The University of Hawaiʻi Maui College culinary team is this year’s UH nominee for the Governor’s Award for Distinguished State Service Team of the Year for launching a food hub less than a day after the devastating August 8 Lahaina wildfire that ultimately fed tens of thousands of people. The award for state executive branch employees and managers is given to those who exemplify the highest caliber of public service and dedication to serving the people of Hawaiʻi. The selection was announced by UH President David Lassner at the August 15 meeting of the UH Board of Regents at UH Maui College and recognized members of the team in person.
“Every member of the culinary arts team contributed to the success of the food hub, not only cooking, but also procuring food and supplies, managing inventory, washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen classroom spaces, as approximately 200,000 meals were prepared, cooked, and packed in the span of two months,” said Lassner. “Thank you to an extraordinary team. We know you will represent UH well at the Governor’s competition!”
Immediately after the Lahaina and Kula wildfires on August 8, 2023, the UH Maui College Pāʻina Building was transformed into a fire relief food hub. The culinary team, about a dozen strong, sprang into action, to prepare meals for residents displaced by the fire, emergency responders and recovery volunteers.
“It’s a great honor but I think we all come from the hospitality industry and we are from a place of public service, so I don’t think anyone feels like they went above and beyond,” said UH Maui Chef Instructor Craig Omori after receiving the award. “It’s a bit surreal and an odd feeling but it is a great honor. And while it was a very difficult situation at times, I’m just like, proud to be a part of this team as they were taking on this huge task. So, it’s gonna be a time in my life that I will remember forever for sure.”
Omori stressed that so many were involved in the effort as the UH Maui culinary team worked with World Central Kitchen, Common Ground and Chef Hui and other organizations, along with community volunteers and others.
“There are those chefs in the industry who just kind of folded in with us that, you know, I’d like to make sure that they actually are recognized because they’re a huge part of this,” said Omori. “Then our UH administration team, they were washing dishes, they were taking out trash, they were doing all these things like in the trenches with us. So, I’m really grateful for all their support as well.”
Read more about the culinary team’s efforts during the wildfire tragedy
- UH Maui College serves as food preparation hub amidst wildfire tragedy, August 10, 2023
- UH Maui College culinary students pivot from food prep to packing produce, October 31, 2023
- From fire relief food hub to community gathering place, November 3, 2023
- UH Maui College culinary students distribute 1,600 produce boxes, more, December 12, 2023
- From crisis to classroom: Maui culinary student plays a lead role, April 28, 2024
Turning tragedy into learning for students
The kitchen space, normally used for culinary classes, was still needed as an emergency food hub. However, instructors found opportunity in the midst of the crisis, creating a special Disaster Relief Food Preparation Experience (culinary arts) course. The eight-week course taught students about food production as they worked alongside industry chefs and instructors to create meals for distribution to displaced families. Students earned credits toward their culinary arts degrees and learned invaluable lessons about serving their community.
“You know, we’re all food people and we’re all chefs, right?” said Omori. “And when it came time and we were asked, ‘Can you feed people?’ That was just what we do. It was something very natural for us.”
