New Hire: Jake Mayhew Wants To Make You Pâtés, Terrines and Sausages at Public Wine Shop

You’ve got to hand it to Campbell Burton and Charlotte Ryan. They’ve never settled for ordinary when picking chefs for Public Wine Shop. Past hires include Ali Currey-Voumard and Ben Sears, two people qualified to be running the city’s biggest, most ambitious kitchens. That names like these are excited to cook in Public Wine Shop’s galley kitchenette says a lot about the place’s clout, hence why it’s been on The Hot List from day one.

Now comes another coup for the Fitzroy North wine bar. It’s secured Jake Mayhew as head chef. We got in touch to see what he’s all about.

Tell us about your career so far.

“I grew up in the English countryside, where everything was grown in my dad’s garden and cooked by my mum, who was a Cordon Bleu chef. So from a young age I had a great love of fresh produce and good food.

“In my early twenties, while backpacking in Australia, I started working as a dishwasher in Melbourne and I fell in love with the hospitality industry. After a few years as commis in a luxury resort in New Zealand, I decided to move back to London to try working in a Michelin-star restaurant. I landed a job at Restaurant Story in Bermondsey, where I remained for two years, honing my skills and learning as much as I could.

“From there I moved to Whistler, Canada, to work under celebrated Canadian chef James Walt at his award-winning restaurant Araxi, cooking with some of British Columbia’s finest ingredients.

“After a couple of years I decided it was time to move back to the place where I first fell in love with the industry, Melbourne. I was hired as sous chef at Etta under the amazing Rosheen Kaul. Next I took a head chef job at G McBean Family Butcher, then helped Rosheen with her Bistro Marigold pop-up.”

What’s it like being back in a restaurant kitchen after working at a butcher?

“It’s been really exciting. I’ve really missed the rush of a busy service. At Public, when the dining room is full, the vinyl’s spinning on the record player, and the customers are excited to share some great wines and some food, there’s really nothing like it. I loved my time at the butcher, it was a great chance to work with some of Australia’s finest meat. I developed a deep love of making pâtés, terrines and sausages that I’m eager to bring to the menu at Public.”

How would you describe your cooking style?

“Very ingredient-focused. I love to work with amazing produce and I believe simplicity is often the best way to create something wonderful with it. I love to create balance and harmony with a dish, where every ingredient serves a purpose and nothing goes to waste. I also love to use overlooked ingredients, like vegetables that don’t get thought of as star ingredients or cuts of meat that get ignored in favour of more luxury ones. I’m the sort of chef that gets more excited about a plate of runner beans fresh from the garden than a piece of Wagyu.”

What’s staying the same at Public Wine?

“The culture is something I’m really excited to maintain. I love the atmosphere, the unpretentious style of service, where you feel like you’re in someone’s living room sharing some amazing wine with friends, listening to some great music. I’m looking forward to producing food that reflects that and really highlights the ethos of natural, organically sourced produce.”

And how will you make the place your own?

“I’m looking to put my personality on the menu, flavours from my childhood and from my travels across the world, techniques I’ve learnt at different restaurants in my career. I also want to source some of Victoria’s best ingredients, working closely with farmers, fishmongers and suppliers to create menus that match Public’s reputation for quality.”

Are there any dishes you're particularly excited about?

“The first dish I put on was a cheese and onion gougère. Choux pastry has always been a love of mine, and cheese and onion is one of my favourite flavour combinations. The gougère is filled with onions that we slowly cook down in house-made red wine vinegar and a custard of mature English cheddar.”

What's the kitchen set up like and how does this affect your creativity in the kitchen?

“The kitchen setup is reasonably small, especially for service. We do our service in the corner of the dining room with a couple of induction burners and a salamander grill. We rely on our prep time and organisation to make the service go smoothly. There’s definitely a lot of thinking outside of the box as far as menu planning goes and utilising the space we’ve got. It’s not as straightforward as cooking a steak and serving it with chips. We have to be creative, which is a fun challenge. It’s also a lot of fun to be in the heart of the dining room during service, enjoying the atmosphere with the diners.”