<![CDATA[This community service program was conducted at Rengganis Indigenous School, Sukadana Village, Central Lombok Regency, to enhance community capacity through food hygiene training and local food processing. Sukadana Village is one of the supporting villages of the Mandalika Special Economic Zone, which has considerable potential for developing local products to support the tourism sector. However, the utilization of local food commodities, particularly Dioscorea esculenta (gembili), and the implementation of food hygiene principles remain limited. This program aimed to improve participants' knowledge and practical skills in food hygiene while introducing value-added processing of gembili into sponge cake products. The program employed a participatory approach combined with experiential learning through observation, lectures, hands-on practice, mentoring, and evaluation. Twenty participants consisting of community members and managers of Rengganis Indigenous School were involved. The results indicated that participants gained a better understanding of food hygiene practices and successfully produced gembili sponge cakes with satisfactory texture, taste, and appearance. Nevertheless, greater attention is still needed regarding the consistent use of personal protective equipment during food preparation. Overall, the program contributed to strengthening community capacity in producing safe, high-quality local food products with potential to support community-based tourism development.]]>
