In film, writing, and community events, UH Hilo Assistant Professor of English Patsy Iwasaki keeps alive the story of heroic immigrant plantation laborer Katsu Goto. 

By Cheylan Zimmermann.

During the week of Sept. 18-23, several events were held to commemorate the heroic life and tragic death of Japanese immigrant Katsu Goto, a storekeeper in Honoka‘a on Hawai‘i Island who was murdered in 1889 for his advocacy of plantation workers’ rights. The 2023 Katsu Goto Legacy Week events were part of University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Assistant Professor of English Patsy Iwasaki‘s mission to keep alive the story of Goto through several venues including a book, documentary film, and community gatherings.

Sept. 19, at UH Hilo: Meet-the-author event

Katsu Goto Legacy Week began Sept. 19 with a meet-the-author event held on campus at Mookini Library, where Iwasaki talked with students and faculty about her book, Hāmākua Hero: A True Plantation Story.

“It was a fantastic talk story event,” says Iwasaki. “We talked about culture as portrayed in the graphic novel, with many in the audience participating in the discussion, from food culture, gender, arranged marriage, family, and lynching.”

The graphic novel, illustrated by UH Hilo alumnus Avery Berido, takes place in the 1880s and focuses on Goto who left home to work on a sugar plantation on the Hāmākua coast of Hawai‘i Island. First a laborer in ‘Ō‘ōkala and then a shopkeeper in Honoka‘a, Goto fought for justice and labor rights of Japanese plantation workers, which led to his death by lynching in 1889. He was 27 years old. The book’s description explains that this story covers “one man’s hardships, success, injustice, and tragedy, shedding light on an intriguing but little-known piece of Hawai‘i’s past.”

“Although this story happened over 130 years ago, it is essentially about identity and the migrant experience, which is very relevant today,” says Iwasaki. “The story is modern with modern themes. It’s about a regular person who did something remarkable, who exhibited courage and bravery to help others, and that is something so inspiring and worth celebrating.”

At the event, Iwasaki shared that with a grant from the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities she received last fall, 700 copies of the book were utilized by 40 teachers on Hawai‘i Island. Having this resource allowed teachers to introduce the topic of sugar plantations and how Hawai‘i became a multicultural state through labor recruitment. Iwasaki reports that teachers say it is an informative learning resource because students don’t know about the island’s history since the plantations closed many decades ago, and that the many important themes in the graphic novel resonate with students.

Sept. 22, in Hilo: Mayor signs proclamation

On Sept. 22, at the Office of the Mayor in Hilo, Hawai‘i County Mayor Mitch Roth signed a proclamation declaring Katsu Goto Legacy Week. In attendance was State Representative Chris Todd representing Governor Josh Green and the Hawai‘i State Legislature. On the same day, members of the Katsu Goto Education Committee met with Councilmember Sue Lee Loy for recognition ceremonies.

Sept. 23, in Honoka‘a: Gravesite service, Peace Festival

Once Iwasaki’s book on Katsu Goto’s life was published in 2010, she decided to turn the inspirational story into a documentary film. Working as project director, writer, and executive producer, Iwasaki and crew began filming in 2014. It’s now nearing completion with the last of the footage taken during Katsu Goto Legacy Week events on Saturday, Sept. 23, notably at the gravesite service held at Hāmākua Jodo Mission in Honoka‘a, which included Goto’s relatives who were accompanied by dignitaries and friends from Japan.

Saturday’s commemorative events included a Peace Day Festival on the lawn at the Salvation Army, where Goto was recognized as a Honoka‘a “Hometown Hero.” There was music by the Honoka‘a High School Jazz Band, traditional bon dancing, and youth members from the cast of “Peace on your Wings” who sang songs of inspiration, peace, and hope from a new uplifting musical about Sadako Sasaki and her one thousand paper cranes.

Katsu Goto Legacy Week, the book Hāmākua Hero, and the upcoming film serve as a revival of connection between Hawai‘i’s multicultural community, the plantation era, and newer generations.

Related stories

#AsianHeritageMonth: Patsy Iwasaki’s graphic novel sheds light on immigrant experience

PHOTOS & VIDEOS: The making of a documentary film about historic hero of Honoka‘a, Katsu Goto

Story by Cheylan Zimmerman, an English major at UH Hilo. Susan Enright, editor of UH Hilo Stories, contributed.

The photo of sunset from Maunakea was taken during a field trip with Kāwili Kine Cultures, a part of the Center for Global Education and Exchange at UH Hilo.

