‘I just gobbled it all up’: Hawai‘i public school students get special ‘uala treat

Hawaiʻi public school cafeterias statewide were offered the opportunity to serve local ʻuala (sweet potato) bread for breakfast this December, using locally sourced Okinawan sweet potato.

Nearly 1,700 pounds of Okinawan sweet potato were distributed to 127 participating schools.

While the recipe was new to school menus, the flavor sparked a sense of familiarity for many students at Pearl City High School and Momilani Elementary School on Oʻahu.

“Some of the bread tastes like my grandma’s banana bread,” said Momilani Elementary fourth-grader Noel Belmodis in an announcement about the special breakfast treat. “It tastes good … I never actually had it with sweet potatoes inside.”

Momilani third-grader Aubrie Nakamoto thought it had a festive taste.

“It tastes pretty good — it kind of tastes like gingerbread,” she said in the announcement. “I like that it’s healthy and tastes sweet.”

Students at Pearl City High School agreed.

“I actually really liked it because it’s really sweet,” said sophomore Liam Menor in the announcement. “The crust is really crunchy, too, kind of like bread pudding … so I just gobbled it all up.”

The effort to incorporate more locally sourced ingredients in school meals is part of the Hawai‘i Department of Education’s farm-to-school initiative, which aims to enhance food sustainability in Hawai‘i and aligns with efforts to improve student health while supporting local farmers.

“Just as excited as we get about using local ingredients, the kids do also,” said Pearl City High School cafeteria helper Senerity McGregor in the announcement. “It’s fresher, and we’re able to help our local farmers, which we like.”

Parents also recognize the value of serving locally sourced foods.

“I think it’s really great that they’re having locally sourced ingredients,” added Momilani Elementary parent Chad Nakamoto in the announcement. “It brings a lot of peace of mind knowing that I can drop my kids off and they’re eating a nutritious, fresh breakfast. Being that it’s locally sourced just adds to the freshness, I’m sure — and they enjoy eating it.”

Hawaiʻi public schools are among the state’s largest institutional consumers of food, serving more than 100,000 student meals daily.

The state Education Department continues to collaborate with local vendors throughout the islands to expand the use of fresh, local produce in school cafeterias on a regular basis.