{"id":171799,"date":"2023-01-24T12:31:59","date_gmt":"2023-01-24T22:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=171799"},"modified":"2023-01-24T12:32:36","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T22:32:36","slug":"chef-robynne-maii-cooks-with-leeward-cc-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/24\/chef-robynne-maii-cooks-with-leeward-cc-students\/","title":{"rendered":"James Beard Award winning Chef Robynne Maii cooks with Leeward <abbr>CC<\/abbr> students"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_64076\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/U3OsCmhWWy8?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Guest Chef Dinner featuring Chef Robynne Maii\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>For more than 15 years, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leeward.hawaii.edu\/\">Leeward Community College<\/a> held a special event, featuring a guest chef, at the on-campus restaurant The Pearl every semester as a capstone class for culinary students. Chef <strong>Robynne Maii<\/strong>, owner of F\u00eate restaurant in Chinatown, had been scheduled for spring 2020 but the dinner was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in December, the students and appreciative diners were able to welcome Maii to the campus for the delayed Chef Dinner, this time as a 2022 James Beard award-winning chef.<\/p>\n<p>The culinary arts instructors and students were thrilled to meet the distinguished chef, and were excited about the opportunity to work in The Pearl after such a long break.<\/p>\n<div style=\"float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 15px;\"><figure id=\"attachment_171833\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-171833\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-nii-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Student in chef hat holding plates of food\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-171833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-nii-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-nii-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-nii.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-171833\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Nii presenting her Foi Gras Gyoza<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<div style=\"float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 15px;\"><figure id=\"attachment_171831\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-171831\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-ribeye-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Plated sliced beef with vegetable garnish\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-171831\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-ribeye-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-ribeye-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-ribeye.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-171831\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grilled Marinated Ribeye<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<div style=\"float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 15px;\"><figure id=\"attachment_171832\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-171832\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-chocolate-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and a circle of sauce\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-171832\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-chocolate-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-chocolate-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-chocolate.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-171832\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dorie Greenspan\u02bbs Chocolate Cake<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>Nearly 80 guests were treated to Maii\u2019s five-course meal, prepared by the students:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Course 1: Foie Gyoza&#8212;presented by Chef de Cuisine <strong>Alex Nii<\/strong><br \/>\nBanana jam, soy balsamic reduction (vegetarian option with mushrooms)<br \/>\nDr. Konstatin Frank Dry Riesling New York 2020<\/li>\n<li>Course 2: Kampachi Tataki&#8212;presented by Chef de Cuisine <strong>Janelle Butac<\/strong><br \/>\nSea asparagus lomi, tomatillo salsa verde, crushed avocado (vegetarian option with pan-roasted hearts of palm)<br \/>\nCraggy Range &ldquo;Te Muna&rdquo;  Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2021<\/li>\n<li>Course 3: Local Oyster Mushroom Toast&#8212;presented by Chef de Cuisine <strong>Mark Luie Cafirma<\/strong><br \/>\nBrioche, poached egg, chives<br \/>\nRed Car Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2018<\/li>\n<li>Course 4: Grilled Marinated Ribeye&#8212;presented by Chef de Cuisine <strong>Derin Pascual<\/strong><br \/>\nMaui onion rings, aligot potatoes, perigourdine sauce (vegetarian option with grilled <span aria-label=\"alii\">ali&#699;i<\/span> mushrooms)<br \/>\nDomaine Rostaing &ldquo;La Vassel&rdquo;  Syrah France 2019<\/li>\n<li>Course 5: Dorie Greenspan\u2019s Chocolate Cake&#8212;presented by Chef de Cuisine <strong>Alec Parker<\/strong><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Laie\">L&#257;&#699;ie<\/span> vanilla ice cream, M\u0101noa chocolate sauce<br \/>\nVilla Sarche Single Estate Coffee, Costa Rica<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&ldquo;Loved seeing the students in action! They executed our menu flawlessly!&rdquo; Maii said.<\/p>\n<p>Maii is a graduate of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu\/\"><span aria-label=\"Kapiolani\">Kapi&#699;olani<\/span> <abbr title=\"Community College\">CC<\/abbr><\/a> culinary program. She has been a part of the restaurant industry since 1996 and is the owner of both \u00adF\u00eate and HeyDay in Waik\u012bk\u012b. Her 2022 James Beard Award was for Best Chef in the Northwest and Pacific Region. She is the first Native Hawaiian female chef to win, and it has been 19 years since <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> has won a James Beard Award.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our program has enjoyed a great relationship with Chef Robynne for a number of years. We appreciate chef\u2019s approach to teaching her employees and her dedication to education,&rdquo; said Assistant Professor <strong>Matthew Egami<\/strong>. &ldquo;It was an honor to have chef take the time (especially after her recent James Beard Award) to work so closely with our students.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Leeward <abbr>CC<\/abbr> also thanked their community partners for their contributions. Partners included: Ho Farms, Blue Ocean Mariculture, Honolulu Meat Company, Hamakua Farms, Mari\u2019s Garden, Waialua Egg Farm, Sumida Farms, Laie Vanilla Company, M\u0101noa Chocolate Hawaii and Kona Coffee Purveyors.<\/p>\n<p>Among those in attendance was Hayley Matson-Mathes, executive director of the <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Culinary Education Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This was an exceptional evening,&rdquo; Matson Mathes said. &ldquo;The food was well executed, thoughtfully presented, and the friendly service was knowledgeable. The experience was comparable to a fine dining experience at a top restaurant.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Learn more about <a href=\"http:\/\/www.leeward.hawaii.edu\/culn\">Leeward <abbr>CC<\/abbr>\u2019s Culinary Arts Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the spring semester, The Pearl\u2019s lunch service will run February 2&#8211;April 21. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.leeward.hawaii.edu\/thepearl\">The Pearl website<\/a> for the schedule, menus, reservations and future events.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_171830\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-171830\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii.jpg\" alt=\"Smiling people\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-171830\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/leeward-culinary-maii-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-171830\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left: Marietoni Hipolito, Cali Perry, Chef Robynne Maii, Jasmyne Wood, Rayna Mercado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leeward <abbr>CC<\/abbr> culinary students prepared a five-course menu with Chef Robynne Maii.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[90,184,63,65,491,56],"class_list":["post-171799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-alumni","tag-culinary","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-leeward-community-college","tag-the-pearl","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171799"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":171924,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171799\/revisions\/171924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}