Monique Fiso is an acclaimed chef, writer, and visual artist based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa. Known for her deep commitment to Māori and Pasifika culinary traditions, she co-owns Hiakai, an award-winning dining experience, alongside her partner Katie Monteith.
Hiakai, established in 2016 as a dining series, has become a groundbreaking name in the global culinary scene, celebrated for its innovative exploration of kai Māori and kai Pasifika.
Monique's culinary journey has taken her across the world, with formative experiences cooking and living in the United States, Mexico, Australia, and throughout New Zealand. Her work has garnered international recognition, featured in prominent outlets like TIME Magazine, Forbes, Netflix, and National Geographic. In 2022, she made history as the first wāhine in Aotearoa to receive the prestigious 3-Hat award and the title of Chef of the Year.
Passionate about wild kai, food security, conservation, and the preservation of indigenous knowledge, Monique champions kai sovereignty through her culinary and artistic endeavours. Her commitment to revitalising indigenous food practices continues to inspire and challenge the global perception of Māori and Pasifika cuisine.
Talking Points
The Art of Cooking
Making great kai is a balance between science, art and aroha. It is about taking ordinary ingredients and transforming them into something delicious. Building your confidence in the kitchen takes time. For the past two decades, I have honed my craft as a professional chef. My career has taken me all across the world where I have learned an extensive range of tips, tricks, techniques and flavours that I would like to share with the audience.The Art of Cooking
Using my expertise, I can tailor sessions for all levels of cooking. Below is a sample list topics for discussion.
- Cooking techniques e.g how to sessions on baking, barbecue, kaimoana preparation, etc
- Wild kai and foraging
- Culinary history and the future of kai
- Restaurant and menu design
- Zero waste cooking
Hospitality and creative industries
With over twenty years of experience in the hospitality and creative industries, I have a wealth of knowledge to share. Making a living as a creative isn’t easy in Aotearoa. Manaakitanga, when done right, is an artform. As an industry expert, I have spoken on a range of topics in this area. This includes but is not limited to:Hospitality and creative industries
- The future of restaurants and the hospitality industry
- Lessons learned from running a small business in the creative sector
- The creative process behind creating menus, events, etc
- Kai photography and kai styling
- My own personal journey as a chef
- Kai security and kai sovereignty
- The changing role of chefs
Kai security & kai sovereignty
In Aotearoa, we grow enough kai to feed the country eight times over but it is estimated that 15-20% of our population are impacted by food insecurity. Global pressures on supply chains, labour shortages and increases in climate related weather events are causing a surge in worldwide food prices.Kai security & kai sovereignty
An insightful and pragmatic discussion on local and global kai systems, the objective of this session is to provide the audience with a deeper understanding on kai security and kai sovereignty works and how it affects their daily lives. The challenges we collectively face are monumental but not impossible.
