In the leafy suburb of Norwood, Adelaide, lies one of the hottest restaurants in the nation. arkhé’s beautiful, yet bold and raw, dining room is made of wood, stone and concrete, celebrating the elemental power of fire. At its heart, a wood burning oven and grills – even a charcoal-powered deep fryer. Despite hosting some of the biggest chefs in the world for guest spots as part of their arkhé & Friends series, Chef Jake Kellie remains down-to-earth and unpretentious.
You cook with fire; tell us how you make it work for you.
We have a two-and-a-half-tonne dual-cavity wood oven that can reach 600°C. In it, we create our own coals by burning river red gum. With this, we have three different grills that we can move higher or lower above the coals. On the other side of the oven is an offset oven that runs at more moderate temperatures between 160°C and 180°C, where we can slow roast short ribs or strip loins. There’s a hearth with racking shelves and a cast-iron pot full of oil – we shovel hot coals underneath, adjusting the amount to keep it at the right temperature for deep frying. Yes, this does sound infernal, but it’s very civilised, with great extraction fans and a cold air curtain.
Before arkhé, you were Head Chef at Burnt Ends in Singapore. Is that where you gained your love of fire?
It was much earlier, working with Jo Corrigan and her partner Matt Donnelly in a small restaurant in Melbourne’s Fitzroy called The Commoner over ten years ago. They had a wood-fired oven – we produced many really good dishes. Working at Burnt Ends was a different beast. It was an amazing three years. I arrived at a time when the restaurant was going bonkers. It was a great time – working alongside Dave (Executive Chef, David Pynt) – I was a young kid at 26, running one of the best restaurants in the world. He guided me in the right direction to where I am today. It was stern guidance, but he has that natural leadership skill. I was a good cook, but I needed to learn how to become a good manager. Dave taught me so much about how to manage people, nurture staff and foster a community.
What was the pressure like?
We were in the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants then, but I did not let it get to me. I focused on getting the best food on the plate. Dave pushed me to enter the San Pellegrino Young Chef competition, but he also made me focus. (Jake won the 2018 Southeast Asian division and made it into the international top three in Milan later that year.)
You’re known in the industry for running a good team.
On busy nights, arkhé hosts 120 diners and we have an open kitchen. You have to maintain an even keel for the staff. If you are seeking excellence as we are, you need to communicate all the time. Tell your team what you need from them. Show them what is expected. Explain and repeat if necessary. I will jump on a section and show a team member how to do something until they understand. The secret to building and maintaining a good team is communication.
You’re originally from the NSW Central Coast.
I grew up in Berkeley Vale and started my apprenticeship in a small French restaurant. It sounds clichéd, but I used to collect all the Matt Moran recipes from the newspaper. I asked to do some trials and ended up finishing my apprenticeship at Aria in Sydney. Recently, I was asked back to prepare a dish for Aria’s 25th birthday. I made Matt’s roast Peking duck potsticker dumplings, grilled over binchotan, and served with consommé and shaved abalone.
What do you love about Adelaide?
We are so close to so many great producers. It’s pretty stunning. Recently, James Lowe from Lyle’s in Shoreditch was cooking with us for the latest instalment of arkhé & Friends. James is big on small producers, and his menu was based on the excellent produce he sourced in a short amount of time. From the Adelaide Hills, we source amazing vegetables, rock lobsters from Port Lincoln and great beef from the southeast to fill our dry-aging room. And then there are the winemakers!
Favourite cuisine?
Thai is definitely up there. We had David Thompson (Sailors Thai, Sydney; Nahm, London) here last year, and he cooked some amazing dishes that confirmed my love for Thai food. We have some great Thai places here in Adelaide. I don’t mind a little bit of spice.
Favourite wine?
At the moment, I am loving chablis. It’s easy to drink, fresh and nothing too complicated – a lovely little glass with some fish grilled on the barbecue. Delicious.
Great places to visit in SA?
Head down to McLaren Vale and hit the beaches such as Port Willunga for a dip in the beautiful clear water, then spend the day discovering the distilleries, wineries and breweries. And, of course, enjoy great food!
