It's All About Food

First and foremost it is all about local produce. Passionate about native Australian ingredients, Jessie celebrates the diverse array of colours and beauty found in nature in her cooking. She is determined to create a new ‘Australian’ cuisine by melding traditional Asian and European flavours and techniques with our beautiful native ingredients. 

It has been a busy ride since appearing on MasterChef Australia 2015 for Jessie Spiby. When she’s not at her cafe My Grandma Ben (based in Bowden, Adelaide), you’ll find her penning articles and recipes for several publications, hosting pickling and fermenting workshops along side her business partner Taylor Peplow Ball, and all around Adelaide cooking in her catering business Good Company Catering.

Passionate about supporting local food producers, Jessie takes pleasure in observing the diverse array of colour and beauty found in nature in her cooking. She celebrates modern day Australia by melding cultures and cooking techniques with beautiful seasonal ingredients creating a vibrant and colourful menu for her catering business Good Company Catering and waste conscious cafe My Grandma Ben in Bowden.

“I like to think about the colour of food and how it will impact the plate, but I also enjoy the imperfection that nature naturally gives to food. Above all, I want every mouthful to be delicious,” Jessie Spiby

Passionate about reducing food waste, Jessie never misses an opportunity to spruik the good work of OzHarvest and is a regular at fund raising events. She has even spent a few days in their iconic yellow vans collecting and redistributing food to those in need.  Her passion for reducing waste recently extended to consulting work, which saw Jessie take on the role of Sustainability Manager for TEDx Adelaide in 2016.

MasterChef 2015

"Firstly. What a ride! All be it a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me. The experience was one which taught me to trust myself and re-affirmed my love of all things 'food'."

Making it all the way to the Top 7 allowed Jessie to really hone her 'cooking style' and also born a new love of savoury dessert making, one which she never would have discovered without MasterChef.

"MasterChef allowed me to go out and represent myself as myself with a whole bunch of new people, so I surprised myself and learnt a lot about who I was.

It made me realise who I am and it helped me figure out where I want to go.” 

Follow Jessie on Facebook to find out where she is next!

Inspirations

In her past life as a graphic designer Jessie would approach her design work by trying to find the beauty in the chaotic as well as the mundane aspects of the day to day. She loves colourful and eclectic designs and has always found it hard to produce really modern clean work.

"There is always a little smudge or an imperfect line but I've really learned to love that imperfection in my work."

For Jessie, the way she approaches cooking is very much like the way she approaches design. She likes to think about the colour of food and how it will impact the plate, while also enjoying the imperfections that nature naturally gives to food.

"I quite like things to look organic and as though they’ve just tumbled on to the plate, and I want every mouthful to be delicious.

When I cook, I see it as though I am giving a part of myself on to the plate. I think when you cook you show respect to the person you’re feeding by showing respect to the ingredients that you’re using. I guess when I feed someone I truly feel as though I am giving them a little piece of me."

Travel is a huge part of how Jessie came to be so passionate about food.

"I have been lucky enough to have travelled a lot of Europe and parts of Asia and the thing that always sticks with me after visiting foreign countries is the way each culture enjoys food differently. Food is community, its heritage and it’s a sneak peak into another person’s way of life.

I love nothing more than visiting the local markets and eating the local street food and just people watching. I have this weird thing where I really like watch people eat and enjoy their food! For me that’s a moment where people allow themselves to be taken away, and it is a simple way for me to bring pleasure into somebody’s life."