Never underestimate just how far you can get by pushing beyond your comfort zone. Take Grady Garzo, a 9-year-old with a picky palate who’s spent much of his young life in the kitchen exercising his taste buds. Grady’s commitment to trying new foods and taking ownership of what’s on his plate landed him a seat at the White House lunch table.

The Punahou fourth-grader’s grilled mahimahi, served in a pita with tabbouleh and hummus alongside a fruit bowl of papaya and pineapple, earned him a win in Michelle Obama’s 2014 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. In July he represented Hawaii and joined winning youths from the rest of the U.S. for a lunch with the first lady.

Grady’s green smoothie, which accompanied his dish, was served as part of the luncheon menu.

But the youngster’s adventure didn’t end when he left Washington. His win also gave him the opportunity to work with Hawaii chef Alan Wong. The duo presented food workshops at Punahou and at Wong’s Pineapple Room during a private party for Grady’s friends.

On Saturday their final collaboration will be a public event at Macy’s Ala Moana, where Grady will demonstrate his smoothie. Alan Wong’s wine director, Mark Shishido, will share his version of the healthful drink as well.

"Overall, it was extremely exciting," said the young cook of his visit to the White House. "At lunch we ate on Reagan china and had small portions of seven kids’ foods, plus my smoothie and a dessert.

"The best part was visiting the White House garden. There were herbs and a papaya tree. A Vermont family called it a coconut tree, and I told them it was a papaya tree."

Grady’s mom, Jennifer Duncan, says her son’s time with Wong has been invaluable.

"It’s been a hard job to make Grady eat healthfully and try new things, so his cooking is a lot about trying to get him involved in what he’s eating," she said. "Grady’s smoothie includes spinach, something he likes. But he eats things plain. At Punahou, Alan had an interesting lesson about blending different flavors, and he and Grady made salad dressing. Seeing what went into it, Grady tried it — and liked it. It’s been a great growing experience."

Wong says he chuckled when he heard Grady was a picky eater.

"When I was a kid the only vegetables I ate were peas, corn and tomatoes. I had a gag reflex with lettuce," he said.

Entering the fourth grade at Kipapa Elementary, Wong found himself in a precarious position: His teacher checked the lunch trays for clean plates.

"It was the first time I was subjected to this, and when I looked at my tray, there were beets," he said. "I knew this was impossible. So for a week I stuffed my vegetables in the milk carton — and then I was busted.

"After that I stuffed my pockets with veggies. I would be at PE with wet pockets, and my mom would find beets, broccoli and celery and carrot sticks in there."

Needless to say, the chef learned to eat his vegetables. A fascination with baking pies and mixing salad dressings in culinary school motivated him to broaden his horizons.

"I thought bread came from a package and dressing came from a bottle, so when I learned this, I thought, ‘Holy mackerel! I can make this stuff!’ And I was willing to try."

All this fuels Wong’s work with young people.

"When you expose kids to food earlier, they become more aware of where food actually comes from. When they learn it comes from the ground or from the ocean, they can decipher what is local or not local and determine which flavor they actually like," he said. "If they pick the local because it’s riper and fresher, we can help kids make healthy, nutritional choices.

"It’s all about cultivating a palate memory."

GRADY GARZO’S TROPICAL STRAWBERRY BANANA SECRET SMOOTHIE
2 frozen bananas 
5 fresh strawberries 
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt 
1 cup nonfat milk 
1 handful baby spinach

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Serves 1.

Approximate nutritional information: 600 calories, 2 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 125 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 90 g sugar, 25 g protein