This week’s UH System News “Image of the Week” is from University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s Jotis Russell-Christian, an undergraduate in astronomy.

Russell-Christian shares, “The picture depicts a sunset from Mauna Kea during a field trip with Kāwili Kine Culture, a part of The Center for Global Education & Exchange at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. The sun set was incredible from the tallest mountain in the world!”

Kāwili Kine Cultures is an inter-departmental program that gets students out into the community and environment to physically work and play.

Related story

Kāwili Kine Culture: International and resident students travel the island each week to learn about diverse cultures

UH News Image of the Week: Endangered ʻakepa honeycreeper by UH Hilo student Saxony Charlot

Katie Strong’s curriculum is focused on real-world applications of chemistry, a perfect fit both for the integration of sustainability-related topics and for fun field trips for her students into the community to see chemistry in action.

By Evangeline Lemieux.

A lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is integrating the science of sustainability into her curriculum. In an introductory chemistry course entitled “Chemistry in Society” (CHEM 100L), which is open to all students, educator Kathryn “Katie” Strong is including sustainability-based field trips to sites around the island, where her students gather information and often physical objects to study back at the laboratory.

The course is focused on the real-world applications of chemistry, which makes it a perfect fit both for the integration of sustainability-related topics and for fun field trips into the community to see chemistry in action. It is also an ideal way for students—in particular non-science majors—to fulfill the Diversification Science Laboratory requirement, which is necessary for all students.

Another element of the course is place-based learning, specifically the integration of science with place.

“The goal of the course is to make science accessible and to also have a lot of local implications,” says Strong. “To see it hands-on, tangible, in front of your face, and then bring it back to the lab, talk about it, and see how it applies in the lab, ask what this represents in the real world.”

Strong’s own field experience lends itself to this way of teaching chemistry. She is a UH Hilo alumna, graduating in 2021 with a master of science in tropical conservation biology and environmental science. She arrived at the university with a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Vermont. Before that, she served as a community health extension volunteer with the United States Peace Corps from 2011 to 2014.

Strong’s research interests, which she pursued as a graduate student at UH Hilo, include studying and identifying pollutants in the environment and their potential impacts on human health, for example, drinking water quality monitoring and chemical identification of beach plastics.

That well-rounded education and experience made Strong a perfect fit to start teaching chemistry at UH Hilo in the fall of 2022, showing her students how the subject relates to communities and the environment.

“My goal at UH Hilo is to pass on skills and techniques I have learned along the way,” says Strong. “I think it is important for us all to understand how societal actions impact not only the health of our natural world but our overall wellbeing as humans.”

Field trips

Examples of this “real world” investigation are found in the field trips.

Last spring, Strong’s introductory chemistry class visited the county’s East Hawai‘i Organics facility, where organic materials are processed to produce mulch or compost for agricultural purposes. During the trip, students learned about the facilities’ community outreach including free mulch distribution, and viewed first hand the chemical process of mulch making.

“The facilities encourage us all to mālama ʻāina (care for the land), while supporting our island’s circular economy,” says Strong.

This fall semester, Strong’s introductory chemistry class visited a winery in Volcano to learn about the chemical aspects of fermentation and sustainable grape farming. The farm also cultivates olives and tea.

“We toured the vineyard, toured the tea fields, the orchards,” says Strong. “The students learned about the process from harvest to fermentation onsite.”

One sustainable feature of the winery is its total reliance on local sourcing in its wine production, which includes partnerships with local farms to source fruit in addition to their own farming.

“Each one of those areas, whether it’s growing, harvesting fermenting, they all have chemical processes that go along with them, so (we’re) seeing the hands-on part of that,” explains Strong.

After field trips like this, the class learns to apply principles in the lab related to the outing.

“Fermentation almost seems like just a basic chemical process, but it isn’t, there’s a lot of nuance with it,” chemist Strong explains. “We’re going to experiment with temperature and sugar ratios. It always seems kind of simple but once you get out there, you see this is a science but it’s also an art.”

Full circle

Sharing her knowledge and experience gained during her own research as a graduate student, Strong is planning a future field trip for her chemistry students that includes a beach clean up and the collection of plastic samples to be analyzed back at the lab. Not only is this project a direct contribution to community sustainability, it will also provide information via the sample collection that can reveal some things about what kinds of trash end up on the island’s beaches.

