Kapiolani Community College student culinary team to compete for national title

Public's help needed to send Team Hawaii to the American Culinary Federation National Convention in Florida, July 11-14

Kapiʻolani Community College
Contact:
Frank Leake, (808) 734-9204
Kapiolani Community College
Kristen Bonilla, (808) 956-5039
External Affairs & University Relations
Posted: May 27, 2009


HONOLULU — Kapiʻolani Community College‘s Junior American Culinary Federation (ACF) Competition Team, also known as Team Hawaiʻi, is going for the gold and hopes that Hawaiʻi residents will come forward to help them get to the national championship.

Team Hawaiʻi captured the top prize at the ACF‘s Student Team Western Regional Championship in April, and is one of four teams that will be competing for the national title at the 2009 ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla., July 11-14. The team with the highest score will be named ACF Student Team National Champions for 2009.

A fundraising goal of $40,000 has been set to support Team Hawaiʻi, which will help cover food for competition practice and the competition, travel (air and ground), hotel, meals, promotion, and seed money for Team Hawaiʻi 2009-2010. A variety of fundraising events are scheduled to help meet this goal, including practice lunches throughout the month of June for which individuals or companies can purchase tickets. Donations in support of the team can also be made by contacting Linh Hoang at (808) 734-9570 or by donating online at www.uhf.hawaii.edu/KapiolaniCC-ACFGoldTeam.

This is the first time a team from Kapiʻolani CC has captured the top prize in a regional ACF competition and the second time a UH community college team has won. Maui Community College captured the Western Regional Championship in 2000.

Team Hawaiʻi is comprised of student chefs Anna Hirano (team alternate/sous-chef), Keaka Lee, Tate Nakano-Edwards, San Shoppell (team captain), Rena Suzuki and Ken Yi. Kapiʻolani CC Professor Frank Leake serves as team coach and manager and Kapiʻolani CC Instructor Alan Tsuchiyama serves as team teacher and coach.

The team spent months learning and refining advanced culinary skills in preparation for the ACF regional competition, and edged out seven other Western Region student culinary teams for the title, including teams from Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The Kapiʻolani student team will compete against representative teams from the Northeast, Central and Southeast Regions at the 2009 ACF National Convention in Orlando.

Team Hawaiʻi is very grateful for the support of Hawaiʻi individuals and businesses who have stepped forward to date to help with expenses, including Starwood Hotels & Resorts; Y. Hata & Co. Limited; Hale Kuʻike, LLC; Roy‘s Restaurants Hawaiʻi; HFM Foodservice; Kona Blue; Tropic Fish Hawaiʻi; Hukilau Foods; Hale ʻAina ʻOhana; Eyes of Hawaiʻi Photography Club; Joan Namkoong; Mr. and Mrs. Randall E. Jaycox; Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Tomoko Malaghan; Dr. and Mrs. Earl and Karen Miller; Mr. and Mrs. J.P. and Beth Damon; Mr. and Mrs. Rich and Brendan Ethington; Al Ogata and Amy Jampel; Meng-Ling Erik Kuo; Kevin Omura of Kuleana Design; and Hawaiʻi Chefs Roy Yamaguchi, Alan Wong, Hiroshi Fukui, Rodney Uyehara and Lindsey Ozawa.