Jess was 10 years old when he cooked his first meal. It was macaroni cheese – Maggi of course. Jess’s mum and dad were shift workers at the time, so he took the responsibility to feed his younger brother and sister. The next meal was spaghetti – he loved the crunch of undercooked pasta as a child.
Moving forward 7 years, Jess dropped out of high school to pursue his passion for cooking. He started out in a small family run CBD business before deciding to try working at hotels as a way to define his skill and technique. He moved into the Melbourne brunch scene in 2012, with a stretch at Industry Beans, Fitzroy where they were pushing boundaries with food and coffee in the progressive Melbourne cafe environment.
Jess was lucky enough to have worked and learned under amazing chefs such as James Webb of the Hyatt Hotel, Ian Curly of the European and Robbert Kabbord of the Merricote, which is paramount for any young budding Chef.
Classically trained in French and Italian cuisine, with a love of Southeast Asian flavours, Jess’s menus are representations of modern Australian cuisine with a focus on the purity of flavour from each ingredient.
Jess also loves to give a little bit of table side theatre and presentation to make your dinner party all that more memorable.
Personal Chef Menus by Jess Allen
Testimonials for Jess Allen
Jess was lovely and explained what we were eating before every course. The food was served quickly and the waitresses were lovely and efficient.
Food: | Service:Heidi Clarris (VIC)
Chef Jess was wonderful!
Food: | Service:
He brought Chef Johnny with him, and the food was incredible! Two weeks later and our friends are still talking about it. Jess has a great attitude and was definitely a crowd pleaser.Sharon (VIC)
Jess was fantastic, food was wonderful!
Food: | Service:Vikki Gardiner (VIC)
Jess Allen was fantastic! Firstly communicating so promptly prior to the night to work out the menu to suit my vision. He arrived early to set up and start preparing and throughout the night was so organised and friendly. The food was great, presented beautifully and most importantly very tasty. We had an Asian Fusion menu and everyone loved it. He also cleaned up nicely after the dinner party. I would definitely recommend Jess as a private chef and would hire him again myself. Wish I could have him every night to cook our meals 😉
Food: | Service:
Thank you Jess, you were a delight!Zeeva Zarfaty (VIC)
Very friendly and made the evening so easy and exactly what we wanted.
Food: | Service:Jessica Oostergetel (VIC)
Jess was so great! He was so personable and easy to talk to. He explained all about the food he was preparing and where it had come from. I would recommend Jess to anyone looking to book an in home chef for both the incredible food and his easy going nature and ability to enagage the group.
Food: | Service:Lauren Webb (VIC)
Jess was a lovely man who provided a high quality meal. Every course was delicious but the paella was outstanding and full of fresh ingredients. The charcuterie board had a wonderful mix of things.
Food: | Service:Cathie Seccombe (VIC)
Apart from the slightly chewy seared beef, everything was amazing! Jess was very personable and professional, and my guests enjoyed his spiel before ever course.
Service overall was also good. My 2 criticisms are:
1) they opened a bottle of magnum champagne about 20mins before schedule.
2) they need to be more proactive in topping up glasses with drinks/water.All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would definitely recommend your service to everyone.
Food: | Service:Hakim Halim (VIC)
Jess was a great chef very accommodating, great service, great food and great company.
Food: | Service:
Thank you Jess and At your table.Ganesh Balendran (VIC)
Jess is very personable, well organised and professional. He explained the dishes and ingredients to my guests and the food and quality of service was excellent. My guests were very impressed and would recommend to others.
Food: | Service:Pam Linklater (VIC)
Jess was amazing, very friendly, great food, lovely to deal with.
Food: | Service:Quentin Free (VIC)
From the moment Chef Jess walked into the house we had rented out and introduced himself I knew we were going to be very well looked after. A smiling face And a delicious dinner that was enjoyed by us all. We loved that he also went through each dish with us before we ate and the use of herbs grown from his garden made for an extra special touch. Thank you so much, Jess.
Food: | Service:Amy Minichiello (VIC)
Jess was extremely punctual, friendly and well prepared. The food was delicious with amazing small detail that made everything presented beautifully.
Food: | Service:Zinta Walter-Bruns (VIC)
Jess was fun and engaging adding to the atmosphere of our evening.
The food was amazing!!
Food: | Service:Bhekizulu Zwangobani (VIC)
Jess and Christine arrived promptly as scheduled. They were polite and professional and conversed happily with all the guests. The food was amazing and explanations were given as to the ingredients of each dish. At the end of the night they did an amazing job of cleaning up after themselves, in fact I don’t think my kitchen has ever been cleaner!! I cannot speak more highly of both of them. We will certainly be doing it again!!
Food: | Service:Melissa Jurie (VIC)
Chef Jess went well beyond the call of duty, the food was great and service awesome. He did he research prior to coming so knew what to expect for a Burns Night celebration.
Food: | Service:Kim Steel (VIC)
Jess was excellent and the food he served was delicious. Jess was accommodating of dietary requirements & was able to suggest options. The entre platter for want of a better word was delicious and was a hit with everyone. Not taking anything away from the other 2 courses.
Food: | Service:Ruben Whyte (VIC)
Fantastic Chef. Booking process was a little disjointed and difficult but okay. Accepting credit card would be good.
Food: | Service:Mitch Davies (VIC)
We organised a dinner through At Your Table for my partner’s 30th Birthday last month. I want to say a huge thank you to Chef Jess and Christina who were fabulous hosts – approachable, professional, accomodating and fun! We had a wonderful meal – the blue swimmer crab remoulade was a crowd favourite! All three courses were delicious! Thanks so much again for making it such a wonderful evening to remember- would highly recommend for any event (or even if you just feel like treating yourself!)
Food: | Service:Amy Stewart (VIC)
I wanted something special and different for my 60th birthday.
AtyourTable and especially chef Jess gave me that.He was friendly, and informative about each course, our guests loved him and his partner. I questioned Jess regarding his menu, and then entrusted him with it. We were all delighted with the food. It was delicious
Food: | Service:
.Debbie Robertson (VIC)