DOE Teachers dipped balloons in chocolate in a workshop led by pastry chef Mark Okumura Sunday. The chocolate became coconut shells.

Culinary teachers get cooking

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By Betty Shimabukuro
bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

It used to be that high-schoolers who wanted to cook enrolled in home economics. These days, several public high schools offer culinary arts programs in which students run their own restaurants.

The teachers who shepherd these programs have come a long way in just a generation, but much remains to be done. Such was the message at this weekend's Culinary Educator Summit, which drew more than 70 teachers to the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiolani Community College.

Hawaii's food-service industry seems to have an insatiable appetite for well-trained help, which offers opportunity to young people -- and challenges to the schools.

The teachers heard from the ones who make the hiring decisions, from Aaron Placourakis of Tri-Star Restaurants to Victor Lim of McDonald's, who told them cooking skills are only part of the package. Attitude, an understanding of teamwork and solid work habits also need to be ingrained.

It wasn't all serious talk, though. In workshops with chefs, the teachers learned kitchen secrets such as how to make edible coconut shells by dipping balloons in chocolate. Chef George Mavrothalassitis raced through a 40-minute crash course in French cooking techniques while explaining how to make vichyssoise.

They were also treated to three nights of fine restaurant dining (summit expenses were covered by a combination of Department of Education funds and a grant from the Hale Aina Ohana, plus other sponsors).

Among the goals of the summit was to begin standardizing teaching throughout the system, to better prepare students for the community college culinary programs that will send them into the real world.

"If you're leading kids to careers, this is the way to go," said teacher Elaine Matsuo of Waipahu High school.

An aligning of teaching would work to everyone's advantage, through high school and beyond, said Fern Tomisato, coordinator of the culinary program at Leeward Community College. "That's what we'd like to see -- some kind of alignment to come out of this."

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