Strong explains the implications of this research, saying, “When you know what kind of plastic you’re dealing with on the beach, if you can identify it, which we can with our methods back at the lab, it has implications in terms of how you can recycle it and then also in terms of determining which plastics are better to use in general. Certain plastics, depending on their plastic type, degrade a lot faster than others, and you can actually see that in chemistry with infrared light, in the chemical signature of the compound type.”

By making experiences like these available to students, Strong is helping illuminate two important topics simultaneously: the importance of sustainability and the everyday applications of chemistry. With the experiences grounded in community, the students also learn about the importance of sustainability and chemistry to life not only on Hawai‘i Island, but everywhere on Earth.

Related story

UH Hilo student gathers data on effectiveness of new machine designed to rid local beach of microplastics

Story by Evangeline Lemieux, who is double majoring in English and medical anthropology at UH Hilo.

The purpose of the yearly PacYES event is to motivate, inspire, and prepare high school students of Pacific Islander heritage for college and career opportunities as well as to foster cultural connections within their own communities.

By Neilynn Domnick.

The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo hosted the 10th Annual Pacific Youth Empowerment for Success (PacYES) conference earlier this month. The purpose of the yearly event is to motivate, inspire, and prepare high school students of Pacific Islander heritage for college and career opportunities as well as to foster cultural connections within their own communities.

Parents were also welcomed to attend this year’s event as they, too, need to understand the educational system and be acquainted with some of the service providers. More than 100 parents and both intermediate and high school aged students of Pacific Islander heritage participated.

PacYES used to be known as Pacific Islander Youth Empowerment Day back when it started in 2010, sponsored by the County of Hawai‘i Office of the Prosecutor. The prosecutor at that time was Mitch Roth (now mayor of the county). Ever since then, it is only appropriate that he give the opening remarks or the closing remarks at each event. This year he gave the opening remarks, as he emphasized to the students to “Dream, Believe, Achieve.”

The PacYES organization committee decided that this year’s theme would be “Relaunching Our Canoe” as the organization transitions to an in-person format for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions. Fittingly, Tom Raffipiy, the keynote speaker, was recently awarded the prestigious rank of Pwo, Master Navigator. In order to remind the conference attendees that the Pacific Oceania binds the island cultures together, he emphasized that “the Ocean is the highway of our ancestors, it was their home and it is ours, too.”

The conference attendees participated in a variety of workshops over the course of two sessions after the entire group sang the unity anthem, “We Are Oceania” led by student Taecia Kukui Akana and alumna Kiasa Asinna Kanto. This was followed by a resource fair that featured programs and clubs from Hawai‘i Community College, UH Hilo, and a few community service providers.

The PacYES conference was run entirely by student volunteers; they were in charge of planning and carrying out the program. Student-volunteers also participated in a workshop called “Dream Big & Take Action” as panelists and inspirational speakers. Students speakers, Jorja Xavier, Kawika Duff, and Shania Tamagyongfal talked about the significance of setting ambitious goals and the pursuit of further education as a potential pathway to attain desirable careers during the workshop.

In keeping with the theme, Celeste Hao gave the closing remarks speaking about her voyaging journey as an apprentice navigator of the Hōkūle‘a voyaging canoe in 2014, back to her roots, to Samoa. Celeste also mentions that her roots are also here in UH Hilo where she studied and looked at stars and was a part of the student organization Tupulaga o Samoa that later performed a cultural dance after the Marshallese Iakwe Club modern-cultural performance.

Support

PacYES is co-sponsored by UH Hilo and campus units Islands of Opportunity Alliance, Keaholoa STEM Scholars Program, Department of Anthropology, Pacific Islands Studies Certificate Program, and University Radio Hilo. Other UH partners include Hawai‘i Community College, UH Mānoa Center for the Advancement of Pacific Islander, East-West Center, and Pacific Islands Development Program (housed at the East-West Center). Other state support comes from Hawai‘i State Department of Education-Hawai‘i District (Hilo-Waiakea Complex Area, Kau-Keaau-Pahoa Complex Area), Office on Equality and Access to the Courts,

County of Hawai‘i support includes the Office of the Mayor, Office of the Prosecutor, and the Police Department.

Community support comes from We Are Oceania, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, Pasefika Empowerment and Advancement Inc., Rotary Club of Hilo Bay, Kokua Services Partnership, One Stop Center for Micronesians on Hawai‘i Island, Candy Apple Bananas, Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water, Micronesians United-Big Island, and the Stupski Foundation.

Story by Neilynn Domnick, UH Hilo alumna (communication, 2022) and outreach coordinator for PacYES.

