TETSUYA WAKUDA

Tetsuya Wakuda grew up in the Japanese town of Hamamatsu. Landing in Sydney in 1982, Tetsuya was eventually introduced to Sydney chef Tony Bilson, who took Tetsuya on at his restaurant, Kinsela’s. It was here that Tetsuya learned classical French techniques, thus forming the beginnings of his own style of cooking, marrying the French technique with the Japanese philosophy of using natural, seasonal flavours.

In 1989, he went on to open his own restaurant, Tetsuya’s. Relocating Tetsuya’s to the CBD in November 2000, Tetsuya refurbished the heritage-listed site at 529 Kent St to create his dream restaurant, complete with dining rooms overlooking an exquisite Japanese garden.

In addition to the restaurant, Tetsuya has introduced some of his most loved and admired recipes to kitchens and book shelves across the globe with his cookbook Tetsuya, and an expanding range of gourmet products.

Over the course of his career, Tetsuya has won acclaim not only in Australia, but also internationally. Tetsuya’s featured in World’s 50 Best Restaurants from the list’s inception in 2002 through to 2013, and Tetsuya has earned international recognition as one of the world’s great chefs, acknowledged by his peers, the media, and diners around the globe.

In late 2013 Tetsuya was honoured by the Japanese government as the first ever internationally based chef to be recognised as one of Japan’s Master of Cuisine.