Kīhei Charter School culinary program teaches food safety, cooking to juniors and seniors

Kīhei Charter School is in the third year of a culinary arts program that teaches juniors and seniors food safety, cooking and baking, school officials said.

Krystine Nakano facilitates the program. She has cooked for 17 years and said she discovered her interest in the culinary arts as a high school senior on Oʻahu.

Nakano said she wants students to leave school able to feed themselves. She also plans to take students to farms and restaurants so they can learn where food comes from and see possible jobs.

“The goal of the program is for the students to gain a life skill, a 21st-century skill,” Nakano said.

Students must complete a two-week food safety class and pass the Food Handler Certification test before joining the culinary class, according to the school. Employers often ask kitchen job applicants whether they hold the certification and have taken culinary classes, the school said. The school also said Maui has a shortage of trained kitchen workers.

Justin Pe Benito, a senior in the program, said he cooks for his family every day to help his mother. He said he sees the class as a possible career path.

Carter Cooper, also a senior, said knowing how to cook, shop for food and make meals will help him whether he enters the culinary industry or attends college.

“That’s a life skill that will never leave you,” Cooper said.

Cooper said the class also has taught him hand-eye coordination and how to work with a range of people, including teachers, supervisors and customers.

Both students said the class is demanding but enjoyable, and that they share what they learn with their families.

Nakano said she hopes students learn that cooking brings people together to share memories. She invited families interested in the program to contact the school.

Kīhei Charter School culinary program teaches food safety, cooking to juniors and seniors. The charter school is a tuition-free public charter school serving kindergarten through 12th grade. For more information, visit kiheicharter.org or call Head of School Michael Stubbs at 808-875-0700.