Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Travelogue
B1
Hawai’i:
iendship
Good food, fr ssings
le
and elders’ b aling
he
yield ‘ohara,’ ivors
rv
for cancer su
‘Living vicariously through the adventures of our friends’
‘Kimikeo was saying that ahi was needed to help keep his community healthy.
I knew I was brought to Maui to do the same thing for the cancer survivors.
Each day I worked and prepared meals, I remembered why I was at the camp.’
Cooking for Athletes 4 Cancer:
‘Ahi’ gains new name, culinary calling on Maui
By MARK WHITEHEAD
Chef Mark Whitehead regu-
larly goes to Hawaii, and, yes,
he enjoys the sunshine, the
beaches, and all the charms of
the Aloha State.
But his visits are more about
service to others, and the gifts re-
ceived. In recent years, White-
head has made 10 trips to the is-
lands to cook meals for Athletes
4 Cancer camps. What started as
mostly culinary has evolved as
mostly spiritual for the 50-year-
old Eugene native. This spring,
Whitehead wrote about his times
in Hawaii and his deep sense of
being as “Ahi.”
■
ight after high
school, I tried going
to college, but it did-
n’t appeal to me. I
was working as a
cook and my father didn’t like
that career path. So one day I
came home and there were two
options laying on the desk for
me. One was an application to
the Air Force via my Dad, and
the other was an up and com-
ing culinary school in Portland
that my Mom found in an arti-
cle in the newspaper. I thought
about it for about 30 seconds
and culinary school won out.
Over time, I worked in the
culinary industry and was al-
ways searching for the perfect
way to give back. The culinary
career path had many rewards
in making people happy
through food and hospitality.
However, I was still searching
for a way to give and tried
many avenues, like feeding
the homeless. In Eugene, I
helped create breakfast for 200
people. I also worked at the
local food bank. I even tried
coaching the Special Olympics
for a couple of years. Here in
Hood River, I have also donat-
ed my time at the Food Bank,
Warming Shelter, Empty
Bowls, and many other food-
related outreach programs.
Then one day, a friend I had-
n’t seen for a while stopped by
the hotel to visit. As she
walked out the door, she men-
tioned “Athletes 4 Cancer” and
she told me a little bit about
the idea for a new camp on
Maui. I joked, “I bet you need
a Chef to come along with
you.” By my surprise, the very
next day, Tonia Farman, the
founder of the organization,
was at my door interviewing
me to help out. Less than a
month later, I was on a plane
to Maui not knowing what I
had gotten myself into.
Tonia started “Kiteboarding
4 Cancer” to honor her broth-
er, who passed away after a
year and a half battle against
Leukemia at age 19. The first
year event was a huge success
and they donated the proceeds
R
NEAR AND FAR
This spring and summer, Hood
River News’ Kaleidoscope will
feature places in our own back-
yard and all around the world,
along with the general array of
B1 topics.
Look for:
■ Near — locales in the
Gorge such as Jackson Park in
Hood River and Mt. Hood Rail-
road terminus in Parkdale, and;
■ Far — places as disparate
as Alaska and Borneo, as we
continue a new rotation of
“Travelogues” written by local
residents.
A few words about “Travel-
ogues”: This recurring feature
strives to go beyond a vacation
report, and looks at adventures,
to the hospital her brother
stayed at. The next year
Tonia, her husband and Doc-
tor Garret were brainstorm-
ing about a new idea of how
to donate the money raised at
“Kiteboarding for Cancer.”
They came up with “Athletes 4
Cancer,” a camp that revolved
around surfing, stand up pad-
dling, canoeing, and other out-
door activities. This camp was
to help 19-35 year old cancer
survivors get back a life nor-
mality which cancer had de-
prived them of. Through the
help of the “John Wayne Can-
cer Foundation” and other
grant money, the campers get
to experience a true Hawaiian
adventure. Some of these
campers have never seen the
ocean before! The idea behind
the camps is to use adventure-
based experiences such as
surfing, outrigger canoeing,
and standup paddling as chan-
nels of healing and life-renew-
al that treat the mind, body,
and soul. Athletes for Cancer’s
programs aim to help young
survivors not just survive, but
thrive in all aspects of life.
