Fill your tummy
and help isle community
college students

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By Betty Shimabukuro
Star-Bulletin

The thing about teaching cooking, as opposed to, say, English, is that you need equipment like stoves that cost $5,000 apiece. Your labs are whole kitchens and dining rooms. You need pots, pans, knives -- hey, you need raw meat. It gets expensive.

But the thing about teaching cooking, as opposed to English, is that your students are a profit center. Rather than wait for the state or the university system to cough up money, you can hold a fund-raiser -- because more people will pay for food than will pay to listen to students conjugate verbs.

This is a lesson that the community colleges with their active culinary arts programs are learning well.

"Not every department can go make a party and do a fund-raiser," said Kelvin Ro, chairman of next week's fund-raiser for Kapiolani Community College's Culinary Institute of the Pacific.

Last year's event drew 450 guests and netted $100,000 for kitchen equipment, building repair, faculty development and other needs.

Both KCC and Leeward Community College have major fund-raisers coming up:

Ho'okipa 2001: 6 p.m. April 20, Monarch Room, Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The event will feature 14 food stations and dishes prepared by KCC students and their instructors, plus a silent auction. Entertainment is by the Royal Hawaiian Band, Danny Kaleikini and Jimmy Kaina. Tickets are $100 for outdoor seating; $200 for indoor seating. Call 734-9570.

Taste of the Stars: 6 p.m. May 5, LCC courtyard. Fourteen guest chefs, including the all-star pair Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong, will offer their specialties. Also cooking: Hiroshi Fukui of L'Uraku, Wayne Hirabayashi of Hoku's, Russell Siu of 3660 on the Rise, Philippe Padovani of Padovani's Bistro and Wine Bar, George Mavrothalassitis of Chef Mavro and more. Entertainment is by Na Leo Pilimehana, Gabe Baltazar, Jimmy Borges, Betty Loo Taylor, Shari Lynn and Fascinatin' Rhythm. Wine, beer and martinis included. Tickets are $65 in advance, $75 at the door. Call 455-0392.

Both are "grazing" events, where for a single price it's all-you-can-eat. Guests wander the landscape and serve themselves.

But both schools are also offering tables for major donors. At LCC, $1,000 buys a table for 10 with table service, "live" cooking by selected chefs and wines paired by master sommelier Chuck Furuya. At KCC, special tables for 10 are $2,000 to $10,000 and include such amenities as personal waiters and favors. In the upper range, the price includes cooking classes and dinner parties in KCC's private dining room at a later date.

Ro said events such as Ho'okipa have an impact beyond ticket sales. They raise interest in a school's culinary program and generate awareness of its financial needs. Foundations take notice, he said. Large-scale donations are possible. "There are people out there looking for good causes to support."

To operate free of the fear of poverty would be ideal, whatever you're teaching. "Oftentimes the faculty are fighting over pots and pans," Ro said. "It creates another barrier to learning. Cooking should be simple -- heat and refrigeration."

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[MORSELS]

Friendly foods

The Five a Day Friends are on the road again, setting out to prove that kids can be convinced to eat better if they are allowed to bond with giant versions of fruits and veggies. Look for them at these events (someday you will treasure that photograph of your kid and the mega-broccoli):

>> Saturday: At canned-food drives at Mililani Wal-Mart, 9-11 a.m.; Windward City Shopping Center, 9-11 a.m.; Restaurant Row, 1-3 p.m.

>> Tuesday: 8-11 a.m., Hawai'i Convention Center

>> April 21: At the March of Dimes WalkAmerica, 9-10 a.m., Kapiolani Park

Special events

L'Uraku fifth anniversary: Na Leo Pilimehana performs at an anniversary celebration, 6-9 p.m. April 20 at L'Uraku. Chef Hiroshi Fukui's Euro-Japanese specialties will be served at tasting stations throughout the restaurant. Many items are not on L'Uraku's menu, such as grilled quail on baby spinach, soy-braised veal cheeks and "mushi-sushi," a steamed sushi with unagi and red-wine sauce. Television personality Emme Tommimbang and master sommelier Chuck Furuya will emcee. Cost is $65, including tax and tip. Call 955-0552.

Poor Man's Stew Cook-off: Drive away tax blues at Build-PAC Hawaii's Poor Man's Stew Cook-off, 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday at Amfac Center. Sample stews prepared by teams battling for prizes. Cost: $30; $125 for five tickets; $200 for 10.

Easter buffets

A sampling of what's available on Easter Sunday:

Alii Kai Catamaran: Brunch at sea includes children's activities and entertainment. Cost is $39.95; $19.95 children. Cruise runs 10 a.m.-noon, departing from Pier 5. Call 539-9400.

Cascada at the Royal Garden at Waikiki: Omelet and carving stations, an array of starters, penne pasta salad, stuffed mussels and eggs Benedict, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $35 adults; $15 children. Call 945-0270 or 943-0202.

Hoku's: Brunch features shellfish, sushi, dim sum, chowder and kiawe-grilled meats, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Bananas Foster and strawberries Romanoff will also be made to order. $45 adults; $22.50 children.

Ihilani Resort and Spa: Champagne brunch in the Ocean Ballroom features continental and Asian specialties, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost is $43.50; $18.25 for children. Call 679-0079, ext. 2166.

Parc Cafe: Euro-Asian entrees and omelet and crepe stations, plus made-to-order sushi and poke bars. Cost is $28.95 adults; $1 for each year of age for children. Call 931-6643.

Plantation Cafe: Features king crab legs, grilled salmon, New Zealand oysters in a half shell and assorted sushi, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost is $27.50 adults; $12.50 children. Call 955-4811 for reservations.

Plumeria Beach Cafe: Brunch, 11 a.m.-2:45 p.m., and dinner, 3-9:30 p.m. Both buffets feature more than 50 items such as cold salads, snow crab legs, spicy garlic chicken, sautéed fish. Cost is $24 adults; $21 children. Call 739-8760.

Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki: Canoes restaurant buffet runs 11 a.m.-8 p.m., with brunch until 2 p.m. Features sushi and poke stations. Cost is $24.95; $12.95 for children. Call 949-3811, ext. 6280.

3660 on the Rise: Pancake, omelet, carving and poke stations, London broil and roast leg of lamb, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Cost is $25.95; $12.95 children. Call 737-1177.

Waikiki Beach Marriott: The Summery restaurant offers champagne brunch, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Includes waffles made to order, filet mignon, ahi, halibut and chicken entrees. Cost is $35.95; $13 children. Call 922-6611, ext. 5170.

Easter dinners

Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar: Special menu items include lamb salad, salmon with soba and leg of lamb. Hours are 5-10 p.m.; call 536-6286.

Hoku's: Five-course menu with assorted sushi or pan-seared scallops, kiawe-grilled salmon or pan-braised opakapaka, soup, a lobster or lamb entree and orange lace cannoli with white chocolate. Served 5-10 p.m.; $65. Call 739-8780 for reservations.

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calendars and events.

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