Feeding off the past

Monique Fiso is New Zealand’s most important chef. There may be chefs with more restaurants, more revenue, more Instagram followers, more TV shows, more cookbooks, more Michelin stars on their résumé, or more appearances on the World’s Top 50 Restaurants, but, right now, there is no one else doing what she is with, and for, New Zealand food.

In less than a year, Fiso has opened Hiakai (her first restaurant), appeared on Netflix’s , and magazine as one of the 100 World’s Greatest Places 2019. In doing so, she’s helped bring renewed attention to the potential for New Zealand’s indigenous ingredients and traditional Māori and Pacific cooking techniques.