Kapiolani Community College celebrates Team Hawaii's national championship

More than $56,000 raised in support of culinary education in Hawaii and to help prepare Kapiolani CC culinary students for competition

Kapiʻolani Community College
Contact:
Kristen Bonilla, (808) 956-5039
External Affairs and University Relations
Carol Hoshiko, (808) 734-9567
Kapiolani Community College
Posted: Jul 21, 2009


HONOLULU — Kapiʻolani Community College‘s Junior American Culinary Federation (ACF) Competition Team, also known as Team Hawaiʻi, is the top student culinary team in the country after winning the student team national championship last week at the ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla. This is the first time a student culinary team from Hawaiʻi has won the prestigious competition.

To earn its spot in the national competition, Team Hawaiʻi captured the top prize at the ACF‘s Student Team Western Regional Championship in April in Seattle, Wash.

"We are extremely proud of our student chefs and team coaches for representing our college, the university and the state of Hawaiʻi at the national level with such grace and professionalism," said Carol Hoshiko, Dean of Culinary, Hospitality and College Advancement at Kapiʻolani Community College. "Their accomplishment is a testament to the quality of all of our UH community college culinary programs, and illustrates to the rest of the country that Hawaiʻi is a destination of choice for world-class culinary training."

The team, Kapiʻolani Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi are extremely grateful for the overwhelming support received from the local community, including many industry partners, that helped send them to Orlando, and will also help send a team to the ACF Western Regional Championship and National Championship in 2010 to defend these titles.

To date, more than $56,000 has been raised in support of culinary education in Hawaiʻi and preparing culinary students for competition thanks to recent ACF team fundraising activities. This total includes a generous $9,090 donation received from the Honolulu Confrerie de Chaine des Rotisseurs, $3,400 from Whole Foods Market‘s Community Support Day held on July 1 from which 5 percent of net sales at the Whole Foods Market Kahala Mall Store were donated to the team, and many other previously announced contributions (see complete list below).

More donations are still being received and accepted in support of the team and will be used to continue the competition course program, providing future students with the same experience as this year‘s national champions.

Under the guidance of Kapiʻolani CC Professor Frank Leake (team manager) and Associate Professor Alan Tsuchiyama (team coach), Team Hawaiʻi is comprised of student chefs Anna Hirano, Keaka Lee, Tate Nakano-Edwards, San Shoppell (team captain), Rena Suzuki and Ken Yi.

"We could not have made it to Orlando and achieved our dream of bringing home the national championship if not for the generosity and phenomenal support of the community," said Team Hawaiʻi Captain San Shoppell. "We really appreciate everyone‘s kindness throughout our journey, and most importantly, we thank everyone for believing in Team Hawaiʻi."

Visit www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu for a recap of Team Hawaiʻi‘s journey to the national championship.


MAHALO TO TEAM HAWAIʻI DONORS AND SUPPORTERS

Team Hawaiʻi wishes to acknowledge the following for their generous support:

  • ACF Kauaʻi chapter
  • ACF Kona Kohala Chefs Association
  • ACF Maui Chapter
  • American Culinary Federation
  • Big Island Goat Cheese
  • Big Wave Tomatoes
  • Bob Carpenter
  • Carole Kai Charities/Great Aloha Run
  • Children‘s Alliance of Hawaiʻi
  • Chef Works
  • Culinary Fast-Trac and Associates
  • Mr. & Mrs. J.P. and Beth Damon
  • Christopher Darval, Kapiʻolani CC
  • Doubletree Guest Suites—Walt Disney World Resort
  • Mr. & Mrs. Rich and Brendan Ethington
  • Eyes of Hawaiʻi Photography Club
  • First Hawaiian Bank
  • Guslander Foundation
  • Hale ʻAina ʻOhana
  • Hale Kuʻike, LLC
  • Halekulani Corp.
  • HFM Foodservice
  • Ho Farms
  • Honolulu Advertiser
  • Honolulu Confrerie de Chaine des Rotisseurs
  • Honolulu Magazine
  • Honolulu Star-Bulletin
  • Ms. Carol Hoshiko
  • Hukilau Foods
  • Y. Hata & Co. Limited
  • Grant Itomitsu, Kapiʻolani CC
  • KHNL 8
  • KITV 4
  • Lynne Kaneshiro
  • Kona Blue Water Farms
  • Kona Cold Lobster, Ltd.
  • Kevin Omura, Kuleana Design
  • Meng-Ling Erik Kuo
  • Mr. & Mrs. Michael and Tomoko Malaghan
  • Clifford Manansala, Kapiʻolani CC
  • Mr. & Mrs. Earle and Valerie Matsuda
  • Mr. Kenneth Matsuura
  • Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Mazuk
  • MidWeek
  • Dr. & Mrs. Earl and Karen Miller
  • Nalo Farms
  • Joan Namkoong
  • OC16 TV
  • Dr. Louise Pagotto
  • Glenn Poulain, Ocean Arts Hawaiʻi
  • D. Otani Produce, Inc.
  • Mr. & Mrs. Al Ogata and Amy Jampel
  • Gene Phillips, Kapiʻolani CC
  • Plate-Mate, Inc. U.S.A.
  • Dr. Leon Richards
  • Roy‘s Restaurants Hawaiʻi
  • Seawind Tours & Travel
  • Senate, Hawaiʻi State Legislature
  • Joji Seta
  • Share Your Table
  • Dr. Garrett Saikley
  • Starwood Hotels & Resorts
  • Sub Zero Wolff
  • Mr. Ronald Takeuchi
  • Tropic Fish Hawaiʻi
  • Whole Foods Market
  • Keane Yorita, Kapiʻolani CC
  • Hawaiʻi Chefs Roy Yamaguchi, Alan Wong, Hiroshi Fukui, Rodney Uyehara and Lindsey Ozawa, Chef Ernesto Limcaco, Chef Jon Matsubura
  • A friend, a chef, an ACF judge, a soldier proudly serving

For more information, visit: http://www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu