From Garden to Gold: Young Hawaiʻi Cooks Win Big in 4-H Cooking Contest
Posted on Sep 2, 2025 in Main
A “pot of gold” awaited keiki in this year’s “Grow, Eat, Think (GET) Local” Video Cooking Contest, organized by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Cooperative Extension 4-H program. Young cooks showcased their kitchen skills, creative use of local ingredients and ability to explain recipes through fun, easy-to-follow videos.
The contest is part of 4-H’s mission to empower young people to reach their full potential through GET Local’s learning opportunities, facilitated in welcoming and engaging environments.
Grand Prize Winner: Chocolate Mango Mini Cakes. Tina of the 4-H Pineapples Club on Hawaiʻi Island, earned the grand prize with her “Pot of Gold”. Photo courtesy: UH.
The Grand Champion Award went to Tina Sumtsova from the 4-H Pineapples Club on Hawaiʻi Island for her “Pot of Gold” chocolate mango mini cakes. The dessert included mango, dates, walnuts, cocoa powder, avocado and agave syrup.
The winners enjoyed an educational experience at the UH Urban Garden Center in Pearl City, full of hands-on agricultural lessons in composting, gardening techniques, harvesting plants for recipes and garden safety.
They also picked fresh herbs to pair with local noodles from Adela’s Country Eatery, which the young cooks prepared alongside a tossed salad. At the program finale, the winners showcased their recipes, explained why they chose their local food and reflected on their experiences participating in the contest.
4-H and GET Local are part of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience at UH Mānoa. The contest will run again in spring 2026, visit manoa.hawaii.edu/ctahr/getlocal/ for more information.
Group Harvest: The winners were immersed in hands-on opportunities with local food and cooking at UH Urban Garden Center in Pearl City. Photo courtesy: UH.
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