Wok star Sachie 'MY COOKING WILL LIVE ON!'

The top chef is passing on her secrets to a whole new generation of foodies

-  Rebekah Hebenton

For Sachie Nomura, food is more than just a profession - it’s a way to connect cultures.

The celebrated chef has spent the better part of the past two decades bringing together the worlds of her native Japan and her adopted home of New Zealand through her cooking school and television series.

But the 46-year-old admits that when she moved to these shores nearly 30 years ago, spending her days in the kitchen couldn’t have been further from her mind. In fact, she had every intention of becoming a nurse.

“When I was younger, cooking was a chore,” Sachie tells the Weekly while chatting in her Auckland home. “My mum would ask me to cook the rice and prep the vegetables before she arrived home from work. I didn’t really enjoy it. But those are the times I miss the most.”

She was forced to consider a different path when she failed the required English exam. She went on to complete a degree in Chinese and along the way, found a group of foodie friends who helped her rediscover the simple joy of cooking.