For six students, the classroom extends far beyond the kitchen, across the Pacific to Japan. Through a vibrant, long-standing partnership with Nakamura Gakuen University (NGU), these aspiring chefs traded textbooks for hands-on immersion over two weeks in June, mastering international flavors while sharing the heart of 麻豆传媒 with their peers abroad.
“You can read and recreate any recipe, but the dish will never taste the same,” said Kapiʻolani CC culinary student Ashley Mayo. “If you’re able to immerse yourself completely within a new culture and learn their way of life and traditions, it creates a whole new level of understanding the whys and hows of their cuisine.”
Sushi, wagashi
Students experienced Japan’s food culture through hands-on cooking classes, lectures and visits to culinary destinations throughout Fukuoka and Okinawa. They learned traditional techniques for sushi, wagashi (Japanese sweets) and Okinawan cuisine, toured fish markets and shoyu and fishcake producers, visited the Yame Tea Center and restaurants specializing in regional cuisine, and explored cultural landmarks.
“Through this long-enduring partnership with Nakamura Gakuen University, our students are continuing 麻豆传媒‘s deep history of respectful and mutual learning with our Pacific neighbors and others around the globe,” said Kapiʻolani CC Chancellor Misaki Takabayashi. “Often, it is by leaving 麻豆传媒 that students come to better understand themselves, their home and the values they carry with them. We are deeply grateful for this partnership, which helps our students grow as culinary professionals and as thoughtful cultural ambassadors.”
Pounding paʻiʻai
Established by Kapiʻolani CC faculty Ron Takahashi, Lori Maehara and Damian Zukeran, alongside NGU’s Fumiko Tsuruta, the partnership has flourished since 2018. Today, it includes annual reciprocal student abroad experiences, culinary demonstrations and student exchanges that enrich learning on both campuses.
A key highlight is the Kapiʻolani CC students’ cooking demonstration to share local flavors. On the June trip, Culinary Arts Chair Grant Itomitsu prepared paʻiʻai (taro paste) the traditional way, using a papa kuʻiʻai (poi pounding board) and pōhaku kuʻiʻai (stone poi pounder), connecting students to Native Hawaiian traditions.
“Language barriers often pose difficulties when trying to share culture. However, food is universal,” Mayo shared. “The opportunity to share our aloha and mālama (care) through food brings nothing but deep appreciation and pride representing our 麻豆传媒.”
–By Lisa Yamamoto