“I always wanted to be a chef,” recalled Sonya Mase, the driving force behind Home Hill favourite Marzay’s Corner.
For her, the kitchen has always been a place to create, experiment, and inspire—but her path into the culinary world, though always a dream, wasn’t exactly linear.
Working as a cleaner in South Australia before moving to Queensland with her husband, Tony, cooking had been more of a dream than a serious consideration—a passion simmering on the back burner.
It was during her time with the Brisbane Police Academy that a sergeant, with whom she had formed a close relationship, urged her to follow her culinary dreams.
And with that, her journey in the kitchen began.
At first, it wasn’t about money. It was about getting a foot in the door of the industry she had always admired.
"Going from earning [a proper wage] to $4 an hour was hard. I almost gave up halfway through because it became really tough," she recalled.
"But it was the ticket—something to achieve for myself. So I just stuck with it, and I'm glad I did."
Thirty years and countless meals later, Sonya is a seasoned chef who hangs her hat on her organisation skills, ability to thrive under pressure, and creative knack.
“A lot of times ideas just come to you,” she says. “You wake up in the middle of the night thinking, ‘that could work.’ There’s trial and error, but that’s the fun of it.”
From Marzay’s Corner in Home Hill, Sonya is now using her extensive experience to teach young locals essential kitchen skills—knife handling, time management, budgeting—and watching them grow in confidence.
“It’s not just about cooking. It’s about life skills,” she says. “Parents tell me they’ve noticed a real change in their kids.”
Her goal is to show her young employees that good food doesn’t need to cost a fortune, and that with creativity, patience, and practice, anyone can turn a meal into something they're proud of.
With plans to share her knowledge in local schools, Sonya has become more than just the chef she set out to be. She’s become a mentor, using her experience to guide the next generation of aspiring culinary talent.
Sonya has become a mentor, using her experience to guide the next generation of local culinary talent. Photo credit: Jacob Casha
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