PUHI — Diners got good food and students got scholarships, Sunday, at the 23rd annual American Culinary Federation Brunch. The brunch served up more than 2,000 meals through its four-hour run on the Kaua‘i Community College campus. Proceeds from the
PUHI — Diners got good food and students got scholarships, Sunday, at the 23rd annual American Culinary Federation Brunch.
The brunch served up more than 2,000 meals through its four-hour run on the Kaua‘i Community College campus.
Proceeds from the brunch provide student scholarships, equipment and supplies for the culinary arts program and helps with travel expenses for student competitions, said KCC Chancellor Helen Cox who personally greeted as many of the diners as she could.
“It really warms my heart to see the relationship the college shares with the community,” Cox said, noting this was her first brunch experience.
Students were given a break with about an hour remaining so they could be acknowledged as chef Martina Hilldorfer, a culinary arts instructor, officiated over the presentation of more than $18,000 in scholarships to the culinary arts students.
Among these were the American Culinary Federation grants and scholarships from the Rotary Clubs of Kapa‘a, Po‘ipu Beach and West Kaua‘i.
Sandi Kato-Klutke, representing the Hawai‘i Hotel and Lodging Association’s Kaua‘i Chapter, also presented scholarships to students who were helping during the HHLA golf tournament last month.
Additionally, she said, through the efforts of Guy Higa, executive chef at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Spa and ACF’s Kaua‘i Chapter president, textbooks were presented to the culinary studies program at Waimea and Kapa‘a High Schools.
Billy Gibson, a KCC culinary arts instructor, said the textbooks were the same books used by KCC students and 50 copies were presented to each high school.
Clarence Nishi, a retired KCC culinary arts instructor, was enjoying the event. He was one of four people who started the first brunch 23 years ago.
Nishi said it was a collaborative effort between himself, Conrad Nonaka, Uwe Rudnick who was the chef at the Waiohai, and the chef at the then-Kaua‘i Surf that started the event in 1985 at the KCC dining room.
“We missed one year when we moved the event from December to February, but we used the money to help the kids,” Nishi said. “We wanted to do more with the high school kids because they need to get a headstart so when they come into the program, they are that much farther ahead.”
Helping at the event were 15 culinary studies students under the supervision of Kui Souza and a pair of students from Kapa‘a.
The event that started out to help students has expanded today to include a ceramics sale with items from KCC ceramics instructor Wayne Miyata and his students, a used book sale, entertainment by several community bands, and several auto dealerships taking the opportunity to preview their new hybrid vehicles in conjunction with the KCC automotive department.
