Chef Tetsuya Wakuda is a highly renowned Australian chef, born in Hamamatsu, Japan in 1959. He grew up in the town of Tateshina, Nagano prefecture in Japan, where he developed a love for cooking and a fascination with French cuisine.
After completing high school, Wakuda moved to Tokyo and began his culinary career at a French restaurant called Meson Pippo. He then moved to Sydney, Australia in 1982, where he worked at various restaurants before opening his own, Tetsuya’s, in 1989.
Tetsuya’s quickly gained a reputation for its unique blend of Japanese and French cuisine, with Wakuda using Australian produce to create his signature dishes. The restaurant has been awarded three hats by the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide every year since 1992, and in 2005 was ranked 5th best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine.
Wakuda has also been awarded numerous other accolades, including the prestigious Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government in 2008, and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards.
In addition to running Tetsuya’s, Wakuda has opened several other restaurants around the world, including Waku Ghin in Singapore and Tetsuya’s in Japan. He has also published several cookbooks, including Tetsuya and Tetsuya’s Seasons, and has been a mentor to many other successful Australian chefs.
Today, Chef Tetsuya Wakuda is considered one of Australia’s greatest culinary talents, and his innovative fusion of Japanese and French cuisine has had a significant impact on the country’s food culture.
