Patrick Ikinofo, Te Kaitunu Kai Matua

Patrick Ikinofo, Executive Chef video (03:19 mins)

Patrick's story is featured in Rising Stars, which celebrates Pacific people in different education to employment pathways.

Learn more about Patrick's pathway to becoming an Executive Chef.

Video transcript

[Video shows an aerial view of Auckland’s central business district]

I always knew I wanted to be in the kitchen. My mom was a chef as well. The inspiration, I guess, was her work ethic and her taking care of us.

So like a single mom waking up, you know, five o'clock in the morning, going to work, you know, working double jobs working in hospitality.

[Video shows Patrick sitting in a restaurant and speaking]

I think she's probably the biggest inspiration to me. I guess I always knew I wanted to be something in hospitality, or in the kitchen.

[Music plays]

Hello, everyone. My name is Patrick. I'm a half-caste Nuiean young man and I've been getting pretty old now, but I'm the executive chef here at Sky City.

I take care of twelve to fifteen restaurants or so at one time, around two hundred fifty chefs and stewards ranging from top of the tower where we're sitting now down to the base of the tower along Federal Street.

It's not it's not your it's not your average trade where you might start out in a high salary bracket. You know, you have to have the passion for it.

If you don't have it, maybe it's not for you, but if you have it and you really, that's what, you know, really makes you get out of bed in the morning, then I would suggest that you stick at it, because it does get better.

And it's all about you, it's all what's inside of you and it's all what,you know, what you have offer as a creative person, or as a hard worker, or whatever it is that’s the reason why you chose it.

Just stick at it and don't give up. It's the hardworking part of it. It's the ability to be happy in almost any situation.

For some reason, I don't know why, Pacific Island people have that skill set of always having a smile on their face, but that's hospitality and that's what it's about.

Things are tough and you work in working these crazy hours and doing all this crazy things you do in this industry. It's the ability to always see the brightest side of life and the end goal. So, yeah, I think Pacific Island people are great in this industry.

[Video shows a professional kitchen, food is being prepared]

There's more than one pathway to get you into this career. Having a good foundation in mathematics because you're working with a lot of measurements and a lot of numbers on a constant basis with recipes and things like that.

Science to understand different compounds and chemicals that go into foods. Social studies usually working with a lot of different personalities and people, nationalities.

[Video shows Patrick sitting in a restaurant and speaking]

So it's always good to get along and understand how, you know, the human mind works, and food tech... because of the obvious! [Laughs]

Fakalofa atu, I'm Patrick Ikinofo from the village of Alofi, the rock of Polynesia. Niue Island.

[Video shows Patrick working in the kitchen]

Currently living in Tāmaki Makaurau, went to Western Springs College.

I'm a chef, a father, son, brother, uncle, and this is how I became the executive chef of Sky City.