Summer 2025

Global Flavours at Toro Bar & Kitchen

Name Kauri Watkin  |  Position Head Chef  |  Restaurant Toro Bar & Kitchen

How/why did you become a chef?

Apparently when I was two, I told my mum that when I grow up, I wanted to cook food for money. By the time I was four, I was cooking dinner for the family.

My mum and dad lived off grid as hippies in the ’80s and ’90s, so they made all their own cheeses, raised and processed their own chickens and ducks, collected the eggs and only ate meat if Dad hunted, fished or did a home kill. Otherwise, we lived almost entirely out of our veggie garden and were nearly completely off-grid and self-sufficient by the early ’90s. 

We were on the far south coast of New South Wales, out past Candelo, in a little place called Myrtle Mountain. We made everything from scratch. My mum is a fantastic cook, so I guess my love of cooking comes from her. My brother is a chef too and both my parents have been professional cooks, so it really runs in the family. My brother has been cooking for about 16 years, and I’ve been cooking for 18.

What has been the most rewarding moment of your career so far?

Being able to go overseas and work in a country where you barely speak the language yet still understand enough to be a valuable part of the kitchen team, has been hugely rewarding.

I spent two years cooking in Japan in a Kaiseki restaurant, Kyoto-style cuisine rooted in tea ceremony, very traditional and precise. 

It is a completely different world over there. Those two years were definitely a highlight of my career. Going over as essentially a nobody, swallowing the ego of the Western kitchen and starting from scratch taught me a lot about humility, discipline and respect for the craft.

What do you love about being a chef?

I love the rush of service and the intensity that comes with it. There is something addictive about that rush of adrenaline and the need to stay calm and organised under pressure. 

I also enjoy the organisational side of running a kitchen and a business, and at the end of the day I just really love cooking. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.

What’s your approach to food?

My approach is simplicity with the right technique, respect for the ingredient and proper seasoning. If you look after an ingredient and start with good quality produce, you don’t have to do much to let it shine. 

When I was younger, I chased textures and more experimental techniques. The older I get, the more I’m drawn to simple, honest food and, whenever possible, cooking with fire.

Who do you love to cook for?

My mum. She is my favourite person in the world to cook for.

Do you cook at home? If so, what do you cook?

I cook at home whenever I get the chance, probably at least three or four times a week. At home, I eat predominantly Japanese food. 

My partner is Japanese, so there is a lot of rice, noodles and simple, comforting dishes like miso soup on the table.

What’s your favourite dish to eat or cook?

Anything cooked over fire, out in the bush while camping. That combination of smoke, flame and being outdoors is hard to beat.

What do you love about being in Hello Sunshine Magazine?

I’ve known about Hello Sunshine Magazine for quite a few years. I actually helped Josh Smallwood back when he was at Rickys and I remember Rickys being featured in IN Noosa Magazine.

It’s a great local publication that inspires people to get out and enjoy the Coast, whether that’s through fashion, food or exploring what’s happening around them.

Any advice for young chefs?

Do an apprenticeship. 

These days a lot of people go straight to culinary school, but you only spend about 20 hours a week there and you don’t always get the hands-on experience you need.

When I started, if you wanted to become a chef, you did an apprenticeship and learned on the job. 

That real-world, hands-on experience in a working kitchen is more important than just classroom learning.

You can know the theory, but when you get into a busy kitchen with real chefs, it’s a different game. Stay focused and do an apprenticeship.

What’s your favourite kitchen tool?

My custom-made apron and knife roll from Stitched Up Knife Rolls, which is a Noosa-based company.

What’s your favourite ingredient?

Grass-fed beef.

Discover Kauri’s food at Toro.