Kupu Board and staff with the first Kupu Culinary cohort.

Aloha and welcome to our fifth Capital Campaign monthly update!

As construction progresses, we’re reminded that  the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Ho‘okupu Center is not just a building; this will be a place where lives are transformed. When the center opens, the burgeoning Kupu Culinary program will be able to utilize its full commercial kitchen — an exciting feature that has been made possible by the generous donation of The MacNaughton Group Foundation.

We’ve recently gotten a preview of just how the Ho‘okupu Center will impact lives. In July, we hired longtime Kupu volunteer Chef Eddie Mafnas to spearhead Kupu Culinary, a new employment track within the Community program that offers participants the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the restaurant industry.

The first cohort recently graduated after spending weeks honing cooking skills, learning food safety, and taking field trips to farms, the fish auction, and restaurants. Plus, they also had the opportunity to meet various local chefs, as well as cater a couple of small events for Kupu partners. After graduating, four members of the inaugural Culinary cohort were hired by Kupu as paid part-time interns. The purpose of their role is two-fold: to continue their education, and to help Chef Eddie establish the program.

For these four young adults to be a part of developing the program is truly exciting. As they build out the program, the kitchen will enable them to expand their catering services, allowing them to tackle larger jobs — which ultimately means enhanced experiences for participants. We’re confident that the skills these participants learn in Kupu Culinary will set them up for a fruitful career in any number of roles in the culinary industry. 

As Kupu Culinary gets started offsite, construction for the Ho‘okupu Center is just about at the halfway point! Last month, J. Kadowaki, Inc. and our subcontractors began interior structural steel and framing, while they continued to work on the exterior infrastructure. This month work continues in all these areas.


Walls are framed for the appropriate window sizes.


The Center will have many sustainable features such as these solar tube skylights. 

Our Peer-to-Peer fundraiser to support this important project is currently about halfway to our goal of $25,000 as well. As we enter the holiday season of giving, please consider making an gift. Click here or the "Start Fundraising" button below to help! 

For questions or more information about the Capital Campaign, please contact Minette Lew-McCabe at minette.lewmccabe@kupuhawaii.org or 735-1221 x 1055.

Mahalo,