Twenty-five public high school culinary programs are lucky that Cynthia Pratt can’t bear the thought of putting her feet up.

“I felt I had to to do something in my retirement to justify being retired,” said the ever-bustling Pratt, former culinary teacher at Kapolei High School.

Pratt collected and edited 230 recipes for the “Ono Loa Cookbook: Favorite Recipes of Hawaii’s High School Culinary Arts Programs,” featuring dishes served by each of those programs, plus favorite recipes from organizations that supported the project: Hawaii Culinary Education Foundation, Pacific Island Fisheries Group, Aloun Farms and Malama Learning Center. The book is also filled with practical information, including dozens of tips for cooking, baking and storing food; ingredient substitutions; quick fixes; and more.

Participating schools can sell their share of the nearly 1,700 cookbooks printed to benefit their culinary programs.

The project launched three years ago, perfect timing for Pratt following her retirement in 2014. She invited the state’s more than 35 public high school culinary programs to submit recipes, and 25 responded. Her work included interviewing culinary teachers from 14 schools, and thanks to donations from the fisheries group, she traveled with her daughter, Suzi Pratt, to Maui and the Big Island to meet with teachers on each island. Suzi volunteered her photography skills.

Pratt admits the project was quite an undertaking but that it was worthwhile.

“The public should know that the culinary programs of today are not the home economics classes of the past. The lessons done today are at a higher level; they’re connecting kids to what’s happening in the industry today,” she said. “This is an example of what the kids can do and what they do do.”

Kalbi-Glazed Pork Belly
Courtesy Farrington High School

• 5 pounds pork belly
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
• 1 round onion, grated
• 1 Asian pear, grated
• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• 1/4 cup minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 green onions, chopped, for garnish
• 1 bunch cilantro, for garnish

In large pot, place pork belly fat-side up. Combine remaining ingredients except garnishes; pour over pork. Bring to a boil, lower to simmer, cover and cook 2-1/2 hours or until pork is soft.

Carefully remove pork and place in flat pan to refrigerate overnight. Strain liquid and refrigerate separately.

The next day, skim fat from liquid and boil to reduce until thickened, about 1 hour.

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Place pork in roasting pan, brush with sauce and roast 30 to 45 minutes. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes.

Let pork rest several minutes before slicing. Garnish with green onions and cilantro. Serve in Chinese bao buns, rolls, tortillas or with rice. Serves 6 to 8.

Nutritional information unavailable.