Wok Cook-Off: March 14 at Kohala Intergenerational Center

Kahua Paʻa Mua is sponsoring a Farm-to-Table Wok Cook-Off on Saturday, March 14 at Kohala Intergenerational Center in Kamehameha Park — and we're inviting the whole community to come celebrate.

Free tastings begin at 11 a.m. and winners will be announced at 1 p.m. The full event runs 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Five Teams. All Local Ingredients.

Five teams led by Hawaiʻi County Council members, Hawaiʻi Community College Butchery and Culinary students, and community leaders from the Local Boyz baseball team will prepare dishes featuring Kohala-raised grass-fed beef, Korean Natural Farming-raised pork, pasture-raised meat birds and lamb, and locally grown fruits and vegetables.

The cook-off is designed to show Hawaiʻi's next generation that farming and food production are sustainable, income-generating career paths. Not just a way of life, but a livelihood worth pursuing.

"We have confidence in our upcoming leaders that the next generation will carry on the culture our ancestors embedded in us. If we like 'em, we make 'em, and if we broke 'em, we fix 'em."

— Executive Director, David Fuertes

Celebrating 20 Years of Kohala Intergenerational Center

This event also marks the 20th anniversary of the Kohala Intergenerational Center. Built in 1996 by local leaders, volunteers, and Hawaiʻi County after the former armory was deemed unsafe. For over two decades, it has served youth, kūpuna, and ʻohana throughout Kohala. The celebration will honor those who made it possible and its continued role as a hub for education and community connection.

Farmers Market & Agricultural Service Booths

Alongside the cook-off, the event will feature a farmers market with Kohala vendors selling locally grown and USDA-inspected meats, plus booths from organizations including the Hawaiʻi Ant Lab, USDA NRCS, UH Mānoa CTAHR, Hawaiʻi Community College, Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture, and more.

For more information, contact David Fuertes at 808-866-0566.

Read the original Big Island Now article here.