Ep 4: FEAST Dialogue – Feeding Change, Transforming Food Systems

In this episode of FEAST: Dish & Dialogue, Hawai‘i-based leaders come together to explore how food systems can better serve communities across the islands.Moderated by Jayson Watts, Director of Environmental Health & Safety at Mahi Pono, the panel features Rona Fukumoto (Lanakila Pacific), Gary Maunakea-Forth (MAO Organic Farms), Robin Kumabe (Touch A Heart), and First Lady Jaime Green.Together, they discuss how agriculture, culinary training, and social enterprise can work in tandem to address food access, create economic opportunity, and build more resilient local systems. From workforce development to community-driven initiatives—including the State’s Nourishing Hawaiʻi’s Future and Feeding Hawaiʻi’s Keiki programs—the conversation highlights the power of collaboration in transforming Hawai‘i’s food landscape.Recorded live at the FEAST Summit during the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival, this episode explores how locally rooted solutions—grounded in care, culture, and connection—are helping to shape a more equitable and sustainable food future for Hawai‘i.