UH: Elevating Hawaiʻi’s food at the Culinary Institute of the Pacific

“I believe this program will take Hawaiʻi’s food to the next level,” said Joe McGinn, taking a break from prepping and cooking as a member of the inaugural cohort for a new workforce development collaboration between the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiʻolani Community College and the Culinary Institute of America.

McGinn, who earned an executive MBA and BA from UH Mānoa, and owns Hawaiʻi Natural Farming, was one of 16 culinarians ranging from local and military cooks to executive chefs who chopped, sliced and sauteed their way through ‘Āina-based Mediterranean Cooking, taught by CIA Consulting Director David Kamen Sept. 16–20.

“What we want to do is embrace the entire professional workforce in culinary so that we can continue to make Hawaiʻi better,” said CIP Executive Director Roy Yamaguchi, a CIA alumnus who was instrumental in bringing the partnership together. “By doing that, I believe that we can continue to better our economy because we have better people in our workforce.”

Leah Julianni Rodriguez, a UH Maui College culinary graduate and a cook at the Fairmont Kea Lani, said at first it was a little intimidating working side-by-side with executive chefs, at least one of whom had 3-star Michelin restaurant experience. However, she welcomed the opportunity to observe, learn and improve.

“It’s a nice stepping stone for continuing education for culinary graduates or any of the workforce that wants to further their education in different areas of the culinary industry,” she said.

Each five-day series costs $1,500 per student. Applicants must be 18 or older and have at least three years of culinary experience in a hotel, resort or restaurant kitchen to apply. The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority provided the majority of tuition scholarships for 32 participants in the first two cohorts. Additional funding support was also provided by the Coast Guard Foundation and Zippy’s.

Applications for cohorts 3 and 4 opened on Sept. 3 and will remain open until Oct. 11, 2024 at culinaryinstitute.hawaii.edu. Cohort 3 will focus on Small Dishes, Big Flavors – Appetizers, Hors d’oeuvres, and Street Foods Using Hawaiian Ingredients (Oct. 28–Nov. 1, 2024). Cohort 4 will cover American Regional Cuisines (Nov. 4–8, 2024). The Hawaiʻi Ag & Culinary Alliance will provide full 100% tuition scholarships for up to 32 participants in cohorts 3 and 4.

Plans are already being finalized for cohorts 5–8. 

“My long-term goal is to help the University of Hawaiʻi establish a center of excellence for Pacific cuisines,” said Kamen. “It’s an amazing place to be just the opportunity to come to Hawaiʻi to do some professional development or even workforce development is I think an opportunity that any chef would die for.”