{"id":233873,"date":"2026-05-11T11:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T21:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=233873"},"modified":"2026-05-11T11:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T21:20:17","slug":"culinary-students-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/11\/culinary-students-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Culinary students showcase talent through King\u2019s Hawaiian pastry competition"},"content":{"rendered":"
Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]
\"desserts\"
Petits g\u00e2teaux by Kapi\u02bbolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> culinary students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Students from two University of Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> campuses showcased their culinary and pastry talent through the King\u2019s Hawaiian Innovation Competition, a hands-on learning experience and scholarship competition conducted in partnership with the culinary programs at Kapi\u02bbolani<\/span> Community College<\/a> Culinary Institute of the Pacific<\/a> (CIP<\/abbr>) on April 14 and UH<\/abbr> Maui College<\/a> on April 16.<\/p>\n

Cooking challenges<\/h2>\n
\"cakes\"
UH<\/abbr> Maui College culinary students students developed larger-format cake concepts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The competitions provided culinary arts and baking & pastry students with opportunities to develop original creations and present their work in a professional, industry-guided setting. The competition also reflects the spirit of innovation championed by King\u2019s Hawaiian founder Robert R. Taira, whose pastry journey began in Hawai\u02bbi.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe learned techniques from last semester like making mousse, creme mousse, ganache, and all sorts of those things,\u201d said Kapi\u02bbolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> culinary student Shania Tumpap. \u201cPutting it all together to create the dish was really eye opening because it really makes you realize that everything we are learning comes together to create something.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the competition, students at each campus were given distinct but complementary challenges. At CIP<\/abbr>, students created three petits g\u00e2teaux, emphasizing precision, presentation and flavor balance at an individual-portion scale. At UH<\/abbr> Maui College, students developed larger-format cake concepts, focusing on structure, durability, creativity and overall design.<\/p>\n

Student work was evaluated using a standardized rubric that considered taste (flavor, aroma and texture), visual appearance, originality, inspiration, durability and oral presentation, encouraging students to approach their creations from both creative and practical perspectives.<\/p>\n

Kapi\u02bbolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> student winners:<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • 1st Place Petits G\u00e2teaux: Shania Tumpap, Chocolates and Rubies, Morning Sunshine, and Turon Back to Good Old Days<\/li>\n
  • 2nd Place Petits G\u00e2teaux: Chase Ignacio, Go Nuts for Bananas, Berry Much in Love, and Miso Hungry for PB&J<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    UH<\/abbr> Maui College student winners:<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • 1st Place in Chocolate Cake Category: Sandy Johnson, Black Sand Indulgence<\/li>\n
    • 1st Place in Tropical Cake Category: Bea Dalit, Pi\u00f1a Colada<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Scholarships were awarded to the winning students at each campus, in recognition of their irresistible creations. The competitions reflect UH<\/abbr>\u2019s emphasis on experiential learning and workforce development through collaboration with industry partners.<\/p>\n

      \"people
      Judging panels comprised of Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> food industry leaders.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      The judging panels:<\/h2>\n
        \n
      • Neale Asato, Owner, Asato Family Shop<\/li>\n
      • Tricia Beaman, Vice President of Marketing & Merchandising, Foodland<\/li>\n
      • Keoni Chang, Vice President & Chief Food Officer, Foodland<\/li>\n
      • Michelle Karr-Ueoka, Chef and Co-Owner, MW<\/abbr> Restaurant<\/li>\n
      • Wade Ueoka, Chef and Co-Owner, MW<\/abbr> Restaurant<\/li>\n
      • Jeremy Choo, Senior Innovation Pastry Chef, King\u2019s Hawaiian<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Choo, who is also a UH<\/abbr> Maui College Culinary Program alumnus, participated as a judge and shared professional insight throughout the competitions, reinforcing the connection between alumni, industry, and the UH<\/abbr> System.<\/p>\n

        \u201cWhile the contest allowed the students to express their creative voices, the true prize was the invaluable learning experience and the wisdom shared by the visiting chefs,\u201d said UH<\/abbr> Maui College Instructor Chef Hannah Stanchfield.<\/p>\n

        Homegrown support<\/h2>\n

        \u201cKing\u2019s Hawaiian has been a huge support to us, and I hope that this opportunity that we\u2019ve created in partnership with them lasts for a very long time,\u201d said Kapi\u02bbolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> instructor Chef Sheylen Say. \u201cBeing that they\u2019re a family-owned company from Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> and know what our culture is, it\u2019s great for our students to get an opportunity to learn from them and feel supported.\u201d<\/p>\n

        \u201cIt\u2019s a great honor\u2014and responsibility\u2014to be back home. I was fortunate to learn from chefs who built their careers on the continent and abroad before returning to Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> to share their knowledge,\u201d said King\u2019s Hawaiian, Sr. Innovation Pastry Chef Jeremy Choo. \u201cHaving been one of the lucky ones, it\u2019s especially meaningful to help the students at Kapi\u02bbolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> today see what\u2019s possible for their own futures. For King\u2019s Hawaiian and me to be part of that journey is truly an honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Through its ongoing partnership with CIP<\/abbr>, King\u2019s Hawaiian continues to support opportunities that connect students with professional expectations and mentorship\u2014helping prepare graduates for careers in Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s<\/span> food and hospitality industries.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_masonry_media_grid element_width=”3″ css=”” grid_id=”vc_gid:1778534047232-3774ffe8-c6bb-8″ include=”233952,233950,233949,233944,233948,233947,233946,233945,233943″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The competitions provided students with opportunities to develop original creations and present their work in a professional, industry-guided setting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":233949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[184,181,63,344,660,60],"class_list":["post-233873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-culinary","tag-culinary-institute-of-the-pacific","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-maui-culinary-academy","tag-student-recognition","tag-maui-college","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/uhcc-culinary-contest-9.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233873","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=233873"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233961,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233873\/revisions\/233961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}