ho'okipa

Kapiolani Community College has an annual fundraiser for its Travel and Tourism and Culinary Arts departments.  When Ryan told me about it, I knew I wanted to go, not just to support the school but to see him in action.  It was held at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on March 8.  As you can see from the table assignment card left on one of the tables on the lawn that it's pretty pricey, being a fundraiser and all.  We had "grazing" tickets for $75 since we had a student in the program, which meant we didn't have any seats and had to stand.  Luckily we grabbed a table so we could put our drinks and food down.

It was held on the lawn outside the Monarch Room and it had a great view of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach.  There were several food stations featuring different classes - Fundamentals of Cookery and Intermediate Cookery, Asian-Pacific and Continental Cuisine, Pastry.

As soon as we got there, we headed out to look for Ryan.  Here he is with his Fundamentals of Cookery classmates assembling their contribution.

They also took time out for a cute group shot.

This is what they were making:  “Black Cherokee heirloom tomato gazpacho garnished with a bouquetiere of garden fresh vegetables and tobiko served with a sweet Kauai shrimp seasoned with truffle salt and a blend of cracked peppercorns…seared in extra virgin olive oil and finished with a splash of Pau vodka, encased with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto.”  Whew, that was long! 

They prepped and cooked in the school's kitchen lab prior to the event and assembled it there.  It was yummy.  It was served in a disposable plastic champagne glass and it was a little top heavy so there was a lot of spillage when the servers carried them on trays to the dining room (to the guests who paid for "reserved seats"); such a waste.  The other stations had great food too.  Even though they were pupu-sized, we got full quickly.

Finally got a shot of Ryan in his chef uniform, with the school logo on the jacket.  He went to Sears to have his name embroidered on it, so official.

(Ryan said he got over 90 "likes" on his Facebook page when he made this photo his profile picture.)

Congratulations to all for a successful evening!