UH Maui College's Culinary Arts Program is marking its 50th anniversary this fall with a lineup of student-cooked dinners and its largest annual fundraiser, the Noble Chef Gala, set for November 13 at the program's own Pāʻina Building in Kahului. The gala will honor the late Chef Tylun Pang of the Fairmont Kea Lani, whose decades of mentorship helped shape generations of Maui cooks before his death in 2022. Tickets for the celebration go on sale October 1.
The program announced details of the 2026 Noble Chef Gala and an accompanying Noble Chef Dinner Series, according to Maui Now. The dinner series pairs Maui chefs with culinary arts students to produce five-course meals at the Leis Family Class Act Restaurant, the program's student-run dining room. First up is the Gather Around the Table dinner on October 2, featuring chef Aristotle Aurelio and a menu built around what organizers call local kine grinds of the Pacific Rim, paired with local beer and wine, for $250 per person.
A Farm to Table dinner follows on October 16, featuring chef Taylor Ponte in a five-course meal with amuse bouche and wine pairing, also priced at $250 per person. The series wraps up December 4 with a Holiday Traditions dinner led by chef Jojo Vasquez, culinary director and executive chef at The Ridge at Wao Kele and The Vineyard House Winery, who will present a French five-course menu with amuse bouche and wine pairing at the same $250 price point. All three dinners require a minimum capacity to operate and will be canceled with seven days' advance notice if that threshold isn't met, with reservations available through OpenTable.
A Gala Rooted in a Chef's Legacy
The centerpiece event, the Annual Noble Chef Fundraising Gala, runs from 6 to 9:30 pm on November 13 at the UHMC Culinary Arts Center's Pāʻina Building, where instructors and students will open their classrooms to the community for the evening. This year's gala honors Chef Tylun Pang and what organizers describe as his legacy dedicated to student success initiatives. Pang supported UHMC culinary students and donated proceeds from his cookbook What Maui Likes to Eat to the UHMC culinary program, according to Maui Magazine.
The University of Hawaiʻi's Board of Regents recognized Pang's contributions in 2022, conferring an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters upon him for his exceptional mentorship and service to the UH Maui College culinary program, per the University of Hawaii System.
Cocktails, Voting and a Fund-a-Need
During the gala's cocktail reception, Maui celebrity chefs will present appetizers while culinary arts students work alongside them, gaining hands-on training in restaurants and at the university. Guests can vote for their favorite appetizer, and the winning chef-and-student team will be recognized for creative presentation and blending of flavors. The evening also includes wine and sparkling wine from local island producers, a silent auction, and a fund-a-need program, with Hawaiian and contemporary musical selections and hula vignettes performed by Nā Wai ʻEhā.
Individual gala tickets cost $225 per person and become available via Eventbrite starting October 1, though seating is limited. Sponsorship packages include the Lōkahi level at $10,000 for a table of eight, the Hoʻomau level at $5,000 for a table of eight, and the Hoʻokipa level at $3,000 for a table of eight. As the program's largest annual fundraiser, gala proceeds support culinary education, student career advancement, and community service, funding scholarships, field experiences, internships, competitions, program enrichment, study abroad, and faculty professional development.
Fifty Years of Training, One Emergency Response
UH Maui College's Culinary Arts Program holds accreditation from the American Culinary Federation with exemplary status in 2025, according to the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival. The program runs out of a 38,000-square-foot Culinary Arts Center in Kahului built around nine specialized kitchen labs, offering Associate of Applied Science degrees in Culinary Arts and in Baking and Pastry.
Students train not just for restaurant service but for real emergencies. When the August 2023 Lahaina wildfires displaced thousands of West Maui residents, instructors and students converted their campus kitchen into a disaster relief hub to help feed thousands, a role that earned the team Governor Josh Green's Governor's Award for Distinguished State Service Team of the Year, per UH System News. Program alumnus Sheldon Simeon, a Top Chef Season 10 finalist and Fan Favorite who now owns Kahului's Tin Roof, returned to campus that August to help lead the emergency meal-prep operations.
What's Open Now, What's Coming Later
The Leis Family Class Act Restaurant, a fine-dining learning lab, is not expected to reopen to the public for lunch until fall 2027. In the meantime, the Pa'ina Cafe remains open daily throughout the 2026 fall semester. The program also broadened its community reach this month, launching a five-part series of Saturday non-credit Just for Fun cooking classes in the Pāʻina Building labs, teaching residents foundational techniques like knife handling, pastry work, and holiday meal preparation, according to Maui Now.
