KCC Chefs Cooking Up Funding For National Culinary Trip

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Kapiolani Community College student culinary teammates (from left) Ken Yi, Tate Nakano-Edwards, Anna Hirono, Rena Suzuki, San Shoppell and Keaka Lee take the first-place trophy at the Western Regionals April 4-6 in Seattle. The next challenge comes July 11-14 in Florida. Photo courtesy of KCC.

Kapiolani Community College’s Team Hawaii is headed to the nationals in Orlando next month, where the students will vie with three other teams for the Junior American Culinary Federation title at the Junior ACF convention. The local team captured the top prize at the Western regionals in April, earning them a chance at the national title July 11-14.

The current challenge, however, is to get there, and $40,000 should cover student chefs Anna Hirano,Keaka Lee, Tate Nakano-Edwards, San Shoppell, Rena Suzuki and Ken Yi, KCC professor Frank Leake and instructor Alan Tsuchiyama.

“We just got back from competition in early April, then changed the menu over the next few weeks,“explained Leake. “By the first week of May we did our first practice run, so they haven’t had a lot of practice. But I think timing will become essential because the ability to work with food - this team has it down.”

Between now and June 24 Team Hawaii will prepare “practice lunches” at the college to raise money for the trip,which Leake called “monumental"for KCC and its culinary program.

“This is the first time our school has made it to nationals,“he said.“There were more than 400 teams nationwide, then it went from 400 to 36 teams that went to regional competitions, and we’ve made it to regionals before. But after regionals you end up with just four teams.”

For more on the practice lunches or to offer support, call Leake at 782-2053, or visit www.uhf.hawaii.edu/Kapiolan iCC-ACFGoldTeam.

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