First Look: Sydney’s First Dedicated Jamaican Patty Bakery Opens in the Inner West

Think of a freshly baked croissant and how the outer shell flakes as you bite into it. The pastries at Jamaican Patty Bakehouse, Glebe Point Road’s newcomer, do the exact same thing – shattering with a delightful crunch as you bite. Owner Chris Skuce achieves it by laminating 27 layers of thin butter into his pastry, a process he learned via the internet, then spent months perfecting.

“I’ve been making patties for quite some time, but not on a commercial scale,” Skuce tells Broadsheet. The lamination process takes two days – allowing the dough to fully rest – but it’s something Skuce embraces.

A couple of years ago, his daughter Olivia Skuce returned from the Philippines wondering why there were so many Jamaican patty shops while, despite Australia’s longstanding love of meat-filled pastry, Sydney had none. Sure, you might stumble across the golden savoury pies at food trucks and pop-ups, or find home-delivery options, but there was no dedicated shop if you ever had a craving. So, following a few market stints and location hunting, the pair brought Sydney’s first Jamaican patty bakery to life.

“[You] get to a stage in your life where you wanna do something you’re passionate about,” he says. “I’ve been here for 23 years, mainly working sort of corporate-style jobs, so this is a brand-new pivot for me in terms of what I wanna do.”

You’d never guess Skuce doesn’t have commercial cooking experience, because his patties are a thing of beauty. “When I was a kid, you looked for more suet-based pastry, a softer, crumblier pastry. But now the trend is to be as flaky as possible.”

The sun-kissed treats get their colour from curry powder, turmeric and a secret blend of herbs and spices. Generously sized, they come in five flavours: OG beef, beef with cheese, jerk-style chicken, a vegan curry number and a vegan with plant-based cheese.

The minced OG beef filling is a generations-old recipe, passed down from Skuce’s grandfather, who ran a food shop by the side of the road in Spur Tree, Jamaica. It’s rich, complex, savoury, with a fiery accent thanks to a blend of allspice, thyme, pimento and habanero – a more accessible alternative to scotch bonnet peppers, a staple ingredient in many Jamaican recipes.

The jerk-style chook is Skuce’s own recipe, which has the essence of jerk chicken without the smoky barbecue notes. It’s earthy, with a slight chilli sizzle and the sweet zing of pineapple. The meat-free Vital Vegan patty is filled with a fragrant, coconutty Jamaican curry of lentils, carrots, peas and onions – it’s creamy and packs a surprising wallop of flavour.

Originally from the UK, Skuce shares that the Cornish-pasty-style bakes are a snack that holds a special place for a lot of people because of their history. They came to Jamaica in the 1600s, after the English arrived with their Cornish pasties, and the fillings were quickly given the local touch. Migration then took the spice-laden pies around the world – including Toronto (Canada’s largest Jamaican community), the USA and the UK.

At the moment, the Glebe Point Road eatery produces 1100 to 1200 patties a week, and still doesn’t meet demand (though Skuce is looking to ramp it up with some additional help).

“I didn’t expect so much support from the Jamaican community and the Canadian expat community – so as soon as they found out [about us], they’ve been here knocking down the door.”

Jamaican Patty Bakehouse
109 Glebe Point Road, Glebe
0401 763 302

Hours:
Wed to Fri 11am–7pm
Sat & Sun 10am–3pm

@jamaicanpattybakehouse