Kapi‘olani Community College has come to be regarded over the years as one of the finest educational institutions in Hawai‘i, with its highly touted nursing program and venerable alumni. Its most visible attribute, however, has to be the culinary program, with its technical prowess earning its students a spot in the nationals in years past, and will once again compete locally in the future.
Attracting hundreds of students a semester, the culinary program puts students to work through rigorous preparation and intensive study, paving the way for future generations of chefs across the island and country.
Just two years ago, they beat out dozens of teams in a regional competition and got to compete nationally against some of the best culinary programs in the nation. Earlier this year they managed to earn a silver medal from the American Culinary Federation’s Western Region Student Team Championship in Reno under the tutelage of chefs Grant Sato and David Brown.
At the end of this year, they will once again vie for top honors against other programs in the state during the American Culinary Federation’s’ Professional/Student show. At the very same show in 2010, 14 students from the KCC program received Best in Show awards.
The American Culinary Federation was established in 1929 and is the most widely recognized professional organization for chefs and cooks in North America. It also hosts the culinary competitions in Orlando.
“In culinary competition, you’re being tested against a certain standard, rather than other chefs,” said David Brown, culinary instructor. “If every chef cooked a sub-par dish, none of them will be awarded anything. In essence, you’re really competing with yourself.”
At the end of the year, KCC will be judged alongside five other culinary programs in the state, including two programs on the Big Island, Maui, and another from Kaua‘i.
Brown has been with the culinary program for almost four years and has steered his students well over the course of his tenure. His expertise lies in confectionery dishes, creating exotic and delicate desserts.
When asked about the growing trend towards the utilization of local foods, Brown suggested that the program is trying to implement more locally based ingredients.
As of now, Hawai‘i gets roughly 85 percent of its food from the mainland, but the program hopes to reverse this reliance by cultivating sustainable local agriculture. The culinary programs currently utilize the herb and vegetable gardens that grow right on campus in some of their meals.
“With the volume required, however, it is sometimes not economically feasible to use them,” Brown said.
He hopes that will change in the future, with the implementation of vegetable and fruit garden on campus.