Monique Fiso




KIWI-CHEF
Monique went to NYC for 7 years honing her skills as a sous chef in some of New York City's top kitchens. In 2016 she returned to New Zealand full time and began the pop-up dining series, Hiakai. Fiso has been widely credited for the resurgence of Hangi (maori earth oven) style cookery being practised all across New Zealand, and for being the catalyst for a new wave of chefs incorporating Maori ingredients, cooking techniques and customs into their menus.
HARD DATA
LOCATION
CURRENT POSITION
New Zealand
Owner/Director of Hiakai project
SOFT DATA
STRENGTHS
Māori cooking techniques Hot right now Michelin star training
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
EXPERIENCE
CUISINE STYLE
NZ EXPERIENCE
12 years
Māori
Yes
2018 NZ's Top 10 rising stars to watch in 2018
2017, Hiakai won the award for ‘Innovation in Maori Development’
2017 Finalist for “Supreme Innovation of the Year”, and “Start-Up Innovation of the Year”
FUN FACTS