Akemi’s Story

Growing up in Japan, Akemi spent much of her childhood with her grandparents. Her grandmother had an extraordinary talent for cooking, despite being blind. Akemi would often ask her grandmother to make pork gyoza. Her grandmother was able to prepare the most delectable pork dumplings, using her heightened sense of smell to guide her. Akemi’s Grandma would agree to make Gyoza for her under one condition, if she would be her eyes as she cooked. Akemi, being no older than six years old, would gather all the ingredients for her Grandmother and watch as she would prepare Akemi’s favourite dish. 

Sadly, when Akemi turned seven, her grandma passed away, leaving Akemi with fond memories of their time together in the kitchen. When she grew older, Akemi decided to try to recreate her grandma's pork dumplings on her own. She experimented and practiced until she finally got it right.

When Akemi moved to New Zealand, she found it very hard to find authentic Japanese Gyoza. Akemi began working at restaurants in Auckland and it wasn't until a wedding function, where Akemi was asked to make pork dumplings, that she realized there was a demand for her grandmother's recipe. The guests loved the dumplings so much that they became a regular item on the restaurant's menu.

When Akemi attended the birthday party of a coworker from the restaurant she had previously worked at, she met Ben, another chef. It just so happened that Ben worked at her old restaurant, and they hit it off. Ben too loved Akemi's pork gyoza, and together they decided to start their business with the goal of delivering real Japanese gyoza to New Zealanders.

Akemi worked a part-time job in October of 2015 and began perfecting her Grandmother’s recipe. She tested the market by popping up at a local event in Matakana and was met with positive feedback. Determined to make their business a success, both Ben and Akemi quit their jobs and focused all their energy on building “Akemi’s Gyoza”.

Over time, Akemi and Ben expanded their menu to include more flavours, each inspired by Akemi's grandmother's cooking. They now also offer Chicken & Prawn, Miso & Shiitake, and Beetroot & Yuzu in addition to Pork & Garlic Chives. A dish with chicken minced balls in a vegetable broth that Akemi adored her grandma making served as the basis for the Chicken & Prawn Gyoza. Her grandmother's mushroom miso soup served as the inspiration for Miso & Shiitake. Her grandmother's stewed vegetables topped with yuzu zest also served as the influence for Beetroot & Yuzu.

Today, their authentic Japanese Gyoza can be found in their food truck, where they travel around New Zealand to various events and markets, sharing their passion for Japanese cuisine with Kiwis.