{"id":233683,"date":"2026-05-05T18:48:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T04:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=233683"},"modified":"2026-05-06T13:55:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T23:55:27","slug":"leeward-cc-innovation-center-food-showcase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/05\/leeward-cc-innovation-center-food-showcase\/","title":{"rendered":"Food showcase at Leeward CC<\/abbr> innovation center highlights emerging local makers"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"group<\/p>\n

Cadena Ragsdale, founder of Kauaʻi<\/span> Fresh Fish, experienced a turning point at the April 29 ʻĀina<\/span> to Mākeke<\/span> Cohort 7 Showcase at Leeward Community College’s Wahiawā<\/span> Value-Added Product Development Center<\/a> (WVAPDC<\/abbr>). She moved from supplying fresh fish catches to launching something new.<\/p>\n

“Before ʻĀina<\/span> to Mākeke,<\/span> we were primarily focused on supplying fresh, locally caught fish to our community,” she said. “We hadn’t fully stepped into developing a branded, value-added product line yet.”<\/p>\n

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Kaua\u02bbi Fresh Fish Founder Cadena Ragsdale introduced fish jerky under a new brand, Hook & Salt Co., at the \u02bb\u0100ina to M\u0101keke Cohort 7 Showcase.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the showcase, she introduced fish jerky under a new brand, Hook & Salt Co., inspired by the fishermen and daily catch behind her business.<\/p>\n

“We wanted to honor that by creating a product that’s simple, flavorful, and rooted in Â鶹´«Ã½…<\/span> something people can enjoy anywhere,” she said.<\/p>\n

The program, she added, provided the structure and support to turn the idea into a market-ready product, from refining recipes to developing packaging and branding.<\/p>\n

“Now we’re not just selling fresh fish. We’re creating something shelf-stable that extends the life and story of our local catch,” she said. “A lot of people came in unsure about fish jerky, but their reactions completely shifted after tasting it.”<\/p>\n

The event capped ʻĀina<\/span> to Mākeke,<\/span> a 12-week program presented by Leeward CC<\/abbr>‘s Office of Workforce Development<\/a>, WVAPDC<\/abbr> and the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Ag and Culinary Alliance, helping entrepreneurs transform home recipes into retail-ready products.<\/p>\n

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The program helped Ragsdale extend the shelf life and story of her local fresh catch by turning her idea into a market-ready product.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About 150 attendees, including buyers, distributors, and food industry professionals, sampled locally sourced products from 15 local businesses.<\/p>\n

University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> President Wendy Hensel also attended the showcase.<\/p>\n

“I was so impressed when I first visited the center and sampled these products, I knew I had to come back for more,” she said. “What’s happening here is a powerful example of how innovation, education and local agriculture come together.”<\/p>\n

WVAPDC<\/abbr> Manager Chris Bailey added, “It’s inspiring to see participants not only refine their concepts but also build the confidence and connections needed to move forward. This cohort reflects the creativity and resilience of Â鶹´«Ã½’s<\/span> food and product entrepreneurs.”<\/p>\n

Other featured brands included Haliʻa<\/span> Gold, Â鶹´«Ã½’s<\/span> Only, Honolulu Mochi, Kenny Boy Ice Cream, Mālama<\/span> Bar, Myna Trading Co., Nā<\/span> Kālai<\/span> Waʻa,<\/span> Nourish Your Soul, ReBran, Rōmu,<\/span> SAVA<\/abbr> Provisions, Shaka Butter, Shaka Mex and Sol Food Kitchen.<\/p>\n

Cohort 7 joins a network of more than 100 ʻĀina<\/span> to Mākeke<\/span> entrepreneurs statewide.<\/p>\n

—By Devon Bedoya<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cadena Ragsdale turned fresh island catch into a new opportunity, debuting a fish jerky line at the ʻĀina<\/span> to M\u0101keke showcase as local entrepreneurs transformed homegrown ideas into retail-ready products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":233688,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[763,734,65,71,603],"class_list":["post-233683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-career-and-technical-education","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-leeward-community-college","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-workforce-development","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SAVA_product.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233683","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=233683"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233800,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233683\/revisions\/233800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}