The cook project is designed to help students and teachers on hawai'i island connect more deeply with healthy, locally grown foods

The Cook Project, awarded to Mala'ai (doing business as Mala'ai Garden) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) under the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (CFDA 10.522), received $240,000 in obligated funding with an award date of September 15, 2025, and a completion date of September 14, 2027. In Year One, the project delivers afterschool cooking classes to Waimea Middle School students on Hawai'i Island, teaching culinary preparation using locally grown farm ingredients and school garden produce. Students apply their skills through community service by preparing meals for the St. James Community Meal Program, directly connecting food education with service learning outcomes.

In Year Two, the project expands to deliver professional development and instructional resources to K-12 school garden educators across Hawai'i. Key deliverables include hands-on teacher workshops, a customized Hawaii-focused school garden cookbook, and kitchen kits for classroom implementation. The project establishes a train-the-trainer program to extend capacity statewide, enabling educators across multiple islands to implement consistent farm-to-school cooking curricula. These integrated activities aim to strengthen student acceptance of locally sourced foods and advance Hawai'i's farm-to-school movement through experiential education and community engagement.

In the first year, waimea middle school students will participate in afterschool cooking classes where they learn how to prepare dishes using ingredients from local farms and their own school garden. They will also share their new skills with their families and broader community by preparing a meal for the ST. James community meal program. In the second year, the project will expand to support K-12 school garden educators. Teachers will attend hands-on workshops, receive a cookbook tailored to hawai'i's school gardens, and be equipped with kitchen kits so they can bring cooking into their classrooms. A train-the-trainer program will extend the impact to other islands, allowing educators statewide to use the same tools and lessons.by giving students and teachers the skills and confidence to cook with locally grown fruits and vegetables, the cook project will increase acceptance of local food in schools and strengthen hawai?I's farm-to-school movement.