” featured Hummus Salad, $4; Vegan Burger, $3.95; Smoothies, $2.75; Tofu Veggie Lasagna, $6.95; and organic and herbal beverages. In more recent years, vegan Fresh Mint and vegetarian Maka by Mana restaurants operated at the same address. (The current occupants are non-vegan NyloS and Story Maui.)
As pleasing as The Vegan must have been, we now have many more options. Eight vegan cafés, food stands, and trucks, as well as vegan items at farmers’ markets and grocery store deli sections, offer many approaches to vegan cuisine.
That’s progress!
Are there are any old-timers out there with interior photos of The Vegan on Baldwin Avenue? Please email them to mauiveganlife@gmail.com so that we may share them with our readers.