2025.01.27
Growing up in Adelaide, Australia, Chef Daajm Coombe always had a love for food. Today, as the head chef of An Dining in Ki Niseko, Daajm masterfully blends her global experiences with the rich, seasonal produce of Hokkaido, creating a dining experience that is like no other. Her story is one of passion, exploration, and a commitment to showcasing the best of Japanese and international cuisine with a spotlight on local ingredients.
What inspired you to pursue a career as a chef, and how did your journey lead you to An Dining.
I've always loved food. I did really well at school and I thought the next step would be University and finding a 9 to 5 job, but I realised it wasn't for me. I have a love of food, so I thought, why don’t I continue that? But travel was also another big love of mine, and I am very passionate about that as well. So the two just seemed to go together. I started doing my apprenticeship when I was 21 with a one way ticket to Europe. I spent close to 4 years working and traveling, then came back home to Adelaide and realised I wasn't done. I still wanted to learn more about food, so I went to Canada for two years and that’s where I started working in a Japanese restaurant. While working there, I fell in love with the food, and also with the people. The way that the kitchen worked was also quite different to Western ones. After working at that restaurant I decided to just jump in and move to Japan to further my skills and knowledge in Japanese style cooking.