From marae to master chef: Fusing Māori and Pacific cuisine at gourmet event

Top chef Nancye Tuisaula–Pirini credits the Māori and Samoan background she grew up in for the success she’s had in the hospitality industry.

Tuisaula–Pirini, who is the executive chef at Te Kaahu, Te Arikinui Pullman Auckland Airport Hotel, and her team will take centre stage at the Winetopia event this weekend, offering up Māori and Pacific fare to an audience with discerning palates.

From humble beginnings in Otara, she’s gone from marae to master chef, carving out a unique niche in Aotearoa’s hospitality scene.

“I think I was born and bred into it,” she told Pacific Mornings host William Terite.

“It just naturally comes through the upbringing … Samoan and Māori heritage that I was brought up in. It’s just a natural thing we do with our whanau.”

Family influence

Tuisaula–Pirini says her mother was a major influence, being able to pull together whatever they had in the cupboards - which wasn't always a lot - to ensure her family were properly fed.

“She was always able to make sure that we always had a hot meal, that was nutritional and balanced,” she says.

After high school, Tuisaula–Pirini began an introductory hospitality course but paused her career due to pregnancy.

She later resumed her culinary education at Te Puea Marae and completed her studies at the Auckland Hotel and Chefs Training School and Manukau Institute of Technology, all while working part-time as a line chef at the Manurewa Returned Services' Association.

Hailing from a family working mainly in the logistics industry, Tuisaula–Pirini was the only one who went into a culinary career. And as a young mother of five, family support was important as she navigated her way through the hospitality scene.

“I worked hard as a female chef in the industry. It was really hard in my era climbing up that ladder, being a mum at the same time, trying to put in as many hours as I could to get to the top.”

Restaurant of the Year

One career highlight was as executive chef at the Jet Park Hotel, when they won a major title with the Restaurant Association of New Zealand in association with the Hospitality Standards Institute.

“When we won the Restaurant of the Year for Jet Park, we were doing some excruciating hours, we were doing service and then after service we were cleaning down and then prepping our gears up to practise for the comps. And so that would go until two, three o'clock in the morning.

“When we won that … it was amazing. I had so many people in the industry that had eyes on me for a while. So getting my team across the line with that, it was pretty amazing. I still remember the feeling of winning it. Couldn't believe it.”

Another career highlight was working with renowned chef Peter Gordon, who is well known as the king of fusion.

"I spent five years as a sous chef working for Peter at dine by Peter Gordon, which was a really well-known restaurant in the Auckland scene back in the early 2000s, winning many accolades there.

“It introduced me to so many things that I had never tried before. Flavours, combinations, east meets west, Pacific Māori influences into the Kai that I'm now creating today," she says.

Tuisaula–Pirini is also deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of Māori and Pacific chefs, especially through apprenticeships.

“I particularly love when our Pacific people and Māori people come through those kinds of programmes and can see that there's many places that they can go," she says.

Kai Māori flavours

At Winetopia Auckland on 26 and 27 July at the Viaduct Events Centre, Tuisaula–Pirini and her team will take attendees on a journey, pairing their signature flavours to top wines from around the country.

The Wine & Food Pairing with Te Kaahu Masterclass on 27 July will see Tuisaula–Pirini curate Kai Maori, alongside a selection of wines paired by Geoffroy Bringeon.

“I'm bringing some Kai Māori flavours with the likes of fried bread and kina, Pâté, creamed pauas and little tarts."

She’ll also offer up two of their signature dishes, Ika Mata (or raw fish) with a coconut panna cotta, and pork boil-up.

“I love what I do just because I love to see people's reactions to the kai that I create. I love it. It's a passion I’ve had for many years,” says Tuisaula–Pirini.

Watch 's Nancye Tuisaula–Pirini’s full interview below.