Love fish, love the sea

The bounty of the ocean is one of Hawaii’s greatest resources, and as with all our food sources, it must be treated with care. That means cultivating an awareness about the kind of seafood we choose to eat, and the hows and whys of such choices.

Teaching the public about conscious consumption starts with educating those who work with these products regularly — namely, chefs. Eventually, with enough exposure to the ingredients and dishes via what chefs are cooking, we all learn.

As part of the 7th Annual Hawaii Fishing and Seafood Festival, a new tasting event will showcase local seafood products to their delicious advantage while also teaching culinary students hands-on how to prepare them.

The Sea-to-Me Tasting Night on Friday will feature dishes by teams of community college culinary students from four islands led by restaurant chefs. Proceeds will support the culinary programs.

Chef Mark Oyama, faculty and board member at Kauai Community College and organizer of Sea-to-Me, says the event exposes students to the whole process of what it takes to get a fish onto a plate.

"Every time you eat a fish, there’s a fisherman behind it, there’s a guy who takes care of the boats, a guy who provides the ice. There’s so much involved in getting the fish onto the plate," he said.

Oyama said students also will visit the fish auction and get food-safety instruction.

Chef Allan Okuda, instructor at Hawaii Community College East Hawaii and owner of his family-run KLC restaurant, is the Hawaii island students’ coach. Okuda says fishing is big on Hawaii island, and menus there reflect that, so students learn a lot about fish.

"We want to make students aware of this valuable resource, that they don’t overuse certain species that are consumed more than others, like snapper, and that if they fish, to only catch what they need," he said.

Okuda encourages students to experiment with preparations for less utilized fish, such as taape (blueline snapper).

"I tell them, dry it, fry it, bake, steam, pickle it. I even have a microwave recipe where the taape tastes like lobster.

"The staff are all fishermen, so we bring our catch directly to the college and teach students how to use the fish head to tail — we use every part of the fish. Bones are for stock. There’s very little waste if it’s properly used," said Okuda.

The dishes his team will prepare, Smoked Ahi and Scorpion Pepper Poke, comprise ingredients such as ogo, scorpion chili peppers, green onions and ina­mona, not to mention kiawe wood, all of which are sourced on Hawaii island.

Chef Chris Speere, external coordinator for Maui Culinary Academy, said Sea-to-Me is a great chance for students to be exposed to the methods top chefs are using to prepare seafood.

Maui students will be working under the watchful eye of Lyndon Honda of 100 Wines Maui, whom Speere says fits that bill perfectly.

But some of the lessons in making a trip to Hono­lulu aren’t just about fish.

Kauai students will work with Guy Higa, executive chef at Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and a member of the Kauai Community College board. Higa says the event will provide real-life experience of what it’s like to work in a different kitchen, for instance, or how to be organized when traveling to cook in a faraway place.

"You cannot forget any of your equipment," Higa said.

The event also gives students insight into what chefs do for the community.

Chris Garnier, executive chef at Roy’s Hawaii Kai, volunteered to work with the Kapiolani Community College team. He said reaching out to the community reflects the values of Roy’s restaurants.

"Roy (Yamaguchi) understands these are our future chefs. We invest in the future," he said.

For Garnier and instructors at Kapiolani, investment can mean a mild form of tough love.

"I was in school at KCC about 20 years ago, and some of the instructors were my classmates. They tell me, ‘Show them how hard this work is. Get them down and dirty in the work.’"

Garnier and his old buddies aren’t meanies. They just want to help students succeed.

"Before, I had to save money so I could buy a cookbook to figure out a recipe," Garnier recalled. "Now, with Food Network and everything you can watch on YouTube videos, some kids think it’s easy, that they can come out of school and be a chef.

"Kids with good values, good morals, the utmost of respect — those are the kind of kids the chef will teach and mentor," he said. "I want them to know, it’s all about you, within."

Speere shares that perspective. He says one of the foundations of Maui’s academy is cultivating character.

"It’s about how to be a contributing member of the community, how to have a strong work ethic, having the ability to reciprocate."

Tina Sato, 27, an intermediate student at the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiolani Community College, will be on KCC’s Sea-to-Me team. She understands that the profession requires dedication and lots of hard work.

"This is my first chance to help out with an event by working in the kitchen," she said. "I volunteered at the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, but I plated dishes. I don’t ever get a chance to work with these big chefs, so I make the most of the opportunities we get."

KCC instructor and chef Alan Tsu­chi­yama says that though the school accepts only a few volunteering opportunities, Sato is always ready to jump in.

"I think Tina volunteered for every event possible at the food and wine festival that fit into her schedule, day and evenings," he said. "We try to instill a work ethic, but they also have to be hungry to learn."

Ambition doesn’t hurt, either.

Ariel Pasol from Maui is excited to participate in Sea-to-Me. He wants to learn more about seafood and to experience the industry beyond Maui’s shores.

"I haven’t been to an event outside Maui," he said.

Pasol, in the third semester of a 21⁄2 -year program, also works at the Four Seasons Resort Maui. He says after graduation he wants to put in more years at the hotel, where he works as a banquet cook.

"But I don’t see myself on Maui forever. I want to move to the mainland for my career."

Ken Morikawa, 19, now in his second year of Kauai’s two-year program, is equally ambitious but sees a different path for himself.

"I want to meet chefs and network with them," Mori­kawa said of the upcoming event. "When I’m done with school, I want to work in an Oahu restaurant to start in the business, and I’ll work anywhere.

"But eventually I want to bring my skills back to Kauai. I want to bring something new that people here haven’t had before."