From the left to right: Jax Perez, Katheren Lam , Pebbles Sekiguchi and Alejandro Yoon baked and served at the 2017 Dessert Fantasy event on Nov. 6. One other student, Sean Guillerrno (not pictured) helped on Saturday to make the crusts.
Kalani Students Earn Top Prizes at Dessert Fantasy
The Dessert Fantasy event, an annual benefit for the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii featuring desserts from local professionals, saw Kalani High School winning the “Judge’s Choice” for best High School Dess
ert and the “People’s Choice” award for the Best Dessert Overall on Sunday, Nov. 6.
The event, billed as the “ultimate judging and sampling of numerous bite-sized desserts” was held in the Pacific Beach Hotel Ballroom. This is the second year they have invited high schools to participate.
The event features over two hours of continuous dessert samplings from various food establishments and vendors in Hawaii, with a silent auction, door prizes, children activities and entertainment, according to the website.
Four Kalani students accepted the awards: Alejandro Yoon, Jax Perez, Katheren Lam and Pebbles Sekiguchi. The students were responsible for baking, plating, garnishing and serving 300 of their original desserts, which they named Key Lime Passion Delights.
“They had to commit to being available for prep work and baking 300 mini desserts on Saturday before the Sunday event,” nutrition teacher Janice Miyoshi-Vitarelli explained. “On the day of the event, they unwrapped and plated each dessert, then added whip cream, a lime twist, green sprinkle and a reduced lilikoi drizzle.”
The students were also responsible for serving the public and answering questions from the judges. In the end, their hard work and dedication were sweetly rewarded.