Gastronome
Duck Confit on Baby Greens
KA ‘IKENA LAUA‘E RESTAURANT
Kapiolani Community College
4303 Diamond Head Road
Phone number (808) 734-9499
Website culinary.kapiolani.hawaii.edu
“Backstage” in the kitchen, Kapiolani Community College’s Ka ‘Ikena Laua‘e is just as busy as you’d imagine any restaurant to be. It’s about 30 minutes before the dining room opens, and students are prepping food at various stations.
Kolton Gleason has been in the program for about a year-and-a-half, though he didn’t set out to make cooking his life’s profession.
“I actually just came here because I want to know how to cook for myself,” he says, after expertly sautéing shrimp for scampi. “I never had anyone to teach me so I really wanted a good experience.”
After he graduates, Gleason hopes to find a job that will allow him to continue to perfect his newfound skills.
But KCC’s culinary program is not intended to only teach students how to become chefs.
“The students’ goals are to get a lucrative profession in the culinary world, which is very difficult to do,” says department chairman Ronald Takahashi. “Any program that tells you we can train a chef in two years (is) not being very honest with their students.”
Kolton Gleason (right) cooks Shrimp Scampi, while Adam Pactol prepares pasta
It’s why chefs-in-training also take general education courses, and KCC is currently the only culinary program in the state that offers an Associate of Science degree. The program is accredited by American Culinary Federation, and it ranked within the top 20 in the nation last year.
The school also runs an ACF apprenticeship program, which allows students to receive culinary training and certification without completing general education requirements. KCC also has several international partnerships and emphasizes a focus in sustainable food service, and cooking for health and wellness.
“It’s a major part,” says Takahashi of the program’s student restaurant, “but it’s not the only part.”
Still, this is Gastronome. The food is a very important component.
Take, for instance, my Duck Confit on Baby Greens. The duck, so tender, was topped with fruit compote and drizzled with a port wine glaze.
Together, everything was just the right amount of salty and sweet.
Then there was the Roasted Carved Rack of Lamb. It was supple, with flavors that were subdued by a tangy Cumberland (fruit-based) sauce. Boulangere potatoes and grilled vegetables that completed the dish also added two very important flavors: butter and garlic — ‘nough said.
Meals are finished off with a selection from a cart with desserts also crafted by students. My fruit tartlet was enjoyable and like the entire meal, bore no differences to what you might find at any “professional” restaurant or patisserie.
Because of the nature of Ka ‘Ikena, the menu changes weekly, and will only be open through May 1. Ka ‘Ikena also is open for dinner, but that menu focuses more on Asian-Pacific cuisine.
All menus are available online so that you can take a look at what students will be preparing and cooking throughout the month. I have my eye on a Honey Citrus Glazed Roast Cornish Game Hen slated for April 21-24 and a Salmon Paupiette scheduled for April 28-May 1.
The bottom line, really, is that there are more than enough reasons to stop in multiple times — like I plan on doing.
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MOTHER KNOWS BEST
There was one thing my mom constantly told me as a child: to keep quiet if I didn’t have anything nice to say. Cliché, sure, but I now begrudgingly admit that she had a point.
I was reminded of this last week during a visit to Ka ‘Ikena Laua‘e Restaurant, Kapiolani Community College’s student-run establishment.
It began quite nicely. The mood was quiet and comfortable, but exciting because of the student aspect. And then, as the universe is prone to do, a conversation I overheard from a nearby table threatened that convivial spirit.
It was a couple dining together who, at some point, had asked a student waiter about the day’s vegetarian entrée. The student, however, was unable to provide any information.
This, I gleaned over the course of 40 minutes or so as they continued to discuss it. I heard it again when the story was regaled during a phone call.
The point is, Ka ‘Ikena isn’t merely a restaurant. It’s a place where students can discover their passion for food, and then learn and refine those skills that will help them enter the restaurant industry as professionals.
If you’re looking for a seasoned staff, Ka ‘Ikena is not necessarily it. But that’s the entire charm of the restaurant. Because as I sat there, responding to my very sweet and slightly nervous student waiter, I knew that in some small (probably very small) way, I was helping her learn something.
And if you can get past its barely noticeable imperfections, and I really hope you can, then there also happens to be some amazing food to sample.
