{"id":18288,"date":"2026-01-29T16:22:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T02:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/?p=18288"},"modified":"2026-02-10T13:01:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:01:37","slug":"2026-aina-kitchen-network-groundbreaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/2026-aina-kitchen-network-groundbreaking\/","title":{"rendered":"First AINA Kitchen Network facility breaks ground to create centralized kitchen to prepare, distribute school meals"},"content":{"rendered":"

WAHIAW\u0100 \u2013 State and local leaders gathered to break ground on a new regional centralized kitchen facility in Whitmore Village that will modernize school meal preparation, incorporate more locally sourced ingredients and boost efficiency across public school cafeterias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The regional kitchen is a centralized facility where meals will be prepared in bulk and distributed to schools for final serving, allowing for more quality control and efficiency. This regional kitchen is the first of many under the AINA Kitchen Network, which stands for Advancing Innovation in Nutrition for All.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis groundbreaking is more than a kitchen \u2014 it\u2019s about building a healthier, more resilient Hawai\u02bbi,\u201d First Lady Jaime Kanani Green said. \u201cOur keiki\u2019s meals are a public health investment \u2014 what children eat today will shape their health for decades to come. This facility strengthens the connection between our schools and local farmers, it keeps food dollars in Hawai\u02bbi, supports our agricultural community, and helps build a food system that can better withstand disruption.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we are starting here in Wahiaw\u0101 is going to be a model for all of our future expansion,\u201d she added. \u201cIt shows where Hawai\u02bbi is headed \u2014 toward practical, forward-thinking solutions, rooted in care for people and place. We can grow this statewide and serve our keiki for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The regional kitchen is expected to begin serving meals to students in the Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua Complex Area in fall 2027. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department, which serves over 103,000 meals per day to students statewide, plans to operate up to two regional kitchens on O\u02bbahu, two on Hawai\u02bbi Island and one each on Kaua\u02bbi, Maui and Molokai. Standalone production kitchens will continue at H\u0101na High & Elementary, Ka\u02bb\u016b High & P\u0101hala Elementary, L\u0101na\u02bbi High & Elementary and N\u0101\u02bb\u0101lehu Elementary schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is going to make a huge difference in how we feed our students in the future. The First Lady\u2019s initiative of feeding Hawaii\u2019s keiki is just the beginning,\u201d Senate Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz, whose district includes Wahiaw\u0101, said. \u201cThis is exciting for the community. This is going to create a lot of jobs. This is going to be a model not just for the nation, but, I really think, globally and that\u2019s because of everyone\u2019s efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Superintendent Keith Hayashi said the AINA acronym reflects exactly what the Department is trying to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe AINA Kitchen Network is a statewide effort to modernize school food service by creating regional kitchens that can serve multiple schools. Instead of every campus doing everything on its own, these kitchens allow us to work smarter, more efficiently, and with greater consistency,\u201d Hayashi said. \u201cMost importantly, this project is about our students. When we invest in how we feed them, we invest in their health, their learning and their future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farming and ranching industry leaders say the facility will help provide the needed assurances for producers to invest in large-scale crops and products to benefit public schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAcross all agriculture, one thing matters, and that\u2019s certainty,\u201d said Brian Miyamoto, executive director of the Hawai\u02bbi Farm Bureau, which connects farmers, ranchers and fishers across the state. \u201cThe regional kitchens provide that certainty. It creates dependable, large-scale demand for local fruits, vegetables, cultural crops, meats, eggs, seafood and value-added foods while making it easier for the DOE to buy local, for keiki to enjoy healthier, fresher meals and setting the model for other institutional purchases.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A phased opening is planned based on availability of legislative funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n