"I had zero knowledge about cooking," the banking executive freely admitted. "But now I can go to a restaurant, look at a menu and appreciate the process of what it takes to prepare a certain dish."

Thanks to Kapiolani Community College's non-credit culinary classes, scores of Island residents have taken up cooking as a hobby, becoming amateur chefs in their own rights — and kitchens.

Among them is Alvin Ozaki, who trades in his aloha shirts and pens on weekends for aprons and knives, and who was responsible for coaxing his good friend and colleague Wesley to take cooking classes with him at the college.

"We were getting together to share wines but I was doing all the cooking all the time," laughed Ozaki, whose wife Gladys also takes cooking classes at KCC. "Wesley ho-hummed at first, but now he just got back with Grant (Sato, chef instructor at KCC) from a culinary tour of Bangkok and Chiang Mai."

And during his absence, Ozaki enrolled Wakamura in two upcoming one-day-only classes, including "Living off the Land" (May 6) and "Cooking Local, Part 1, The Shoyu Family" (Feb. 25), both of which will be taught by Sato.

"Cooking has become a growing interest among locals," Sato said. "Our students come from all walks of life, from bankers to doctors to lawyers to newlyweds to retirees."

On Jan. 23, Sato will teach students basic knife skills, instructing them on proper handling, sharpening and general maintenance. They will also learn the different cuts, from slicing to dicing to chopping to julienne.

"It's the most popular of all classes," asserted Frank Gonzales, KCC's non-credit culinary arts program coordinator. "We used to only offer this in the spring session, but demand for it has been so great that we now have it every semester."

The class will be held in the Ohia lab, from 6 to 9 p.m. Cost is $45. All classes are limited to 20 students.

To register, call 734-9211.

Almost filled to capacity is the three-series "Cooking Local I, II and III," scheduled for Feb. 25, Mar. 4 and Mar. 11, respectively. Cost for each session is $55.

Students get hands-on experience during Saturday cooking classes.

Another well-attended session is Sato's "Market to Table Culinary Tour," slated for Sat., Jan. 28, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $85, which includes transportation to Chinatown, dim sum brunch and the necessary ingredients to prepare a dish back at the lab.

"We always learn something new in his classes," said Ozaki, praising Sato for his teaching skills and his knowledge about food. "He takes the time to research products and answers all questions. He really simplifies things so you can do them at home."

Other upcoming classes include "Seafood Explosion!" (Jan. 30) taught by Dale Thomas and "Date Night!" (Feb. 4) with Sato.