HONOLULU — Eight inmates from the Waiawa Correctional Facility earned their culinary certifications through WCF’s first culinary program in roughly 20 years. The men completed four college-level classes taught by Kapiolani Community College Chef Instructor Lee Shinsato over six months.
Gabriel Apilando, Antonio Belen, Keith Ke-A, Kawika Krueger, Derek Liu, Randon Reyes, Pali Shin and Darius Thompson celebrated the completion of the program by preparing and serving eight dishes at a banquet for invited family and friends in June.
On the menu: lechon kawali taco salad, veggie kim bap lettuce wrap, huli chicken and lilikoi/raspberry chimichurri sauce, sous vide corned beef and kale “lu pulu,” banh mi bao, 811 focaccia sliders, lemon bars, and ube cheesecake.
“My hope is that students buy into my thoughts of how a professional kitchen should be run — respect, professionalism and to always strive for perfection. These are three soft skills that are transferable to any part of life (personal or professional),” said Kapiolani CC Chef Instructor Lee Shinsato in a news release.
“I’d like to think that they turn out better human beings that happen to have great cooking skills. In a real restaurant, you strive for repeat customers. In my classes, I don’t want repeat customers — recidivism,” said Shinsato.
Gabriel Apilando, nearing the end of a 20-year sentence, was one of the eight inmates who received his certification. “This program helped me a lot in professionalism and being able to have a future,” he said. “When we get out of prison, it’s giving me a lot to look forward to — a career or trade when I get out there, cuz I’m not getting any younger.”
Antonio Belen plans to use his new skills to get a job and care for his family when he’s released in September. “The culinary program taught me that anything is possible. As long as I put my mind to it and I have motivation and I’m willing to persevere and overcome and have the tenacity to move forward in my life, I can achieve all,” said Belen.
According to the release, inmates at WCF are preparing for work furloughs, parole, or release into their communities at the end of their sentence, so the program is a good fit.
“The students are participating in a college-level program that they can use once they transition back to society. With these skills, they can elevate their career-seeking potential or further their academic scope into a full culinary degree,” said WCF Education Supervisor Kerry Iwashita.
“It is evident from their commitment to the six-month program that vocational cohorts like these have a positive impact on them. We already have a full waitlist for the next one and I hope that we can get more of these types of programs going forward,” said Iwashita.
Kapiolani CC has run a culinary program at the Women’s Community Correctional Center for over 10 years, where more than 130 inmates have taken culinary classes from 2011 to 2022.
When Kapiolani CC proposed expanding the program to WCF, administrators welcomed the opportunity, knowing that many inmates are interested in culinary arts.
Encouraging the community to support the culinary classes, Apilando said, “Make sure that we can continue to provide this assistance and help to inmates who really want to change their lives.”
Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.
