Renowned chef Henry Onesemo has become the first Samoan to be recognised at the Best Chef Awards. He said he took his Samoan flag to Milan, Italy.

He said proud to represent his roots on the world stage.

“I even took my little Samoan flag and I busted it out every chance I could,” he told Pacific Media Network. “It was very humbling... meeting the Mount Rushmores of cooking... it was such an amazing experience.”

His restaurant TALA, which he co-owns with his wife Debby Onesemo, was awarded a ‘knife’ at The Best Chef Awards in Milan, making Onesemo the only Samoan chef to receive that honour.

“It reinforces that Samoan food has a place on the world stage," he said. “We stuck to our guns being specifically Samoan. It wasn’t as marketable as ‘Pacific’, but it feels good that it’s now part of that conversation.”

The ranking, decided by nearly a thousand members of the culinary community, rate restaurants from one to three knives.

“You can’t buy your way in,” he said. “People have to eat your food and vote.”

TALA was invited after being nominated through The Best Chef’s global voting system. Onesemo said it felt like “a long shot”, but he couldn’t turn it down.

“We didn’t even know if we were going to get a knife or not. Usually, just being invited was a huge thing for us. So when the one knife was announced and we got one, like, it was such a surreal moment... it’s very humbling.”

Despite the international spotlight, Onesemo said Pacific representation in professional kitchens remains thin.

“Right now, I only have one Samoan in my kitchen,” he said. “She started as a dishwasher and now she’s a chef. Not everyone gets that chance.”

He believes local government could help by creating mentorships, grants and exchange programmes.

“There needs to be easier access to funding to motivate Pacific chefs to be in the kitchens,” he says. “If we can bring students through and even send them overseas to learn, that’s how we’ll get that next superstar chef.”

Onesemo once spent three months as a stagiaire under Samoan chef Michael Meredith, an opportunity most young cooks can’t afford today.

“If there were grants to help people gain that experience, we’d see more Pacific chefs coming through.”

As TALA turns two, Onesemo and wife Debby remain focused on refining the guest experience and sharing Sāmoan hospitality.

“It’s about creating something that tells stories, but also leaves something for the next generation coming up,” he said.