Locally Grown

Locavore’s Jessie Rae Crossley in conversation with Pip Young

Jessie Crossley has become an integral part of the Yarra Valley food scene over the last fifteen years, establishing her Lilydale business Locavore in 2014 to become one of the finest caterers in the state. Luckily for those of us that live in the region, there’s also a café for us all to indulge in the wonderful treats that Jessie creates. First featured in Yarra Valley and Ranges magazine as a rising foodie-star back in 2014, it has been wonderful to watch Jessie’s career evolve. It seems that she was always destined for this journey.  

She remembers, “From the age of eight years old I would sit right in front of the TV and watch Jamie Oliver, telling my parents that I would be just like Jamie, cooking up a storm for all my friends and family. My love for cooking was something I was born into and came naturally… My parents could not get me out of the kitchen, cooking dinner most nights from the age of nine, having my friends over to cook dinner parties…I just loved cooking and everything that embodies food – the eating and sharing.”

To read the full story, pick up a copy of #47 Spring 2021 here.

Featured image by Rick Liston. Photograph below by Ben McNamara.