{"id":32090,"date":"2015-02-25T16:35:59","date_gmt":"2015-02-26T02:35:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=32090"},"modified":"2021-09-29T14:28:38","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T00:28:38","slug":"eating-with-aloha-at-uh-hilo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2015\/02\/25\/eating-with-aloha-at-uh-hilo\/","title":{"rendered":"Eating with aloha at 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Hilo"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Reid Kusano and Bridget Awong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Every day, the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at Hilo<\/a> is serving up meals made with farm-fresh vegetables, locally grass-fed beef and fresh-caught fish, 65 percent of which comes from local sources. The use of local produce has increased by five percent since 2012, the result of the Local First program started in 2006.<\/p>\n

糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Hilo is the only campus of the 10-campus 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> System that serves 65 percent locally produced food. The farm-fresh fare isn’t limited to the Campus Center Dining Hall—it spans the whole campus including the residence halls. University Dining Services is under the corporate policies of Sodexo, a corporate food services company, which encourages locally-sourced food supplies.<\/p>\n

The Local First program is a result of the efforts of Bridget Awong<\/strong>, general manager of Sodexo Dining Services at 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Hilo. Awong is a down-to-earth local foodie and chef who is passionate about helping local farmers while providing quality food and services to the 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Hilo community. Starting in 2012, with the full support of 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Hilo Chancellor Don Straney<\/strong> and in conjunction with Hawaiʻi<\/span> Community College<\/a> and 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> West Hawaiʻi<\/span>, Awong launched a pilot program called Local First Wednesdays, when special plates are sold comprised of 100 percent local items on the first Wednesday of each month.<\/p>\n

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Kauaʻi<\/span> shrimp etoufee, sweet Kauaʻi<\/span> shrimp creole style in a spicy blonde roux with local vegetables<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Local First Wednesdays are now mainstay events on the campus and a big success with the 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Hilo community, and have helped boost the monthly percentage of local food served to 65 percent.<\/p>\n

Collaborating with local farmers<\/h2>\n

Awong says she plans ahead with farmers to ensure a year-long supply of items and to prevent everyone from growing the same thing. Because of Hawaiʻi<\/span> limited agricultural resources, there isn’t enough supply to meet demand, thus some items must come from the mainland, a commonly-known situation Awong readily acknowledges.<\/p>\n

“But you make a very conscientious decision when making your menu design,” she says, noting their hamburgers, steaks, and kalua pork all come from Kulana Foods in Hilo.<\/p>\n

Awong says the success of the Local First program is because of the collaboration between her team and island farmers. True to the name of the program, Awong and her team always look to Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island farmers first when planning menus. A big part of the strategy is building relationships with farmers. Twice a year, Awong and her team pay visits to local farms, establishing relationships with farmers and learning more about where local produce is coming from.<\/p>\n

Receiving recognition<\/h2>\n

In 2012, Awong received the Chancellor’s Certificate of Recognition for her work on Local First.<\/p>\n

On receiving recognition for her hard work, Awong said, “I was touched, I was dumb-founded. But it makes you really think about the impact on peoples’ lives when you do something local like this. Best day of my life, being honored by Chancellor Straney, being honored by (the) community, that was awesome, and I’m glad\u2013that’s why I do what I do.”<\/p>\n

For more, read 糖心Vlog官方 Hilo student Kara Nelson’s<\/strong> article on the 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Hilo Stories website<\/a>.<\/p>\n