Sāmoan chef earns Spain spot as Pacific flavours shine at the Auckland Tapas event

For Pacific chefs competing at this year's Australasian Tapas in Auckland, the event was about much more than winning a cooking competition.

Sāmoan chef Kehna Atonio Tenisio, 26, took second place, and joins winner Alessandro Bonfigli, 34, head chef at Pipis Kiosk in Melbourne, on an all-expenses-paid trip to represent the region at the World Tapas Competition in Valladolid, Spain, in November.

Tenisio, an apprentice chef at Ovation Hospitality in Auckland, has been working in the kitchen for only about a year.

He drew on his Sāmoan heritage for his dish, putting a modern spin on lu’au povi masima - taro leaves, coconut cream and beef brined in salt and water for seven days - inside a Chinese wu gok dumpling.

Bonfigli won the competition with My Journey Across the World, a dish inspired by his Roman roots and Australian First Nations culture, with eel as the hero ingredient.

Sāmoan, Solomon Islands and Tongan food were among the Pacific influences on show at Skills Institute in Wiri, where professional and student chefs from New Zealand and Australia competed to create signature small plates.

Watch highlights from the 2026 Australasian Tapas Competition in Auckland below.

Wednesday's competition was a chance to put their families, cultures and memories of home on the plate.

For Sāmoan trainee chef Erick Siale, his dish reimagined a meal that takes him straight back to childhood.

“This is the Sāmoan Oka I'a [fish salad], a Sāmoan traditional style,” Siale tells PMN News multimedia journalist Candice Ama.

Sāmoan trainee chef Erick Siale presents his Samoan Okai'a, a dish inspired by a meal his mother made for him when he was growing up. Photo/PMN News/Candice Ama

Made with tuna, cucumber, tomatoes, lemon juice, salt and pepper, the dish is served with taro underneath.

He wanted the judges to taste more than just the food. “I remember my mum used to make this for us when we were young, so yeah, I'll carry that legacy.”

For Solomon Islands trainee Leucina Boti, the competition was a chance to bring food from her community and tribe to a new audience.

“Behind me is the community and my tribe back in Solomon Islands and I make a pudding and a fish. That's our daily food back in the islands,” she says.

“It's a huge, massive step forward for me as a modern chef. We have to contribute with the traditional food and the modern food in this kind of platform.”

Tongan trainee chef Nehasi Tai also turned to family for inspiration.

Solomon Islands trainee chef Leucina Boti showcases a pudding and fish dish inspired by the food and community of her home islands. Photo/PMN News/Candice Ama

His dish, Beneath the Taro Leaves, uses taro in several forms, alongside pork belly, coconut cream, mango salsa and a tapioca crisp.

The idea came from his late mother and her lu sipi - lamb wrapped in taro leaves with coconut cream and onion.

Tai has taken those familiar flavours and reworked them using modern cooking techniques.

“I've never actually been to Tonga," he tells Ama. "I was born here in New Zealand and yeah, so a lot of the Tongan flavours that I knew were passed down through my parents.

“I've done the best with what I can and I hope to learn more about the Tongan culture through this competition and expand on Tongan cuisine.”

Jasbir Kaur, competition organiser and Skills Institute Head of Global Education Partnerships and Business Development, says the experience is about more than who takes the title.

Tongan trainee chef Nehasi Tai presents Beneath the Taro Leaves, a dish inspired by his late mother and his Tongan heritage. Photo/PMN News/Candice Ama

“It's not all about winning but it's about the journey which they take part to design one tapas which has to have all the flavours and has to be a winning one. So that journey becomes very important.”

Andrea Vignali, last year’s World Tapas champion and judge, knows exactly where the competition can lead. He won the world title in Spain after competing in Auckland last year.

Vignali says the experience gave him greater confidence and taught him to focus on pushing himself rather than beating others.

“We're not competing against the others, we are competing against ourselves,” he told Ama.

His advice is simple: create something people remember. “I want a dish that I remember.”

Watch the 'countdown is on' for the 2026 Australasian Tapas Competition below.

Matt Lambert, a Michelin-starred chef and Tapas judge, says young chefs should not be put off if they do not win.

“Yeah, don't feel discouraged if things don't go your way, just keep on the path you're on.”

For the Pacific chefs, the competition is more than a kitchen challenge. It is a chance to carry their food, family stories and cultural knowledge from Auckland to a much bigger stage.