Precinct head chef Jesse Peddle leads the kitchen at Bar Lola, Verity Lane. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Who are you?
I’m Jesse Peddle, head chef at Verity Lane.
How did you get started in the hospitality industry?
My mum was a single mum so I spent a lot of time with my grandparents which is how I discovered I wanted to cook. I would sit with my grandma while she cooked and that was something I really liked. So it’s definitely tied in with all those memories.
I didn’t mind school, but I also didn’t listen very much! I’d already got a job as a dishy in Year 8, but Mum convinced me to stay until Year 12. The day I finished, I went out and got myself an apprenticeship.
What were some of your early jobs as a chef?
I started my apprenticeship at a nice, little, old-school pub. It was traditional pub food but made with effort and care, and we did everything in house. It was a really good place to start because it gave me a good appreciation for where food comes from.
Then I moved down the south coast to Narooma and worked in a little fine dining place – The River Restaurant under Peter Compton. He’s one of the best chefs I’ve ever worked for in terms of skill. His knowledge of French cuisine was just something else! That really helped me see what I wanted to do and just what food could be.
Tell me about your role at Verity Lane.
I look after a few spaces in the complex: our events rooms upstairs and Lola Bar. We do between two and six functions a week at the moment, which vary between alternate drops, banquets or canapes. Lola Bar takes up a fair bit of my time because everything is made in house and we make the pastas fresh daily.
There’s a lot of logistics involved and I spend a lot of my time running up and down stairs.
Did you have a dream job as a kid?
I actually just really wanted to be a chef! When we’d go out for dinner as a family to the local club I used to love open kitchens and I’d always be watching the chefs. I still do!
Fresh pastas are made daily in house at Bar Lola. Photo: Ash St George.
What is your food philosophy?
Same as Italian chef Antonio Carluccio: minimum of fuss, maximum of flavour.
What is your favourite ingredient when cooking?
Everything could do with more garlic in my opinion!
What’s an underrated Canberra venue you love?
I go to Al’s Diner every day for coffee. Their service is fantastic and their food is simple but so good. It’s always warm and welcoming.
Retro New York diner vibes are the name of the game at Al’s Deli and Diner. Photo: Rabble Group.
Who do you admire in the Canberra food scene?
The chef at Raku [Hao Chen] is some sort of freak of nature! I’ve done the degustation three times and it’s just unreal.
Where’s the best place for a drink in Canberra?
Civic Pub: it reminds me of home. There is zero pretentiousness. You can sit out the front and do a bit of people watching, no matter the weather.
Who is your dream dinner party guest and what would you make them?
Marcus Aurelius: the Roman emperor and philosopher. I’d feed him a modern-day pasta to see what he reckons! Maybe a good old-fashioned spag bol: I think he’d get around it, he’d be a simple sort of bloke.
I read a lot of his stuff, so I’d get so much out of a conversation. I’d have a million questions for him and they’d all start with ‘explain this!’
Civic Pub is Jesse’s go-to location for a bit of people watching. Photo: Civic Pub/Instagram.
What is your current food obsession?
’Nduja: it hits hard! We’ve just put a new dish on the menu with ’nduja and I’ve been tasting a lot of it. Just hook it to my veins!
What’s the best thing you ate this week?
We made a lasagna on Saturday after service with some brisket and ricotta. Not super traditional, but we had some stuff to use up that we didn’t want to waste – and it tasted great.
What’s a food that reminds you of your childhood?
Pumpkin and potato mash, my grandma used to make it. I still don’t know how she made it so perfect! I still make it at home and have it on toast.
What’s a normal breakfast for you?
Don’t eat it, I just have coffee and three cigarettes! I only eat once a day at night time or I feel too sluggish.
Verity Lane Market has six food vendors in addition to its function spaces, bars and Bar Lola. Photo: Ben Calvert.
When you can’t be bothered to cook for yourself, where do you go and what do you eat?
I’m a bit of a deviant for Guzman y Gomez. I’m also quite partial to a Patty Smith’s smashed burger (especially if I’m hung over!).
What is your dream travel destination?
I’d like to go back to Finland. I once spent about two months in Sodankylä in the very north of Finland during the Arctic winter. So it was dark the whole time. I loved it, I never wanted to leave!
They eat a lot of pickled stuff, fermented stuff, hard rye bread and cheeses. I tried that traditional fermented shark and it was absolutely disgusting!
Tell me something you love about living in Canberra?
It’s controversial but the weather! Not so much summer, but I love the other three seasons. And the people: they’re much friendlier here.
What TV show are you enjoying right now?
I watch a lot of WW2 documentaries, the same with reading. I’ve been reading Silence Was Salvation which is pretty intense. It’s about the Nazi occupation of France and it’s pretty grim but interesting. If I need something lighter I just pop on Seinfeld.
An easy one to finish – what’s your go-to coffee order?
Iced long black, maybe oat milk here and there if I’m feeling fancy.
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