Kapiʻolani Community College

The Culinary Arts program provides students with numerous program options that allow them to match their educational pathways with their career goals. The Certificate of Competence (CO) programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts and Dining Room Service options are designed to help students acquire technical skills that will qualify them for entry-level employment after one semester’s training. The Certificate of Achievement (CA) in Culinary Arts program option is attained after three semesters and provides the student with the skills and knowledge required to pursue a journey worker Culinarian position within the industry. The college also offers an Associate in Science (AS) degree in Culinary Arts with concentrations available in Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts and lnstitutional Food Service. ln 2010, the college added an Advanced Professional Certificate (APC) in Culinary Management to its program, which articulates to a Bachelors of Applied Science (BAS) in Culinary Management at UH West Oahu. ln 2015, the program established a 2+2 articulation of its AS Degree in Culinary Arts with a concentration in Institutional Food Service with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree (BS) in Culinology at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), University of Hawai’i, Manoa (UHM). 

The Program has been able to obtain substantial extramural funding that allowed it to focus on its various initiatives including: combating childhood obesity through cooking for health and wellness; developing models in food service sustainability for the Hospitality industry; increasing the food safety of the restaurant industry through food handler training of its employees; assisting the workforce needs of the State through fast-track training of entry-level cooks; and, increasing the food security of Hawaii through the development of new value-added products through food innovation.