Making waves through WA’s dining scene, Emily Jones has quickly established herself as one of our most exciting culinary talents. As the head chef of highly anticipated Fremantle restaurant Cassia, Jones shares her career evolution since winning WAGFG Young Chef of the Year in 2021 , her passion for produce driven menus, and the perennial draw of wood-fired cooking.
How do you think you’ve evolved since your time at Republic of Fremantle – your first and formative head chef role – and how do you think that time influenced the way in which you will run the kitchen at Cassia?
When I started at Republic of Fremantle, I certainly suffered from imposter syndrome. As a result of COVID, everyone suddenly had a progression in their career. I felt as though I had been pushed into the role and I didn’t know if I was really a fit for it, and was forced to step out of my comfort zone.
Over the years though, with experience, I have found my feet and become a lot more relaxed. I’m always looking for ways that I can better myself so that in turn, I can better my team. Having a good team around you is everything. Everyone is here essentially for the same reason; they love cooking and they love cooking for others. That old-school ego driven kitchen just doesn’t fit in here and it doesn’t fit with my style.
I used to take myself a bit too seriously whereas now I really grasp an appreciation for the fact that what we actually do is cook food for other people to make them happy. It’s the spirit of hospitality and pushing that through the team is what I’m here to do.
Produce focused cooking seems to be very much your direction. Is that what we can expect from the menu at Cassia?
I love working with local suppliers like Halls Family Dairy, The Mushroom Guys and La Delizia Latticini. I try to work with as many local suppliers and producers as I can. We don’t have any of those small by-the-piece snacks, the concept here is the spirit of Australian barbecue. We’re really lucky here in Western Australia that we can source almost anything from within our own state. We have the biggest coastline from which we have some of the best seafood in the world and an array of ecosystem which allows some produce to be grown all year round. That’s unheard of.
Throughout your career, you have developed a waste conscious “from scratch” kitchen mindset. How does that manifest at Cassia?
I wouldn’t say we’re a “no waste kitchen” but we make an effort to minimize wastage wherever feasible. We use charcoal from the fire to make charcoal oil. We save peels and trims from parsnips and artichokes, smoke them, turn them into a stock which we use as a vegan jus for our lion’s mane schnitzel. It’s really technique like this that provide an unimaginable depth of flavour to dishes.
Wood-fired cooking at one point seemed like a trend but it’s not really gone away. What do you think is driving this staying power?
Wood-fired cooking strips things back to the basics and allows the focus of a dish to be on the produce itself. It’s not to say it’s as simple as putting something on the grill, as we use a lot of hidden technique. It’s a skill to learn how to cook over fire. It’s been a challenge, but it is also one of my favourite ways to cook. When I worked as a sous-chef at Cook and Mason, we had a massive wood fired grill that we cooked everything on so from there I really leaned into it and developed the appreciation I have today.
Was this what drew you to heading up the kitchen at Cassia?
It certainly was something that appealed to me. When I first came to chat about the role though, one of the owners was recounting a restaurant he had experienced over east where he was greeted by a chef when he walked in, could see the kitchen the entire meal, and was later farewelled by the chef. From then he just wanted to bring this kind of hospitality experience to Fremantle, and I just found that inspiring.
I’m not somebody who always wants to be on show, it’s not something that I really enjoy, but I like the concept of guests being able to see exactly what we’re doing. I remember when I won WAGFG Young Chef of the Year in 2021. I literally ran off the stage, I was so frightened but having these guest experiences is just different. It doesn’t frighten me in the same way that public speaking does. To be able to talk to diners firsthand, whether they’re coming up to say we did a good job, or ask where we sourced something from, whatever it is, it’s just nice to have that experience with the guests.
I also just love Fremantle. I can’t get enough of it really. When people are in Fremantle, it feels like they have come here for a holiday, even if it’s for the day. They’re not in a hurry, they’re happy to just be here so I love being able serve that kind of clientele.
What excites you about the hospitality scene in Western Australia?
To be completely honest, I have a 9 month old baby so I can’t say that I have been out much to experience the scene as of late. Generally speaking though, in the last 5 years, Perth really has taken off. I remember when I left Perth for the UK after completing my apprenticeship ten years ago. The food that I was experiencing over there was so different to the food that I was making here. It made me realise Perth was stuck in the past, but I feel like now Australia as a whole truly is at the forefront of food. Whether we admit it or not. I think we have social media to thank for that as well because it is so much easier to draw upon inspiration from the global hospitality scene.
Are there any dishes that people are particularly loving at the moment? What can we expect to see as Cassia develops?
Absolutely everyone, funnily enough, loves our brussels sprouts. They’re fried, tossed in a jalapeno vinegar, and sit on house made miso mustard. They’re just flying out the door, which continues to surprise me. Our seafood dishes are popular. Woodfired Skull Island Prawns basted with our house made kimchi-like chilli paste. Our cuttlefish, lightly seared, tossed with lemon and parsley, and served on a smoked eggplant cream, is proving to be a favourite too.
As for the future, I’d love to introduce even more seafood onto the menu given our location. The menu will continue to evolve seasonally in line with our produce driven ethos.