Part of an annual worldwide event, the Kaiameaola Club has created their own Inktober challenge this year focusing on Hawai‘i’s native plants and animal species.

By Cheylan Zimmermann.

A student club at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is participating in a worldwide event called Inktober that challenges artists to create a single ink drawing every day during the entire month of October.

Members of the Kaiameaola Club, home-based at the UH Hilo tropical conservation biology and environmental science graduate program, are posting their Inktober artwork on the club’s Instagram.

“It’s been super fun getting to see the various artwork by different members of the program,” says graduate student Nai‘a Odachi who serves as secretary of the Kaiameaola Club.

The purpose of the original Inktober event, started by artist Jake Parker in 2009, was to create a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year.

To inspire people to participate, a list of prompts is created, one for each day of the month. The challenge is for the artists to create one drawing a day based on the prompt of that day.

“There are multiple prompt lists that come out from different artists each year and lots of people on social media contribute and share their artwork,” Odachi says.

Students in the UH Hilo Kaiameaola Club have created their own Inktober event this year with their prompt list focusing on different aspects of conservation and research in Hawai‘i such as native plants and animal species. By introducing flora, fauna, and other species to the community through art, the club is able to provide a fun and relaxing approach to learning.

Odachi says the goal behind these prompts is to “encourage students, especially those not from Hawai‘i, to learn about some of the native species that are important in Hawai‘i.”

Some of the prompts include the Hawaiian happy-face spider, i‘iwi, palapalai, ‘apapane, koa, ‘ōhelo, and more. Next to each prompt, the club has also provided participants with the scientific name for each of the plant and animal species.

With a little twist to the Inktober rules, the Kaiameaola Club is not limiting the challenge to ink drawings. Students have also submitted digital pieces, colored pencil artwork, and paintings. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Members of the local community, as well as visitors to the island, are also participating.

The Volcano Art Center is helping the club to promote the event in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. In the park, a station is set up so visitors can partake in the event and draw their daily Inktober ink drawing. Park visitors are able to view the prompt list at this station as well as a photo reference for inspiration.

Each day, the Kaiameaola Club is posting one of the pieces created by a club member on their Instagram @kaiameaola. Each post includes information about the current native species drawing prompt.

Students participating in this event not only get the chance to enhance their artistic talents but also are able to share their talents. Inktober art by the students is featured on the club’s Instagram story when students tagged their Instagram or used the hashtag #tcbesinktober on their post.

It is not required to be an artist to take part in this event, but to have fun, learn about the species in Hawai‘i, and share sketches or finished pieces of artwork. Students are still encouraged to participate in the last few days of the event. After the event comes to an end, those who are interested still have the ability to look at both the Inktober posts created by club members and the story highlights including the participant’s beautiful artwork.

Through this event, club members are supporting and complimenting one another’s skills that they hadn’t seen before. Kaiameaola Club members are successfully hosting an event that is positive in supporting the creativity of students, visitors, and their program members.

Students are also utilizing this event as a kinesthetic form of learning and relaxation.

“I think students enjoy taking a break from research and writing to do something artistic, and this was a great way to promote that,” Odachi says.

For those interested in the Kaiameaola Club, it is the official club for the tropical conservation biology and environmental science graduate program at UH Hilo. While all students in the program are automatically in the club, membership is open to all UH Hilo students, faculty and staff, as well as any community members with interest in environmental science and conservation.

Story by Cheylan Zimmerman, an English major at UH Hilo.

The event, held annually on the Mookini library lanai, gives everyone a glimpse into the many different countries and cultures represented on campus.

All photos in this post are courtesy of UH Hilo’s International Student Services & Intercultural Education program.

The International Student Association at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo presented the 2023 United Nations Day on Oct. 20. The event, held annually on the Mookini library lanai, gives everyone a glimpse into the many different countries and cultures represented on campus.

With students from about 35 different countries at UH Hilo, the university community lives, studies, and learns with an amazingly diverse group of students. U.S. News and World Report has ranked UH Hilo the most ethnically diverse campus among national universities for many years.

The world celebrates United Nations Day to honor the United Nations organization. This year is a special year because the United Nations has turned 75 years old. There are 193 member countries of the United Nations.

From opening remarks at UH Hilo’s 2023 United Nations Day event:

The United Nations promotes human rights, social progress, and world peace. Promoting world peace is especially important at this time in light of the events happening in Palestine and Israel. As the Secretary-General for the United Nations said: “Peace is needed today more than ever. War and conflict are unleashing devastation, poverty, and hunger, and driving millions of people from their homes. Climate chaos is all around. And even peaceful countries are gripped by gaping inequalities and political polarization.”

