Fairmont Kea Lani Creates Maui Culinary Academy Scholarship

Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea, Maui. Photo courtesy of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

By Sonia Isotov

The bond between The Fairmont Kea Lani and the Maui Culinary Academy continues to grow with the resort hotel recently introducing a new $5,000 annual scholarship program for the school.

One lucky Maui Culinary Academy (MCA) student at UH Maui College (UHMC) will get a new $5,000 annual scholarship and work experience award recently introduced by The Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui.

The Tylun Pang Aspiring Chef Scholarship was developed in honor of the hotel’s executive chef, Tylun Pang who is a member of MCA’s advisory board and a long-term supporter of the program, both personally and professionally.

“I am very proud to continually support the Maui Culinary Academy,” said Tylun Pang, the executive chef at the Fairmont Kea Lani. “To see students receive such a high caliber of culinary education and training right here on Maui is very exciting. Some of my best chefs are graduates of the program.”

Earlier this year after a $5.1 million rebuild, The Fairmont Kea Lani’s signature restaurant Kō celebrated its grand opening with a silent auction earning over $8,000 for Maui Culinary Academy (MCA) students.

Last year, Tylun Pang also donated the proceeds from his latest cookbook to the MCA. The cookbook, What Maui Likes to Eat, features dishes Pang believes epitomize Maui’s culinary history.

Maui Culinary Academy students. File photo by Wendy Osher.

The award will provide one outstanding student the opportunity to complete an 8-week, paid summer work experience in a luxury resort environment. The experience will include a close mentorship with hotel chefs (including Chef Tylun Pang), orientation to hotel departments, kitchen experience for Kō restaurant and the chance to develop a dish that will be included on Kō’s 2013 menu.

“The Maui Culinary Academy is extremely appreciative of the Fairmont Kea Lani and its continued innovative programming that supports our Academy,” says Chris Speere, the MCA external program coordinator.

The MCA was recently recognized by the American Culinary Federation Educational Foundation as one of only 71 “exemplary” culinary programs across the nation.

Students interested in the scholarship program are invited to attend an informational presentation on Tuesday, September 11, at MCA’s Leis Family Class Act Restaurant at 5 p.m. The deadline for application is October 1, 2012.

The selected recipient will be announced at the Maui Culinary Academy’s annual fundraising event, Noble Chef, on October 27, at The Fairmont Kea Lani.