Unlike many of New York's top chefs, Wayne Nish didn't always know he wanted to cook professionally. He inherited a love of cooking from his Maltese grandmother, mother, and aunt, and a fondness for the exotic from his Japanese-Norwegian father and New York upbringing, but until ten years ago, he had only dreamed of translating his passion for food into a career. However, Wayne Nish does not do things half-heartedly, and he is not afraid of change. In 1983, his future seemingly secure as a well-established partner in a successful Manhattan printing press, Nish decided to leave the world of publishing and enter the world of food. During his training at the New York Restaurant School, Nish landed a lucky first apprenticeship at the Quilted Giraffe that blossomed into a full-time position. Nish found his own delight in the luxurious well-suited to the restaurant's no-holds barred kitchen, and mentor Chef Barry Wine's refusal to follow the rules infected his pupil with a creative irreverence toward food combinations that has remained with him ever since.

In 1988, Nish landed his first job as Executive Chef at La Colombe d'Or, bringing with him only minimal and theoretical experience with the Provençal cuisine the restaurant was known for. However, this lack afforded him creative license, and Nish took the ingredients and the bones of tradition and let his instincts drive. In 1990, the one-time publisher turned chef joined would-be actor turned restaurateur Joseph Scalice to open March. The irreverent duo proved electric. In the kitchen, Nish prepares an Asian-accented American menu which incorporates his Japanese heritage, his more recent flight with Provençal cuisine, and his training at the Quilted Giraffe.