Mark Noguchi ’93

Mark Noguchi ’93, is the chef and co-founder of Pili Group, a food organization conducting business through consultations and catering. At the start of the COVID pandemic and as normal life began to be disrupted, Noguchi and the Pili Group activated the Chef Hui, a movement that rescued excess food and got prepared meals into the hands of those who needed it most. Through this partnership, Aloha Harvest delivered food and ingredients to the Pacific Gateway Center where it was sorted and cooked, if needed, by Chef Hui and then distributed to community organizations who fed keiki and kupuna. Chef Hui was supported by an increasing number of chefs who were out of work and willing to serve their community.

 

Later in the pandemic, the group received CARES Act funds and was able to purchase produce – supporting local agriculture and feeding 10,000 people in need every week. Local ingredients were also used in Chef Hui’s Give and Go Community Meal Program, which produced 5,000 meals per week during the pandemic.

 

Noguchi’s full-time job is as Punahou’s food curriculum specialist for all grades. His goal, he says, is to create a better world using food as a tool.