KAILUA — This April, Hawai‘i public school cafeterias statewide introduced a twist on a local favorite — poke bowls. Tofu poke, prepared fresh in school cafeterias, featured tofu mixed with green onions and onions, tossed in a Hawaiian-style sauce of shoyu, sesame oil, garlic and ginger.
Students at Kailua Elementary were intrigued by the new plant-based dish and its familiar local flavors.
“I thought it was really good, and I liked the sauce with it,” said fourth-grader Jayzen Neufeldt.
Sixth-grader Julian Bermudez was pleasantly surprised by both the taste and nutritional value.
“The tofu is actually pretty great — it’s healthy. I don’t know why people don’t like it,” he said. “It’s like fish, and the sauce with it is really good. And if you mix it with rice, it’s much better.”
Fifth-grader Kiara Kane-Rodrigues also welcomed the chance to try tofu in a new way. “It was good. I like tofu. I haven’t had it in a long time, so it was nice to taste it again,” she said. “I like how it’s soft. I don’t think I like it plain — I like it with shoyu.”
Although the recent severe weather impacted the availability of local produce across the state, schools were encouraged to incorporate locally grown vegetables, if available, as part of the Department’s broader farm-to-school initiative. This statewide effort promotes food sustainability, supports local agriculture, and aligns with Act 175’s goals to improve student health.
The Department, in partnership with Kapiʻolani Community College’s Culinary Institute of the Pacific and the Culinary Institute of America, is redeveloping menu offerings to feature more locally inspired dishes that incorporate Hawaiʻi-grown ingredients. Select dishes — including a tofu poke bowl recipe — will be introduced next school year, with student feedback helping to refine each item to meet both quality and student preference standards.
Hawai‘i’s public schools are among the state’s largest institutional consumers of food, serving more than 100,000 student meals each day. The Department continues to collaborate with local farmers and vendors statewide to expand access to fresh, locally grown produce across all schools.