“An event like today’s United Nations Day is a time when we demonstrate unity and community among different people and nations of the world Our shared humanity during this time calls for us to stand in solidarity with those who are suffering. Acts of war, hate, and intolerance are in opposition to our values as international students. We believe in the power of people-to-people exchange as a way to create a more peaceful and just world. International students are here to show that aloha and unity among different people is possible and powerful.

The program opened with a performance featuring taiko drumming from Japan, followed by the Parade of Nations, and then singing and dancing by students from the cultures represented.

PUNA TAIKO

HAWAI‘I

CAYMAN ISLANDS

NORWAY

JAPAN

KOSRAE, FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA

BARBADOS

THAILAND

ESWATINI

YAP, FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA

BULGARIA

ETHIOPIA

NEW ZEALAND

POHNPEI, FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA

SWEDEN

CHINA

GERMANY

SOLOMON ISLANDS

PALAU

COLOMBIA

MARSHALL ISLANDS

MEXICO

FIJI

SOUTH KOREA

RŪCHŪ

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SAMOA

Missing from photos: Argentina, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Kiribati, Paraguay, and Taiwan.

The annual event demonstrates unity among nations represented at UH Hilo and shows that aloha and compassion among different peoples is possible and powerful.

This week’s UH News Image of the Week is of student Julia Polloi (geography/environmental studies) participating in United Nations Day celebrated at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. The photo was submitted by Jim Mellon, director of UH Hilo’s international student services. The photo was taken by alum Chelsea Freese (administration of justice, 2023).

“Julia Polloi represented her nation of Palau at UH Hilo’s United Nations Day celebration on October 20,” says Mellon. “This annual event demonstrates unity among nations represented at UH Hilo and shows that aloha and compassion among different peoples is possible and powerful. The event also observes the United Nations’ efforts to promote world peace, which is especially important at this time. International programs at UH Hilo believe in the power of people-to-people exchange as a way to create a more peaceful and just world.”

See more photos from 2023 United Nations Day at UH Hilo:

PHOTOS: United Nations Day 2023

South Korean artist and author Hyunjoo Lee’s central mission is to inspire children to find their dreams. “This is because I think that many problems in the world will be solved naturally if children are happy.”

By Evangeline Lemieux.

An alumna from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s art program is now showing her work internationally.

South Korean visual artist and children’s books author Hyunjoo “Amy” Lee studied at UH Hilo through the student exchange program, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor of arts in art.

Lee’s recent art exhibition, “The Universe Says You Are Special,” premiered in March with a month-long show in Seoul. She was chosen as the featured artist out of over 100 applicants. At the time of the exhibit, she had completed 83 pieces of artwork and five children’s books.

The gallery exhibited 31 of Lee’s drawings and paintings, far more than the five works on the first floor that they originally intended to exhibit. Lee says the full showing was able to proceed entirely as she intended. Her above-and-beyond approach to the application process is inspiring, and shows the value of committing oneself fully to a project.

“I was able to have my first individual exhibition due to my earnestness and attitude,” she says.

She also taught a one-day art class during the exhibition.

“The Universe Says You Are Special” is a thematically cohesive collection of work featuring bright rainbow colors and the theme of inner light.

“Everyone is born with their own light, and while living in the world, they seem to face many moments when the light is covered and covered by other people’s eyes and environments,” says Lee.

“I wanted to tell everyone that we had light and give them a moment to find it. We want to shine our own light, not as a comparison with others, and not as a social role as a mother or father.”

This theme is evident in many of Lee’s works, which exude brightness and joy through their vivid colors, technicolor landscapes, and focus on the beauty of living things.

After the exhibit in Seoul, Lee set her sights on showing her work overseas. She sent queries to more than 240 galleries in France.

“I wanted to feel the heart of Monet, Picasso, and Matisse, who were traveling and painting,” she says.

As with the Seoul exhibit application, Lee gave her all to the process, receiving responses from several French galleries, from which she chose a gallery in Nice on the French Riviera. That gallery included several of Lee’s paintings as part of their exhibition called “Couleurs du Monde” (“Colors of the World”) held in August at the Gallerie Tchaïkovski.

Lee credits her time at UH Hilo with helping her to find her artistic self.

