Consulate Activities
2025/6/13
The Fukuoka-Hawaii Youth Culinary Exchange Program/Student Chefs Compete in International Cooking Competition
On Thursday, June 5, a student culinary competition was held at Kapiolani Community College (KCC) in Honolulu as part of a youth exchange initiative between Fukuoka Prefecture and the State of Hawaii. The event brought together aspiring chefs from Japan and the United States, with Shotaro Ito, Consul General’s official residence's chef, serving as one of the judges.
This program is part of the ongoing exchange activities between Fukuoka Prefecture and the State of Hawaii, which share a sister-state relationship. As part of this food-focused exchange, culinary students from Fukuoka visited Hawaii from 1 to 8 June. During their stay, they participated in university-level classes and visited local companies to learn about Hawaii’s unique food culture.
The culinary competition marked the culmination of the program. Mixed teams composed of students from both Fukuoka and KCC collaborated to develop and prepare creative side dish menus, using ingredients from both Hawaii and Fukuoka. The concept was to create dishes suitable for in-flight meals on Hawaiian Airlines flights departing from Fukuoka to Hawaii. Each team showcased impressive creativity and technical skills, presenting innovative and visually appealing dishes.
The panel of judges included Chef Ito and Mr. Wade Ueoka—acclaimed owner and executive chef of MW Restaurant and a leading figure in Hawaii Regional Cuisine.
Chef Ito shared his thoughts and words of encouragement with the participants, stating, “I thought it was a great opportunity for them to learn both Japanese and Hawaiian food culture. I believe it will lead them to have a wonderful experience to develop unique ideas with each other”.
This program exemplifies the meaningful cultural and educational exchanges fostered between Fukuoka and Hawaii, and is expected to continue contributing to the development of mutual understanding and human resource exchange among youth in both regions.
This program is part of the ongoing exchange activities between Fukuoka Prefecture and the State of Hawaii, which share a sister-state relationship. As part of this food-focused exchange, culinary students from Fukuoka visited Hawaii from 1 to 8 June. During their stay, they participated in university-level classes and visited local companies to learn about Hawaii’s unique food culture.
The culinary competition marked the culmination of the program. Mixed teams composed of students from both Fukuoka and KCC collaborated to develop and prepare creative side dish menus, using ingredients from both Hawaii and Fukuoka. The concept was to create dishes suitable for in-flight meals on Hawaiian Airlines flights departing from Fukuoka to Hawaii. Each team showcased impressive creativity and technical skills, presenting innovative and visually appealing dishes.
The panel of judges included Chef Ito and Mr. Wade Ueoka—acclaimed owner and executive chef of MW Restaurant and a leading figure in Hawaii Regional Cuisine.
Chef Ito shared his thoughts and words of encouragement with the participants, stating, “I thought it was a great opportunity for them to learn both Japanese and Hawaiian food culture. I believe it will lead them to have a wonderful experience to develop unique ideas with each other”.
This program exemplifies the meaningful cultural and educational exchanges fostered between Fukuoka and Hawaii, and is expected to continue contributing to the development of mutual understanding and human resource exchange among youth in both regions.