Hawaiʻi Community College will host the 18th Annual Hilo Culinary Classic on Friday, April 15, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Manono campus cafeteria in Hilo.
Entries created by second-year culinary arts students from Hawaiʻi CC will be on display, along with those of adventurous first-year student chefs. The displays will run the gamut from savory multi-course meals, inventive desserts, hors d’oeuvres, celebration cakes and edible art pieces. Graduates and professionals will also square off in the guest competition.
The event will feature food to eat as well as food meant exclusively for viewing as first-year Hawaiʻi CC students present a heavy pupu buffet. Foodies, families of student chefs, and the public are invited to savor a tasty feast while enjoying the technical heights Hawaiʻi CC culinary students have reached.
Putting students’ knowledge and skills to the test
Professor and chef Allan Okuda said the competition format “really tests the knowledge and skills of our students.”
“It demands not only correct technical knowledge, but students must also execute these techniques perfectly,” said Okuda. He has set high standards for the show, which gives each student the opportunity to prepare their most elegant, innovative and technically challenging creations.
“The students are working very hard to showcase their talents in the culinary arts,” he added. “To become successful, these students must sacrifice their time and their efforts.”
The students have the guidance of a growing instructional staff—Chef Instructors Brian Hirata, Karen Daniels, Shawn Sumiki, Sandy Dubczak and Tori Hiro.
A team of accomplished chefs will judge the entries in accordance with American Culinary Federation rules. The captain of the team and returning judge Jim O’Keefe, formerly of O’Keefe and Sons Bakery, will bring his years of knowledge and practice in the culinary realm to the table.
Chef Casey Halpern, of the venerable Café Pesto and a long-time supporter of the Hawaiʻi Community College Culinary Arts Program, is also on the panel. In addition, Chef Adrian Wagner, of the Hilo Bay Café, is a new judge that will bring fresh ideas and insights to the competition.
The student displays will be evaluated on presentation, nutritional balance, thematic balance, workmanship, practicality, creativity and composition. Awards will be presented during the public exposition.
For photos from past competitions, see the Hawaiʻi CC Flickr album.
Event information
The 18th Annual Hilo Culinary Classic will be held on Friday, April 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Manono campus cafeteria in Hilo.
Tickets are $9.50 and are available at the Hawaiʻi CC Cafeteria, Bamboo Hale and from the culinary students on campus. Tickets will also be available at the door.
For more information, please contact Sandy Dubczak at (808) 934-2559.
UH News video: 2013 Hilo Culinary Classic
—By Thatcher Moats
