James Brinklow
Chefs
AUSTRALIAN GOOD FOOD GUIDE - Home of the Chef Hat Awards
Jesse White
Born:
Adelaide.
History:
I started as an apprentice in Canberra working at Rubicon restaurant for 6 months before moving to the Yacht Club for 2 years. Then I moved back to Adelaide and worked at The Elbow Room for 1 year, before moving to The Duck where I finished my apprenticeship and became Sous Chef.
After 3 years there I moved to open Victors Place originally as Sous Chef but was named Head Chef shortly after opening, I stayed there for 2 1/2 years before planning to go work over in the UK, however Covid 19 happened and my plans were cancelled so I had to find somewhere else.
I started working at Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant before applying as the Sous Chef of Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard and worked both jobs 7 days for more than 2 years, until I was made Head Chef of Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard.
Have you always wanted to be a Chef?
Ever since I was a kid I wanted to work in a kitchen, as cooking was the way my Grandmother and I would spend our time together, either picking vegetables from the garden for a family roast, or baking. I found it incredibly relaxing and fun from garden to table.
How would you define your style?
Modern Australian, we try to subvert expectations by delivering something that is familiar but different.
What is your feature flavour these days?
I love using native Australian ingredients whether it be wattle seed, finger lime or kangaroo, Australia has the most unique and exciting flavours.
Obsessive-compulsive about?
Seasoning, you can create the most outstanding dish but if you haven’t balanced it correctly - it will fall flat.
Your greatest culinary influence:
Ben Shewry, someone who I look up to inside and outside the kitchen.
What do you love about this business?
The family-like atmosphere and how everyone is so motivated to create a special experience.
An ingredient you can’t live without?
The humble egg, one of the most important ingredients in any kitchen, whether savoury or sweet.
Most ‘eyebrow-raising’ menu item?
Has probably been our brie ice cream with whole roasted Nashi pear and quince.
Signature dish:
Due to our menu constantly changing and evolving every month and never repeating dishes, we have never had a signature dish. However, some of my favourite dishes have been: hay-smoked crème caramel with locally sourced apples, vension tartare with fermented leeks and alluims, potato buckwheat risotto with Parmesan foam and truffle.
What do you think the past 12 months of COVID has taught restaurants and Chefs about their diners and the industry in general?
The past 12 months I think has shown a lot of change in the industry, from expectations from workers and customers to the community environment between restaurants trying to help each other through such a difficult time by lending staff produce or simple advice.
Tell us something no one knows about you?
I am terrified of sharks but love to scuba dive and surf.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
Hopefully growing this fantastic restaurant and taking it to new heights.
Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard
An all-encompassing destination for wine tasting, functions, mouth-watering local cuisine and an enviable view, Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard on Harris Road in Lenswood has fast warranted itself an enthusiastic loyal following. A rustic, barn-like cellar door has been expanded and refurbished with wide timber decks allowing diners to admire sweeping valley landscapes, as they sip estate wines and feast on delectable dishes. An open fireplace heats indoors through frosty Adelaide Winters, while a split-level patio offers a multitude of areas for soaking up a little sun; an alluring menu embraces local produce to make bold taste and texture statements, as seen in dishes like torched Coorong mullet, tomato, cucumber and pickles to start; followed by Rascal Jack pork, carrots, soy and apple slaw.