A typical day at camp starts
at 6 a.m. for breakfast. Every
year it surprises me how close
strangers can be after just
having met one another. By 7
a.m., the campers head out to
surf while I stay behind to
prepare meals. I try to prepare
nutritious, organic, and local
cuisine to be served each day.
This requires close to 14 hours
of cooking and prepping every
day. After a full day of activi-
ties, we conclude the evening
with a campfire. This isn’t
your typical campfire. Here
we discuss the multitude of
emotions that come with hav-
ing to battle cancer. The
campers feel comfortable
opening up to one another be-
cause they understand what
each of them has been though.
One of the traditions at camp
is to come up with a power
name that best represents
yourself and that is the name
you go by for the week.
At my first camp, we chose
power names for each other by
asking certain questions
about one another. Through
this process, my new name of
Ahi was born. Ahi means tuna
in Hawaiian. The next year
when I went to camp, I had the
option to change my name.
One of the outings is to sur-
prise the campers with an all-
day excursion of outrigger ca-
noeing at the Kihei Canoe
Club. I always go along for
this excursion. Upon arrival
at the canoe club, we are
warmly greeted by children
and adults, who are singing
Photos courtesy of Tonia Farman
ON MAUI, Mark Whitehead accepts blessings from Koa, who guided the group on the outrigger journey to the ancient fish ponds.
Kekoa thanked each volunteer for their part in the ongoing task of rebuilding the fish ponds, which sustain life for the people of
the islands. In photos below, Whitehead and the rest of the crew of survivors and volunteers bring the canoe back onto the beach
following the journey; Athletes 4 Cancer founder Tonia Farman and Whitehead stand at Ho’okipa Beach, a popular surfing and
paddling location; Whitehead with his Ahi’s Ohana surfboard at Thursday Gorge Grown Market.
See AHI, Page B12
service projects or other involved
experiences that readers would
be willing to write about and
provide high resolution photos.
Past Travelogues included work
at a school and clinic in Nepal,
teaching a week-long ski trip in
Finland, and helping found an
orphanage in Guatemala.
If you would like to submit
your idea about recent travel or
a planned adventure for Travel-
ogues, email hrnews@hood-
rivernews.
Since we rely on the traveler
to write the article, we ask that
the suggestion come directly
from the traveler; if you have a
friend you think did something
interesting, ask them to contact
us.
‘HE PUTS SO MUCH LOVE IN HIS FOOD’
Mark Whitehead grew up in Eugene and lived there and in
Hawaii before moving to Hood River 13 years ago. The former
cooking instructor and long-time chef at the former Corner-
stone Cuisine started his own business, Ahi’s Ohana Catering,
in 2014. He and his wife, Sophie, a Mid Valley Elementary
teacher, have a daughter, Gabriella, a 2014 HRVHS graduate,
who attends University of Oregon, Mark’s alma mater.
“Mark (aka ‘Ahi’) provides a healing component at our re-
treats with his food that seriously positively impacts lives,” said
Athletes 4 Cancer founder Tonia Farman.“He puts so much love
in his food, but with a grace and humility that inspires everyone
around him. Often many of our cancer survivors have dietary re-
strictions and allergies post-cancer that makes planning meals
a challenge. Not for Mark — he sees it as an opportunity to
help someone find flavorful and healthy options despite their
restrictions. Ahi’s cooking has become such an integral focus of
our retreat program, that we have started to explore running a
cooking retreat for cancer survivors. But Mark has to run it!”
Care to taste it for yourself? People registered in this year’s
Hood River Kiteboarding 4 Cancer event can experience Ahi’s
food for their lunch in the Athlete’s Lounge on Saturday, July 11.