Kaiser’s culinary staff has seen teachers come and go over the last few years. After both longtime culinary teachers retired in 2023, the position has since been occupied by multiple teachers, and as many upper-level culinary students know, not all of them have stayed. For this year’s A-day students in particular, this is their second teacher in two years. However, this will be this teacher’s first time teaching high school students.
Mari Wills, referred to as Chef Mari by students, may be new to the school, but she is not at all new to the culinary world. She first joined the culinary industry in 2008 when she enrolled in the Kapi’olani Culinary Program and has since held a number of positions, from baking at Aiea Bowl—coincidentally, the location of this year’s junior class day—to testing recipes and even developing products for local businesses. She also works as a nutritionist when she isn’t overseeing classrooms.
With such a wide range of experience, we asked why she chose to teach at Kaiser. “I’ve always wanted to teach kids how to cook. I have experience teaching elementary school kids about nutrition but never middle and high school students… it’s always been something I wanted to do,” she explains.
Despite the challenges, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing since she began teaching. Wills has explained that, “I have had challenges developing lesson plans. I got hired very last minute, so I think [that] is my biggest challenge.” Despite that, she has enjoyed teaching here so far, as have the students in having her. So far, she and her students have managed to make a wide variety of dishes. They range from Asian cuisines like ramen and chicken katsu to sweets like cheesecake and muffins, and even more advanced recipes like homemade focaccia bread. As the quarter goes on, she hopes to have her students make more and more, even planning to design gingerbread houses for the Kahala Hotel.