Fundraiser will support culinary, tourism tracks

It’s common for Ron Taka­hashi to hear, "Oh, I already gave to the culinary program," when he reaches out for support on behalf of the Kapiolani Community College Culinary Arts and Hospitality and Tourism departments.

That’s because of the confusion that surrounds fundraising for operating costs versus fundraising in the name of KCC’s Culinary Institute of the Pacific. Funds for KCC raised by two of the largest culinary fundraisers in the state — the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival and Restaurant Week Hawaii — go toward building the school’s new Diamond Head campus for third-year students.

Meanwhile the school’s current needs include about $100,000 annually in kitchen repair and maintenance alone.

"That’s often how the state works," said Taka­ha­shi. "They build things, but they don’t provide the money to maintain them. There’s no small thing that breaks down in a commercial kitchen."

So in addition to his role as chairman of the culinary department, Taka­ha­shi is also one of the fundraisers behind Ho‘o­kipa Night, an annual event that brings in funds to support the Culinary Arts and Hospitality and Tourism programs.

The event takes place Thursday at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. This year’s honorees are Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalists Pamela Young and Gary Sprinkle, who produce the "Mixed Plate" series documenting culinary delights and cultural practices in Hawaii and abroad. Additionally, since 2011 the couple has provided scholarships to 57 culinary arts students.

The event will open with a cocktail reception with food stations, followed by a multicourse dinner prepared and served by students, with wine pairings.

Special guests will be celebrity chef Raphael Lunetta of JiRaffe Restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif., and KCC alumnus Yuhi Fuji­naga, executive chef at Sea Grill at Rockefeller Center in New York.

Fujinaga was born in Japan and raised in Hono­lulu. After graduating from KCC, he followed his career to Japan, Spain and New York. Sea Grill is part of the Patina Restaurant Group founded by Nick Valenti and chef Joa­chim Splichal on the belief that culinary excellence is an art form and that their cuisine is best presented in artistic or cultural environments. The Patina Group will be providing the products and serving vessels Fuji­naga will be using for the event.

Lunetta, who celebrated the 15th anniversary of JiRaffe last year, also co-owns Lemon Moon in West Los Angeles with business partner and longtime friend, chef Josiah Citrin.

The fundraising effort offers a valuable lesson for students.

"Those of us who have run food operations, been chefs, worked at hotels, we understand that we do what we need to do to survive," Taka­ha­shi said.

That includes reining in operational costs but still being visionary enough to raise $50,000 to replace old china and dinnerware.

"We’d been using dishes that have been here since we opened about 28 years ago," Taka­ha­shi said. "The old settings don’t match the courses and style of service that we’re seeing today. It was all odds and ends, and donations. It looked like my house. How do you run a world-class culinary program when you’re working with odds and ends?"