Middle school students across the state learned to cook dishes such as manapua and kalua pork as part of “4-H Camp Kau Kau,” a week-long culinary camp from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resource’s (CTAHR) 4-H Youth Development Program this summer. Recipes and lessons focused on the context and diversity of local food in Hawaiʻi, with hands-on cooking experiences and educational activities about Hawaiʻi’s food and agricultural history.
The camp reached 47 students at sites on Oʻahu, Maui, Lānaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island and Kauaʻi. In kitchens and gardens across the state, youth learned how to properly measure wet and dry ingredients, practiced their knife skills preparing pickled cucumbers, and cooked kalua pork in an electric pressure cooker. They also built their understanding of themselves and their community through written activities, such as poetry and family recipes.
As one participant shared, “I feel like I can actually cook something for myself and my family.”
Students played games including “Mix Plate Match-up” and worked in teams to prepare dishes such as saimin, lumpia and Portuguese bean soup. Almost half of surveyed students reported they were more interested in a career related to local food because of the camp, and 83% said they will cook the recipes they learned at home.
Host sites included Mālaʻai, Urban Garden Center, Hoʻola Lahui Hawaiʻi and UH Mānoa’s Food Lab. Funding for the camp was provided by the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and University of Hawaiʻi’s SEED IDEAS.
The team, which included CTAHR extension agents Marielle Hampton, Nancy Ooki, Tina Mueller, Hallie Cristobal and Christine Hanakawa, is preparing for next year’s camp in 2025. For more information, contact Hampton at hamptonm@hawaii.edu.
