A HISTORY ON OUR BRILLIANT HEAD CHEF

 

At Apé Chilean Nikkei Restaurant, we’re not just serving food—we’re sharing a story. Our unique approach blends traditional Japanese techniques with bold South American flavours, a culinary style known as Chilean Nikkei. At the heart of it all is Chef Nic, whose passion, heritage, and fire-driven cooking have shaped our Newcastle restaurant into something truly special. This is the journey that brought him here.

I was eight years old when I first felt the urge to help my mum and grandma in the kitchen. I was always fascinated by the way they cooked—not just the food, but the laughter, the storytelling, and the joy that filled the room. That’s when they began to teach me step by step: how to pan-fry chicken or fish, how to make desserts, and how to help with the charcoal barbecue. I’ve always been mesmerised by fire. I still remember my mum calling out to me when she’d catch me starting little fires in the backyard—completely hypnotised by the flames as we cooked for the whole family.

When I was 12, my uncle Carlos, a cook from the north of Chile, came to visit. He made empanadas from scratch, and I helped him with every part of the process. It was just him and me. That moment stuck with me. That’s when I knew: I wanted to cook.

At 16, I had my first kitchen experience. I worked in a fine dining, private restaurant serving just 20 people—the board of directors of the biggest bank in the country. My dad knew the head chef and told him about my passion, which led to a summer of work experience. It was the first time I worked with lobster, caviar, Patagonian lamb, and grain-fed beef. That summer was one of the hardest and most fulfilling times of my life.

At 18, I started culinary school. In my second year, I paused my studies and took a working holiday visa to Australia. There, I worked at Paymasters as a line cook, Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree as a Chef de Partie, and Hinchinbrook Marina Restaurant as a Sous Chef. After that, I returned to Chile to finish my studies.

During this time, I was also a chef on the Chilean TV show Sabores (which means “flavours”) for two years. That experience gave me a whole new appreciation for sharing food culture and storytelling with a broader audience. It was a chance to connect with people through food in a completely different way—something that still inspires me today.

Following nearly 10 years of working in fine dining restaurants in Santiago, I made the decision to return to Australia. I joined Scratchleys as a grill chef, and about a year later, I was fortunate to meet Taiyo and start a new chapter with the Namba family.

It’s been eight years now. I started at Nagisa as a cook and worked my way up to Sous Chef. In 2021, whispers began about opening a new restaurant, and in 2022, we launched Apé Yakitori Bar. After exploring different styles, we embraced a unique concept blending Chilean charcoal grilling with Japanese influences—a style we now proudly call Âpé, a Chilean Nikkei restaurant.