Camp Kau Kau

This summer, youth across the state learned and cooked their way through 4-H Camp Kau Kau, a new weeklong summer culinary camp from UH-CTAHR’s 4-H Youth Development Program.

Recipes and lessons focused on the context and diversity of local food in Hawai‘i, with hands-on cooking experiences and educational activities about Hawai‘i’s food and agricultural history. Youth played games like “Mix Plate Match-up” and worked in teams to prepare dishes including kalua pork, saimin, lumpia, manapua, and Portuguese bean soup.

Almost half of surveyed students reported that they were more interested in a career related to local food because of the camp, and 83% said they will cook the recipes they learned at home. As one participant shared, "I feel like I can actually cook something for myself and my family."

UH Extension agents worked with dedicated 4-H volunteers and community partners to pilot Camp Kau Kau with 47 middle school youth on O‘ahu, Maui, Lana‘i, Hawai‘i Island, and Kaua‘i.

Feedback from the pilot will inform program revisions before the next planned session in Summer 2025. Host sites for 4-H Camp Kau Kau included Māla‘ai, Urban Garden Center, Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i, and The Food Lab at UH Mānoa. Funding for 4-H Camp Kau Kau was generously provided by CTAHR’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and University of Hawai‘i’s SEED IDEAS.

The 4-H Camp Kau Kau team includes Extension agents Marielle Hampton, Nancy Ooki, Tina Mueller, Hallie Cristobal, and Christine Hanakawa.

Written by Marielle Hampton, UH-CTAHR Extension Agent- For more information, please contact hamptonm@hawaii.edu