After graduating from Island Pacific Academy, Elijah Madayag ’16 considered becoming an engineer and eventually working in California. He spent a year at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, but his love of food led him to pursue a culinary career. After completing programs at Kapiʻolani Community College and the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, he volunteered at Sumida Farm Inc. , a family-owned watercress farm in Aiea.
“I volunteered here for a couple years, and they ended up offering me a job,” shared Madayag.
Giving back as a volunteer paid off because he’s now Sumida Farm’s Assistant Director of Operations and Farm Chef. He develops watercress recipes, prepares lunch for tours, and teams up with engineers on the farm’s irrigation system. He’s even had opportunities to work with award-winning restaurants like 100 Sails, The Pig & the Lady, and Fete.
“We collaborate with some local farm-to-table restaurants, we provide them with watercress, and they’ll come up with a week- or month-long tasting menu,” said Madayag.
A fun fact that people might not know is that Madayag’s class came up with the original idea on how to cultivate generosity of spirit. Instead of having a party for their Project Graduation, the class of 2016 took the money they raised, went shopping at Target for essential supplies and donated them to a local homeless shelter. Now eight years later, all students in Grades 6 through 12 participate in IPA Gives Back Day.
“To see that it’s turned into something like this, where the whole school goes out, and they’re pushing it forward, is way more than I ever thought it’d evolve into,” said Madayag. “It’s insanely awesome. Those are the values we have here. A big part of Sumida Farm is being engaged with the community,” he added.
IPA’s current Grade 9 students spent their IPA Gives Back day at Sumida Farm cleaning waterways and clearing algae. They also learned about food security and sustainability. As a graduate from a place “Where Values Matter,” Madayag hopes they developed more of their own values while spending time at the farm.
“Maybe they’ll be passionate about cooking, farming, water science, aquaculture, whatever it might be, it’s nice seeing that evolve with small experiences. I’m glad we could give them an opportunity to do something outside the classroom and that we could share this experience with them,” said Madayag.
