Maui students win top honors in 2025 Localicious Art and Recipe Contest

The Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation has announced winners and finalists of the 2025 Localicious Art & Recipe Contest, with two classmates from Maui Waena Intermediate taking first and second place in the Grades 5–8 art category.

This year’s contest theme, “Reimagine Your School Lunch Plate,” encouraged students across the state to explore local agriculture and healthy eating through art and original recipes. The contest is presented in partnership with Hawaiʻi Gas and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, with a goal of raising awareness about the benefits of fresh, locally sourced ingredients and careers in agriculture and culinary arts.

Art Contest Winners – Grades 5–8

• 1st Place: Xian Santos, 8th Grade, Maui Waena Intermediate – “Grown with Aloha, Served with Love”
• 2nd Place: Keylie Quemado Cachola, 8th Grade, Maui Waena Intermediate – “My Onolicious School Lunch”
• 3rd Place: Amelia Rodriguez, 7th Grade, Kailua Intermediate – “My School Lunch Reimagined”

Art contest winners in the K–4 and 5–8 categories will also receive a pizza party for their classmates, featuring locally grown and raised ingredients.

Recipe Contest Finalists – High School Division
The following high school students will compete in a live cook-off this summer at the Hawaiʻi State Farm Fair:

• Skye Alvarado, 12th Grade, Henry J. Kaiser High School – Guava BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Whole Grain Bun and Lilikoi Coleslaw
• Halia Kaaua, 11th Grade, Kalani High School – Sweet Sea (featuring ʻA‘u fish and ʻUlu)
• Mark Angelo Ragonton, 11th Grade, Molokaʻi High School – Tsunami Elote Shrimp (using shrimp and corn)

“We’re proud of all the students who participated,” said Denise Yamaguchi, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation. “The contest is a fun and impactful way to engage students in thinking about where their food comes from and how local agriculture supports our communities.”

Winning artwork will be displayed at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol and on the Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation website through April. The cook-off will take place this summer at the Hawaiʻi State Farm Fair.