On Wednesday I had the privilege of judging Windward School District's Career and Technical Education (CTE) performance based assessment culinary challenge. At the beginning of the year we were asked to put out the challenge ingredients which were breadfruit and lemongrass based on something they needed to research and something local. Four schools participated in the competition: Castle, Kailua, Kalaheo, Kahuku.
These were the best teams or individuals from each school. The judging was based on the food itself, which included plate up, taste and execution, safety and sanitation. Then they also had to do an oral presentation which had to include their recipe, culinary techniques used, what they learned from their research and working with the ingredients, specific clientele for the dish and inspiration behind the dish, as well as speaking time for all members and proper attire. Each team had one hour to cook and plate and ten minutes to present.
I was impressed with how much time and energy the students as well as chef instuctors put into this project. This was the first year, and they hope to continue in years to come. All of the dishes were good, and even I learned something from the students.
- Miya Nishimura, Chef de Cuisine, Alan Wong’s Honolulu