Waiawa inmates earn culinary certificates from Kapiʻolani CC, hold banquet

VIDEO NEWS RELEASE

WCF inmates, Kapiʻolani CC chef instructors and WCF administrator

Gabriel Apilando with ube cheesecake and lemon bar

Antonio Belen plates 811 focaccia sliders

Kapiʻolani CC Chef Instructor Lee Shinsato with Pali Shin

Lechon kawali taco salad

Veggie kim bap lettuce wrap

Banh mi bao

Ube cheesecake

Link to video and sound (details below); https://tinyurl.com/yku7xfec

WHO: Eight inmates at Waiawa Correctional Facility (WCF)

Gabriel Apilando

Antonio Belen

Keith Ke-A

Kawika Krueger

Derek Liu

Randon Reyes

Pali Shin

Darius Thompson

WHAT: Earned a culinary arts certificate from Kapiʻolani Community College and cooked for guests at a banquet and completion ceremony at the facility.

MENU: 

• Lechon kawali taco salad
• Veggie kim bap lettuce wrap
• Huli chicken and lilikoi/raspberry chimichurri sauce
• Sous vide corned beef and kale “lu pulu”
• Banh mi bao
• 811 focaccia sliders
• Lemon bars
• Ube cheesecake 

WHEN: June 15, 2023

HOW: Kapiʻolani CC Chef Instructor Lee Shinsato has taught four culinary classes (totaling 14 college credits) at the facility over the past six months.

OTHER FACTS:

• This is the first time that WCF has had a culinary program in at least 20 years.
• WCF is a good fit for the program because inmates there are preparing for work furlough, parole or release at the end of their sentence into their community.
• Kapiʻolani CC has been running a culinary program at the Women’s Community Correctional Center for more than 10 years, with more than 130 inmates taking culinary classes from 2011 to 2022, and proposed a memorandum of agreement to expand the program to WCF.
• WCF administrators jumped at the opportunity, knowing that many inmates are interested in culinary arts and some hope to own culinary related businesses some day.  

VIDEO:

BROLL: (1 minute, 44 seconds)

0:00-0:11 - group shot of inmates who earned the culinary arts certificate from KCC

0:11-0:59 - preparing food in the kitchen

0:59-1:13 - plating food

1:13-1:44 - serving food for guests

SOUND:

Gabriel Apilando, Waiawa Correctional Facility inmate (8 seconds)

“This program helped me a lot in professionalism and being able to have a future”

Antonio Belen, Waiawa Correctional Facility inmate (14 seconds)

“The culinary program taught me that anything is possible.  As long as I put my mind to it and I have motivation and I’m willing to persevere and overcome and have the tenacity to move forward in my life, I can achieve all.”

Lee Shinsato, Kapiʻolani CC chef instructor (19 seconds)

“When they leave the program, they end up being better human beings. All the soft skills, things that we like are attitude, promptness, professionalism, the whole soft skill thing. So I really stress that, and they happen to be excellent cooks.

Kerry Iwashita, Waiawa Correctional Facility education supervisor (15 seconds)

“Vocational programs such as these are very important. It helps give guys the tools necessary to be successful outside. So I already have a huge list of guys signing up for the next vocational class that’s happening next year.”

Full contact information for Toni Schwartz:

Toni Schwartz
Public Information Officer
Hawai‘i Department of Public Safety, Hawai‘i Department of Law Enforcement
Office: (808) 587-1358
Toni.E.Schwartz@hawaii.gov