Maui Part II: The Island’s Bountiful Agriculture and Aquaculture
Snails — being raised for escargot and other gourmet dishes — on an urban Maui farm.
Napili FLO Farm
If former massage therapist Monica Bogar has her way, Maui restaurants will some day spotlight organic snails on their menus.
After all, there’s already a waiting list of restaurants eager for the mollusks she is growing aquaponically in ingenious systems devised by her and her Uncle Tony. I had a chance to visit their homestead on the west side of the island, during my trip to Maui, courtesy of the tourism and conventioner’s bureau.
An urban farmer for the past 12 years, Bogar started her Napili FLO Farm a year ago. She now sells her microgreens, edible flowers and watercress to Maui restaurants such as Star Noodle, Hula Grill, and Pineapple Grill, the latter where Isaac Bancaco is chef and a huge supporter of hers.
Monica Bogar and Chef Isaac Bancaco inspect one of Bogar’s aquaponics systems.
Pick you way through Uncle Tony’s backyard to find a miraculous series of tanks — built from scavenged items, including styrofoam boxes, old fish tanks and a grandson’s former wash tub. “We are aquaponics dumpster-divers,” Bogar says proudly with a chuckle.