Farm-to-Table Wok Cook-Off to promote agriculture as career path for Big Island youth

County leaders, agricultural advocates and Big Island students will compete in an upcoming Farm-to-Table Wok Cook-Off to highlight agriculture as a viable and vital career path for Hawaiʻi’s next generation.

Mark your calendar now and don’t miss this special cook-off — sponsored by agriculture nonprofit Kahua Paʻa Mua — to be hosted March 14 at Kohala Intergenerational Center in celebration of its 20th anniversary.

The free community event also will include a farmers market and several agricultural service booths.

Five teams will compete in the cook-off, each led by:

• Hawaiʻi County Council Vice Chairperson Dennis “Fresh” Onishi.
• Hawaiʻi County Council member James Hustace.
• Benson Medina from Hawaiʻi County Research and Development.
• Students from Hawaiʻi Community College’s Butchery and Culinary School.
• Community leaders Ted Matsuda and Steve Nakamura with the Local Boyz baseball team.

Teams will prepare dishes featuring Kohala-raised grass-fed beef, Korean Natural Farming-raised pork, pasture-raised meat birds and lamb, along with locally grown fruits and vegetables.

The friendly competition is designed to demonstrate that farming and food production are not only essential to making sure the island can provide itself with enough food but also sustainable, income-generating career opportunities for young people.

“I’m grateful to participate in an event that highlights the value of local agriculture and community partnerships,” Hustace said. “Events like this demonstrate the importance of agriculture by strengthening connections across generations.”

Kahua Paʻa Mua Executive Director David Fuertes highlighted the government and community collaboration represented by Kohala Intergenerational Center, building what is needed to benefit everyone.

“We have confidence in our upcoming leaders that the next generation will carry on the culture our ancestors embedded in us — if we like ’em, we make ’em, and if we broke ’em, we fix ’em,” Fuertes said.

Kohala Intergenerational Center was constructed in 1996 by local leaders, volunteers and Hawaiʻi County after the former armory was deemed unsafe because of lead contamination.

It has served generations of youth, kūpuna and ʻohana for more than 2 decades throughout Kohala.

The anniversary celebration will honor the community effort that made the center possible and highlight its continued role as a hub for education and connection.

Free tastings for the cook-off begin at 11 a.m. and winners will be announced at 1 p.m., alongside special recognition for those who helped establish and sustain the center.

The farmers market will feature Kohala vendors selling locally grown and produced goods, including U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected grass-fed beef and pork.

Agricultural service booths will include representatives from:

• Hawaiʻi Ant Lab.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
• Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.
• Hawaiʻi County Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity and Resilience.
• University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
• Hawaiʻi County Department of Research and Development.
• Hawaiʻi Community College.
• Among others.

The free community celebration is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. the second Saturday of March at Kohala Intergenerational Center in Kamehameha Park and open to the public.

Call Fuertes at 808-866-0566 for additional information.