Culinary arts students receive scholarships
Three students in the culinary arts program at Hawaii Community College — Palamanui recently received scholarships from the American Culinary Federation Kona Kohala Chefs Association.
Annie Skilling, Estefie Monica Viernes and Kamaile Gusman each received an award of $2,000 as recipients of the American Culinary Federation Kona Kohala Chefs Association’s Spring Scholarship. The award supports continuing students in the culinary arts program. All three students will graduate from Hawaii Community College — Palamanui after the 2021 spring semester.
Associate Professor and Culinary Arts Program Coordinator Chef Paul Heerlein said all three students are “extremely responsible, reliable, team players” who are “passionate about this craft and a pleasure to have in our program.” They possess “wonderful attitudes, strong work ethics and attention to detail – traits that will serve them well in their careers,” he added.
The American Culinary Federation Kona Kohala Chefs Association also provides scholarships for high school and college students beginning their culinary education at the Hawaii Community College — Palamanui Campus.
To apply, high school seniors and prospective college students should download the application packet in the scholarships section of the American Culinary Federation Kona Kohala Chefs Association’s website at http://www.konakohalachefs.org. Inquiries for the Hawaii Community College — Palamanui Culinary Arts Program may be directed to Heerlein via email to heerlein@hawaii.edu.
West Hawaii Beach Cleanup postponed
The 28th annual West Hawaii Beach Cleanup has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The event, put on by Jeff Fear and the Big Island Wave Riders Against Drugs, during the first week of March, draws hundreds of volunteers to clean coastline areas from Kawaihae in South Kohala to Milolii in South Kona. Updates will be published in West Hawaii Today.
In the interim, Fear encouraged the community to pick up opala from any beach they go to amid the pandemic, and to look forward to a bigger community cleanup in the future.
“When we have the next one, we’re going to double up in the amount of trash,” he said.