Local News

UH-MC culinary students create prize-winning cakes

Two University of Hawaii Maui College Culinary Arts Program students have been named winners of a product development competition sponsored by King's Hawaiian.

The UH-MC Culinary Arts Program students were charged with creating three-layer, refrigerated cakes "made of sweet, soft based cake sponges with light, sweet creamy fillings. The cakes and decorations must be durable enough to stay intact through delivery to grocery stores, display and customers transport home." And, of course, they needed to highlight Hawaii flavors and ingredients.

In the end, each of the five judges (all UH-Maui College Culinary Arts baking alumni) tasted 10 cakes in two categories -- tropical and chocolate -- and they unanimously chose Amber Kalish's POG cake and Dana Lynn Soriano's Chocolate Kona coffee fruit cake. Each winner was awarded $1,000 from King's Hawaiian.

Leading the judge's panel was UH-Maui College Culinary Arts alumnus, Pastry Chef Jeremy Choo. He is now the innovation pastry chef for King's Hawaiian.

"We've done these kinds of competitions before at (Kapi'olani Community College) and I was thrilled to be able to bring this one to Maui," he said.

Jordan Frank, King's Hawaiian director of product development and innovation, also traveled to Maui for the competition from the company's headquarters in Los Angeles. He was duly impressed and explained that there is certainly a chance that the winning concepts or a component or components of one of those concepts might find their way into a future King's Hawaiian commercial product.

UH-Maui College Culinary Arts Program Director and Pastry Chef Teresa Shurilla and Pastry Chef Instructor Hannah Stanchfield shepherded their students through the process and were extremely proud of all of them.

"All the participating students came up with such imaginative concepts and worked so hard to bring them to life on the cake plates," said Shurilla. "As I always say, friendly competition is a great motivator."