In the almost 10 years since Kārena and Kasey Bird won MasterChef New Zealand, they have done things most of us could only dream about. They’ve self-published two award-winning cookbooks, hosted their own TV show and travelled the world cooking for dignitaries and even a few members of the royal family.
But for the close-knit sisters, any professional accolades pale in comparison to the pride and joy of the arrival of Kasey’s son Koaretaia at the end of 2021.
Speaking with the pair before a busy day in the kitchen in Tauranga, it’s easy to tell that the bubbly baby boy, who Kasey, 32, shares with her husband Patuara Biel, is the centre of the universe for the Bird whānau.
“My life has changed in the best way possible,” enthuses proud mum Kasey. “It has been such a happy time for our family. He’s the only grandchild on my side of the family, so he’s a very spoiled boy.”
Hand’s up if you’re hungry!
Kārena, 33, gets emotional as she adds, “The amount of joy that he brings to our parents – he lights up their life and I feel like they’re getting younger because of it. He brings so much happiness to me. I have never loved anybody more. And Kasey is just the most amazing mum – it’s beautiful.”
Since winning MasterChef NZ in 2014, the sisters have only grown closer as they’ve built their culinary empire. Even now, with the new addition to the family, they agree that Koaretaia is at the centre of all their decisions.
“We want to have more time to spend with baby as he grows up,” tells Kārena. “We’re not going to get those days back.”
Bun in the oven!
Continues Kasey, “I was apprehensive about not being able to do the things I love. Would I still be able to travel and do cooking? But doing things like our pop-up restaurants, I’m able to go to work and be a mum.”
Though he’s only a little more than a year old, Koaretaia is already showing signs he has inherited his mum’s foodie genes.
“He loves really tasty foods – anything with a bit of flavour and spices,” tells Kasey, before adding with a laugh, “The issue we have is a lot of regular baby food is quite bland and if it doesn’t have enough flavour, he’s not interested.”
Koaretaia with dad Patuara in Paris.
The second thing on the sisters’ list of proudest achievements is becoming fluent in te reo Māori.
In 2019, they completed the year-long full-immersion course Te Tohu Paetahi through the University of Waikato. It was an emotional journey reclaiming their language, but as Kārena shares, “It’s one of the best things we have ever done. There’s a sense of relief that you’re going to be learning Māori and then guilt that you don’t already know it – there’s a weight on your shoulders. But once you get through that, it’s so nice to be able to speak Māori to other people.”
“Learning to speak te reo Māori fluently has heavily influenced our food journey,” reflects Kasey. “Developing that sense of our own cultural identity has been massive.”
That connection to their culture is the inspiration behind their award-winning pop-up restaurant Taiao: Food of the Gods, which they created with Stacey Jones at Kitchen Takeover, and are bringing back for the Wellington on a Plate festival.
The chefs in action
Each of the dishes in the six-course degustation highlights Māori ingredients and tells the story of the ancient gods.
“We heavily lean into our Māori heritage, which is really important to us and a big part of our food is the narrative behind it,” tells Kasey.
As they begin the journey of raising a new generation, Kārena and Kasey are proud that Koaretaia will live in a world where his language is embraced.
“He’s growing up in an Aotearoa that is so different from when we were kids,” says Kasey. “He’ll never know a year without celebrating Matariki; he hears te reo Ma¯ori on TV. It’s cool.”
While Kārena is loving every minute as an aunty, she admits she hasn’t quite caught baby fever yet.
In Delhi for their TV show Kitchen Diplomacy.
“I feel like I’m always going to be an aunty – I love that aunty life. But things could change. If you’d asked Kasey in 2020 if she thought in a year’s time she’d be married with a baby, she would have said absolutely not, so you never know what’s around the corner.”
Karena and Kasey Bird Kitchen Takeover, as part of Visa Wellington on a Plate, is on from May 11 – 21. For tickets, visit iticket.co.nz and search Kitchen Takeover.
