Auckland, NEW ZEALAND — Henry Onesemo is a chef that has walked anything but a regular path. He was born in American Samoa, because his Western Samoan parents wanted him "to get an American passport, go to the States and become a millionaire".

Onesemo's love of food started young. Memories of early Sunday morning trips to the fish market and helping his Dad prepare the Umu before church.

But despite that love, Onesemo never considered cooking as a professional option so he joined the military, the Hawaii Air National Guard. "Was it exactly like Top Gun?" I ask. "Yes, except you couldn't wear jeans when you play volleyball," he quipped.

In Onesemo's words, the fastest way to not become a millionaire in the US is to be in the military so, with a few other Air Guard buddies, they would dance for tourists at "Lū'au" for extra money. This lead him, incredibly, to move to Orlando to dance 10 shows a week at Disneyworld's Polynesian resort – a dream come true, perhaps, but Henry's true calling was still food.

After returning to Samoa and training as a chef, it took a trip to New Zealand to give his life and career another left turn. When Onesemo ate at legendary Samoan-New Zealand chef Michael Meredith's eponymous restaurant, Meredith's, Onesemo sent compliments to the chef. After meeting the legend himself, Onesemo was taken under Michael's mentorship – an act that he'll will be forever grateful for.

Onesemo's career and reputation grew as fast as his experience. That experience has taken him to the ultimate step for a chef – his own restaurant.

Tala, in the Auckland suburb of Parnell, will combine fine dining with traditional Samoan cooking. A Samoan umu, an above-ground oven of hot rocks, will cook whole chicken for your table, while incredibly unique dishes like 'raw ramen salad' will draw on that food memory of the crunchy, salty noodles and sweet, chewy dehydrated vegetables. It's a fun, modern twist on a childhood favourite.

Tala, in the Auckland suburb of Parnell, will combine fine dining with traditional Samoan cooking. A Samoan umu, an above-ground oven of hot rocks, will cook whole chicken for your table, while incredibly unique dishes like 'raw ramen salad' will draw on that food memory of the crunchy, salty noodles and sweet, chewy dehydrated vegetables. It's a fun, modern twist on a childhood favorite. [photo: Screen shot from 1News]

'Tala' means 'story' or 'tale' and Onesemo's is certainly a distinctive one. If his dishes are inspired by his life, you can bet they will get even more fascinating with time.

Read more at 1 News