{"id":238484,"date":"2026-08-04T10:54:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:54:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=238484"},"modified":"2026-08-04T10:54:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:54:43","slug":"kapiolani-cc-fukuoka-culinary-collab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/04\/kapiolani-cc-fukuoka-culinary-collab\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross-cultural cuisine: Kapi\u02bbolani CC<\/abbr> and Fukuoka students collaborate"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> culinary students and culinary students from Japan\u2019s Fukuoka Prefecture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A food innovation project comes full circle in August, when students from Japan\u2019s Fukuoka Prefecture will travel to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> to reunite with Kapiʻolani<\/span> Community College<\/a> culinary students. The teams will refine recipes for shelf-stable products and gather consumer feedback at the KCC<\/abbr> Farmers Market<\/a>, transforming an international classroom partnership into a real-world experience.<\/p>\n

Earlier this summer, Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> students traveled to Fukuoka to explore the product development process, experimenting with mentsuyu (Japanese noodle soup base), dashi (soup stock), and locally sourced Japanese ingredients.<\/p>\n

“Working with students from Fukuoka opened my eyes to the way culture influences our flavor preferences and how that plays such a significant role in selecting your audience when developing a new product,” said Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> culinary student Rachael Mathers. “The Japanese students leaned more towards traditional flavor profiles while we experimented with flavors that were familiar to us in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.”<\/p>\n

Combining culture, creativity<\/h2>\n

Students visited dashi maker Kubara Honke Kayanoya, met with Fukuoka prefectural government leaders, and explored regional markets featuring local food products.<\/p>\n

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Culinary students in testing recipes in Fukuoka.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“This partnership gives students the opportunity to experience the food innovation process from an international lens,” said Lauren Tamamoto, assistant professor and coordinator of the Takitani Foundation Innovation Center. “They are not just learning about food\u2014they are learning how culture and creativity come together to create collaborative products.”<\/p>\n

Now in its fourth year, the partnership between Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> and the Fukuoka Prefecture Government has evolved from culinary competitions into a three-year food-innovation project called One Health.<\/p>\n

“Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and Fukuoka share a fundamental understanding that the health of our environment is directly connected to the health of our food and our people,” said Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> Chancellor Misaki Takabayashi. “This partnership reflects our kuleana (responsibility) to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, its people and ʻāina<\/span> (land), while preparing students to become thoughtful innovators who strengthen their communities. We are deeply grateful to the Fukuoka Prefectural Government and our educational partners for their friendship and collaboration over the years, and we look forward to continuing our shared commitment to a healthier, more sustainable future.”<\/p>\n

The public is invited to sample the students\u2019 creations at the KCC<\/abbr> Farmers Market<\/a> on August 22, 2026, from 7:30 to 11 a.m.<\/p>\n

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

Taste what students from Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> and Fukuoka cook up together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":238515,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[184,134,63,71],"class_list":["post-238484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-culinary","tag-international","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-uh-community-colleges","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t