Arriving in Sydney in 1982 with nothing more than a small suitcase and a love of food, Tetsuya landed his first job as a kitchenhand at Fishwives in Surry Hills. His own restaurant, Tetsuya’s, opened in 1989 as a tiny shopfront in the Sydney suburb of Rozelle and was booked out with daily waiting lists.

In November 2000, Tetsuya relocated his restaurant from Rozelle to 529 Kent Street, Sydney and since then has evolved his style and reputation to become one of Australia’s, if not the world’s, most renowned chefs.

Tetsuyas is No. 4 among the 50 Best Restaurants in the World according to London's prestigious 'Restaurant' magazine and, perhaps even better, he was also awarded the title of 'Chef's Chef' as voted by his peers - the best 50 chefs in the world - truly a remarkable acheivement.

In June 2005 Tetsuya was awarded the medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) and is an official ambassador of Tasmania.