Kitchen gives hope to special-ed teens
By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
Inside the vast kitchens at Kapi'olani Community College, a new group of students toil over pans left from a buffet lunch, scrubbing and rinsing and sweating at industrial-sized sinks.
Jonathan Nonaka, a participant in a pilot project at Kapi'olani Community College, grabs a tray for stacking dishes. Organizers hope the program will help train students with special needs to work in the restaurant industry.
They're beaming.
As part of a pilot project between KCC, Kalani High School and the State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind, eight special-education students are learning the art of restaurant work.
It's the first collaboration of its kind, but organizers hope it will help these students function normally in society, land jobs in local restaurants and have the self-esteem that comes with earning a paycheck.
"My goal after this program is over is to get a job hopefully," said Rachael Sham, 20, who left Kalani High in 2002.
Sham and other students have learned how to wash dishes, clean the kitchen and arrive at work on time and in proper uniform. They're a few weeks into a program that will run through Aug. 21 and have had no problem catching onto those skills, so teachers hope to take them as far as they can go in restaurant education.
"They're perfect employees. They're happy. They show up for work on time," said Ronald Takahashi, department chairman of the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapi'olani. "There's a lot of misconceptions in the industry about what these students are capable of."
• Restaurant owners and managers interested in the program can call Ronald Takahashi at 734-9484.
Although there are tax benefits for companies who hire mentally challenged workers, few do so, Takahashi said.
Where to call
The idea started a year ago with Kalani High special-education teacher Laurie Seu and Department of Education resource teacher Caryn Yoshino. The two met after school on their own time to try to think of ways to help students once they have to leave the school system at age 20. Then Yoshino and Takahashi talked at a soccer event for their daughters and the restaurant plan was hatched.
"We thought there was a need for them to transition smoothly into some type of post-secondary education," said Seu. "The overall goal is to give these kids independent skills so they can take care of themselves and move on in life."
Organizers hope the program, which receives money from the Vocational Rehabilitation at the Department of Human Services, can continue next summer. With the network of community colleges and DOE schools, the program could be expanded statewide if it's successful, they said.
"So much of their success depends on how open the community is to accepting what they have to offer," Seu said.
Of the eight students in the KCC program, five are in their last year or two of school at Kalani High and three have graduated out of the DOE system.
Chef Nina Jarrett said besides having to speak clearly and be patient with beginning instructions, there's one major difference between teaching these students and others: "They take joy in every task," she said.
Student Kent Murakami, 21, walks to campus each day with his brother, a summer-school student at KCC. Murakami gives the thumbs up sign when he talks about his favorite activity of the day: dishwashing.
Takahashi said that's a rare and valued thing in a restaurant. Dishwashing is hard, hot work, which makes for high turnover, he said. "These people are very employable. You take more of a chance hiring someone out of high school who doesn't really want to be there," Takahashi said. "I started as a dishwasher. It took about a week before I was asking if I could do something else in the restaurant. People who will stay in these jobs are worth their weight in gold."
He has talked to at least one well-known chef who may give one of the students a shot in his kitchen. Any restaurant owners or managers who are interested in the program can come by KCC anytime, have lunch and see what kind of work the students can do, Takahashi said.
So far, Stephanie Fletcher, 17, has enjoyed seeing what's on the other side of the restaurant walls. She ate at KCC once with her parents, but now takes the bus each day to go to school there. And although she has a few years left at Kalani High School she said she might want to work in a restaurant someday. "I'm still thinking about it," she said.
A few of the students could move into the work force now, Jarrett said. The KCC staff at first wondered how the students would do in a large kitchen that's full of hazards, including fire and knives, but said they've learned at a faster pace than anyone expected.
"I had a lot of preconceived notions. I was very ambivalent when Mr. T. asked me," Jarrett said. "It's the best thing I've done all year."
Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.
