Starting with a single poi smoothie, Menehune Chef is teaching keiki about healthy, sustainable foods.
For three years now, the Kauai nonprofit has been offering after-school classes to teach nutritional recipes with hands-on demonstration. During the cooking classes, students can learn cooking basics, practical mathematics and everyday life skills, all while developing good eating habits.
“Our main goal and overall theme is getting kids to eat a little healthier and stay away from the junk food and understand where food is grown,” said Amanda Smith, founder and executive director. “Menehune Chef believes in building a thriving community by positively educating children to make and create wiser food choices and to do so by using locally grown ingredients.”
Smith started her journey at the University of Hawaii in early childhood education. At the age of 18, she was told she had abnormal cancer cells in her body, so she vowed to eat healthier and avoid canned or processed foods.
“I cleaned up my health and realized, wow, I really love to cook,” she said. “I love children, so I started teaching and had the rewarding backing with Hale ‘Opio.”
She worked with the nonprofit’s youth development and education programs for five years before taking time off to raise two children.
Now the 33-year-old has more than a decade of experience working for three different nonprofits and educating the community about health, life skills training, positive action, mother-daughter circles and youth camps.
“It was a concept of getting my kids in the kitchen, because I love to cook,” she said. “And I didn’t want to see my kids eating unhealthy.”
“Once I had it mapped out and had my kids loving it, they were doing my examples of recipes,” she added. “Then I knew this was going to work.”
Now she has come full circle, from starting at Kalaheo School to bringing her nonprofit program to Hale ‘Opio. The educator is also providing one-hour, six-cycle nutrition and cooking classes to Wilcox Elementary and Chiefess Kamakaheli Middle School, plus offering Maui second graders cooking demonstrations in April.
Adult and family cooking classes focus on team building, nutrition and recipes taught by local chefs, including practicing cutting skills and managing wet/dry ingredients.
“We work with local Hawaii chefs and farmers to infuse the essence of community involvement, sustainable living and locally grown ingredients,” she said.
Her efforts are supported through grants, donations and culinary classes.
“I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘My kid loves guacamole because of you,’” Smith said. “We’re getting them to make it, and it changes their lives.”
Her poi smoothie recipe is another favorite for students, featuring poi, one vegetable, berries, coconut or almond milk, and local honey. The fruit and vegetables come from farmer’s markets and local distributors, as well as the community.
“The fact that it’s all local, healthy, and they’re eating it is amazing,” she said.
Not only is the Poipu resident passionate about increasing children’s awareness of nutrition and health, she is using her talents in modeling and acting to spread her message.
“The concept is to grow, cook, eat and enjoy,” she said. “It could be anywhere, it’s a traveling cooking school.”
“We’re all family, so I’ll do everything I can to bring that to every school and make it happen,” she added.
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John Steinhorst, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0445 or jsteinhorst@thegardenisland.com.
