By Misha Lawrence
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On Sept. 6, Freshman Hunter Gentry took first place in the 2014 Hawaii Food and Wine Festival Keiki in the Kitchen, sponsored by Kellogg’s and Foodland’s Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. With his budding passion for cooking, Gentry placed first in the teens division with his winning dish: shrimp and vegetable wonton cups.
“Recipes must feature one fresh, locally grown ingredient, must be healthy and affordable and easy to make, with no more than 10 ingredients and 10 steps to prepare,” Gentry said. “I picked out healthy ingredients that I like to eat and then practiced my recipe for several days.”
The judging panel consisted of Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai and Chef Jason Fox. “They were tough judges and asked lots of questions about my dish. Going in front of the judges and presenting my dish was the hardest part,” Gentry stated. Gentry’s mother, Lela Gentry, added, “Having an interest to do this competition takes a lot of courage and we admire that. Going up in front of a panel of judges who are world-renowned chefs was a huge accomplishment in itself.”
The inspiration of the shrimp vegetable wonton cups came from many of Hunter Gentry’s previous experiences with cooking. “I really love making and eating fried wonton dishes. Every time I make a wonton dish for a party, my dish always gets wiped out. I like to make fried crab and cream cheese wontons and I also like to make poke wontons,” Hunter Gentry continued. “Since this contest was about making healthy dishes, I thought I would challenge myself and make a healthy wonton dish. My mom gave me the idea to bake the wonton instead of frying it.”
Hunter Gentry dedicated much of his time to cooking and perfecting his dish in preparation for the event. “Hunter shopped, chopped and diced. He practiced his dish several times until it was perfected. He made samples for friends and neighbors to try and give feedback,” Lela Gentry said. Hunter’s father, Hugh Gentry added, “Honestly, (his) mom feels nervous when Hunter enters the kitchen, hoping it won’t be a mess. But, we truly feel it’s amazing to see Hunter take his hobbies and interests to a whole new level. A messy kitchen is worth a lifetime of experience.”
Although cooking is Hunter Gentry’s main focus, it’s not his only one. “Actually, I like cooking, but I really love baking. I’ve been baking with my mom since I was 2 years old. We would always make brownies together. I just love to mix ingredients and watch it in the oven,” Hunter Gentry said.
After this new experience, Hunter Gentry hopes to continue challenging his culinary skills and possibly pursue a related career.
