Jamsheed’s New Chef Targets Chicken Schnitzel Perfection

John Cassie is a wine bar vet. After starting his career at top restaurants including Cutler, Verge and Spice Temple, the chef says he was “drawn to a more casual atmosphere in kitchens”. In recent years he’s worked in the kitchen at Bar Liberty, Old Palm Liquor and Waxflower and, most recently, as head chef at The Wine Corner Store in Carlton North. He recently took over as head chef at Jamsheed Urban Winery – a cellar door in Preston founded by winemakers Elika Rowell

and Gary Mills in 2019. We caught up with Cassie to find out what he has in store for the role. How have you gone about developing the menu for Jamsheed?My approach has been to blend a mixture of flavours that I feel reflect the melting pot of contemporary Australian cuisine, as well as the restaurants and chefs that I’ve worked under, while giving a nod to the nostalgic, retro Australian comfort food I grew up eating. How is Jamsheed different from when you started?

And how is it similar?The food at Jamsheed has changed a couple of times since it opened, most recently with Frankie [Hadid]’s very unique and delicious fusion of Latin American and Middle Eastern cuisine. So there is definitely a big difference in the style of cuisine from last year. But I think the general ethos of the restaurant and winery, and focus on Gary’s incredible winemaking, are still first and foremost, so there is definitely a strong undercurrent of familiarity in the style and service.

What’s the kitchen set-up like? How does it impact your creativity?Being [in] an open kitchen on the restaurant floor that backs onto the winery where Gary works his magic is a great experience. Having a full bustling service is a very dynamic vibe for both us and the customers. The wood-fire oven and our massive hibachi charcoal grill are our main cooking implements and a lack of gas stovetop burners means almost everything on the menu is cooked with fire, which really dictates the kind

of food I’m putting on the menu and has been super inspiring for me. I’ve never worked in a kitchen with a wood-fire oven so that’s been both a steep learning curve and a joy. It’s such a fun way to cook that I’m trying to use to [my] full advantage. What’s inspiring you in the kitchen right now?Coming into winter is always a bit of a challenge and requires you to be a little creative with what’s in season. I’ve been playing around with

some heartier meals, but still maintain[ing] a light touch. We’ve been using lots of interesting root vegetables, winter greens and mushrooms. The mushrooms we’ve been getting from Melbourne Mushroom Emporium have been fantastic and featured heavily on the past couple of menu changes, especially through autumn. Preston Market, Psarakos Market and MKS Spices’n Things are all close by, so I often pop past and pick up ingredients, which has definitely had an impact on the menu. Having travelled multiple times throughout India and Asia and

recently working as a private chef for an eco-lodge on Christmas Island where I was using a lot of Malay and Indonesian ingredients – foraged and grown by the locals – I’ve been very interested in those flavours. They pop up on the menu frequently. How would you describe your style and approach to food?I just want to cook delicious things that I enjoy eating myself. I’m definitely not trying to reinvent the wheel or do anything too outlandish – just cook good food with

strong technique that matches well with Gary’s wines. I love having such a broad spectrum of flavours and ideas to draw on which I think is such a wonderful thing about being a chef growing up in Australia. I feel like we’ve come so far from the meat-and-three-veg my parents and grandparents grew up eating, as comforting as that can sometimes be. Are there any dishes you’re particularly excited about?I’m currently working on a curried sausage dish, inspired by my nanna’s very old-school CWA-style cooking.

You can expect to see [it] on our next menu change. Our cured, slow-cooked pork jowl that’s then barbequed, glazed and served with pickled pineapple [which is] on our current menu is a nod to a childhood favourite – ham steak and canned pineapple rings – adapted to a more modern palate. Our flatbread, cooked in the wood-fire oven, is a firm favourite, as is our selection of pickled and fermented vegetables that’s been constantly evolving with the seasons. We’re also working on perfecting our

chicken schnitzel. We’ve been using a velvet brine technique with lots of lime, ginger and aromats. The schnitzel is something we’ll likely never be able to take off the menu without a small riot, but it’s a classic for a reason.

John Cassie, Jamsheed Urban Winery, Preston, head chef, chicken schnitzel, velvet brine, wood-fire oven, hibachi charcoal grill, Gary Mills, Elika Rowell, Melbourne Mushroom Emporium, Preston Market, Psarakos Market, MKS Spices’n Things