“The painting and drawing classes I did with Professor Michael Marshall were the first moments when I expressed my thoughts in pictures, not a test to enter art school,” she says. “It brought me back to my childhood when I purely liked painting and that memory helped me a lot to find my dream.”

Lee hopes to do a showing in Hawai‘i in the near future.

“In Hawai‘i, which inspired me a lot, I really want to draw pictures and exhibit them at Hilo campus,” she says. “I want to show my children and husband beautiful Hilo.”

Lee says the happiness of children is central to her mission as an artist. She has authored several delightful children’s books that feature her artwork.

“My goal is to have a lot of events that will especially help children find their dreams,” she says. “This is because I think that many problems in the world will be solved naturally if children are happy.”

Story by Evangeline Lemieux, who is double majoring in English and medical anthropology at UH Hilo.

The Barrio Fiesta, held on UH Hilo campus, is a bright and lively event to bring the Filipino-American community together in Hilo.

 By Alexi Jimeno.

The Filipino community of Hilo organized and celebrated the Barrio Fiesta for all to enjoy on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Campus Center Plaza. The event was a tribute to Filipino-American History Month, which is observed in October.

Groups such as the Hilo Visayan Club, Fil-Am Community of East Hawai‘i, Samahang Bayanihan Club of Kea‘au High School, and the Tony Ramos Kajukenbo Martial Arts students demonstrated a variety of traditional Philippine dances and performances. There was also a display of Indigenous Filipino clothing and artifacts designed by Iris Gil Viacrusis, as well as a historical exhibit about Filipino labor and the sakadas of Hawaiʻi by Romel Dela Cruz and Kurt Dela Cruz. To top it off, Bali‘z Food Wagon served authentic Filipino food such as pancit and pork adobo.

Overall, it was a bright and lively way to bring the Filipino-American community together in Hilo.

This photo story was originally published at Ke Kalahea, the student newspaper at University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

The mouthwatering event was the culmination of a two-day collaboration in November, blending sustainability, education, and the importance of honey bees in the ecosystem.

Using honey produced at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s apiary, culinary students from Kapi‘olani Community College’s “American Regional and Sustainable” course produced a mouthwatering menu for supporters and donors to UH Hilo’s Adopt-A-Beehive Program with Alan Wong. It was the culmination of a two-day collaboration in November, blending sustainability, education, and the importance of honey bees in the ecosystem.

The specially crafted menu made by Kapi‘olani CC Chef Alan Tsuchiyama and culinary arts program students included:

• Honey and smoked paprika southern fried Ludovico Farm chicken
• Honey bbq smoked pork ribs
• Honey glazed sweet potato, apple banana and candied nuts
• Mari’s Garden greens with house smoked honey bacon bits, honey glazed macadamia nuts and honey mustard vinaigrette
• Honey butter cornbread
• Honey vanilla panna cotta topped with braised honey pineapple

Now in its 13th year, the Adopt-A-Beehive Program raises awareness about honey bees’ vital role in agriculture and the environment while financially supporting UH Hilo beekeeping students working toward their degrees.

“Chef Alan Wong and I are very grateful for the opportunity to work with Chef Tsuchiyama and his culinary students,” says Lorna Tsutsumi, UH Hilo professor of entomology and co-founder of the Adopt-A-Beehive Program. “He took the honey harvested by the beekeeping students at UH Hilo farm and, with the skills that he imparts to his students, turned it into a fantastic meal for our community program supporters. That’s what it’s all about, bringing light to the importance of honey bees for local and global sustainability.”

Tsutsumi and co-founder Wong shared their expertise with the culinary students through a unique presentation that highlighted the complexity and significance of honey bees in both the ecosystem and culinary arts.

“We learned about the vital role that honey bees play in our community,” says Kapi‘olani CC culinary student Lauren Horita. “Honey bees are the pollinators of crops, allowing us to have an abundance of produce to create dishes. I loved that we utilized the honey from UH Hilo in various dishes and learned a lot about the varieties of honey, the describer factors and grades of honey.”­­

The insightful lecture also gave the students a deeper understanding of the journey from hive to table and emphasized the responsibilities of a chef regarding agriculture, sustainability and scarcity of ingredients.

“This experience with Chef Wong and Professor Tsutsumi has opened my eyes to how crucial honey bees are in our lives and as culinary professionals,” says student Ruth Cundiff. “Without bees to pollinate, we will start to see a scarcity in ingredients that are used daily. As an aspiring chef who cares about sustaining the foods we enjoy for the next generation, I learned of the importance of being mindful of the impact we make now.”

–UH System News