Twenty-nine-year-old chef Jake Kellie from Singapore’s Burnt Ends (World’s 50 Best Restaurants) and most recently Mimi’s in Sydney, has joined the team at Leigh Street Wine Room in Adelaide.

It’s been seven years since Kellie was last in town, when he cooked alongside Adam Liston (Shobosho) for a pop-up at Bistro Dom, which had Duncan Welgemoed (Africola) at the helm.

“We jumped into Bistro Dom for the week and cooked for (the band) Tool, and went to their concert on the Friday night,” says Kellie. “It was a whirlwind trip.”

He’s “amped to come back” and join the city’s flourishing dining scene. Mostly, he’s keen to join forces with Leigh Street Wine Room owners Nathan and Sali Sasi, whom he met at a pop-up dinner with chef Aaron Turner at Bali’s Ku De Ta.

His residency was at Burnt Ends at the time, and the Salis were running restaurants in Bali. “We got along really well,” he says. “Working with Sal and Nath, that’s my biggest intrigument; they’re good, young restaurateurs in the industry. And they’re in a climate in Adelaide where there’s good produce (and) up-and-coming restaurants, and I wanted to be a part of it.

“I just want to cook really good food in the restaurant and make people happy.”

With Kellie in the kitchen, Nathan will focus on business growth along with Sali, who’s also in charge of the business’s natural wine distribution arm, Juice Traders.

Sali said she’s “pumped” to secure their old friend. “It’s testament to how incredible Adelaide is,” she said.

Leigh Street Wine Room
9 Leigh Street, Adelaide
Tue – Sat 5pm – 11pm
leighstreetwineroom.com.

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