Jessie Rae Crossley

Jessie Rae Crossley is the Owner and Director of Locavore Studio, a restaurant, roastery and providore that celebrates the best of the Yarra Valley, with premium produce from local artisans and community at its core. With more than 19 years of experience working across the globe, in Europe, the Americas and Australia, Crossley’s wealth of knowledge and generous spirit shines through all that Locavore stands for. 

Born and raised in the Yarra Valley, Crossley’s passion for hospitality was sparked in a chef apprenticeship in Victoria's renowned Yering Station, the first vineyard and restaurant to open in the region. After three successful years of competing in and winning apprenticeship competitions, Crossley headed overseas to London, working for the world-famous chef, Jamie Oliver, at his flagship restaurant, Fifteen. With a taste for travel alight, a trip to the Continent, secured a position as a private chef in the French ski resort, Val D’Isere. 

After a winter season in the Alps, Crossley headed to the warm climate of the Mediterranean, where she would spend the next four years working on superyachts across Europe and the Americas, cooking for the world’s elite including William Wrigley Jnr (heir to Wrigley’s chewing gum), the Kardashians, and Michael Saylor (Founder of MicroStrategies), alongside many other high-profile celebrities and diplomats.

In 2015, Crossley returned home to open Locavore Studio with its grassroots originally taking the form of a cookery school, ​ allowing Crossley to share her skills and stories from her time abroad with the local Lilydale community. With a hunger to continue her catering career, the space shortly transformed into a catering kitchen for weddings and events. 

In 2017, Crossley set her sights on a beautiful heritage-listed building on Main Street, Lilydale, the site where Locavore Studio operates today. Locavore Studio is now home to a light-filled restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, using the finest produce of the Yarra Valley, as well as a specialist coffee roastery and tasting studio by Proximal Coffee and Providore, a quaint curation of local produce, wines and artisan supplies. 

Locavore’s outside catering company still exists, external to the brick-and-mortar studio, with an additional team that has grown to be the number one supplier in the Yarra Valley and sees Crossley cater for more than 300 weddings each year. Locavore stands as a testament to Crossley’s entrepreneurial spirit and unwavering dedication to her culinary skill set and passion for hospitality.

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Notes to editors:

About Locavore:
​Locavore Studio shines as a beacon of sustainability and innovation amid the picturesque landscape of the Yarra Valley. Led by a dedicated local team, it offers a seamless blend of day-to-night dining, curated retail experiences, and bespoke off-site catering for wineries and private events. Locavore Studio’s guiding principle is ‘local first’, ensuring every facet of the operation has a deep commitment to its community and region, from sourcing organic local products to collaborating with local artisans. More than just a culinary destination, Locavore Studio serves as a vibrant hub for locals and visitors, nurturing a sense of camaraderie and appreciation for the Yarra Valley. 

Address: 148 Main St, Lilydale VIC 3140Hours:

Booking link: locavorestudio.com.au/book
​Media image gallery link: via Google Drive
​Website: www.locavorestudio.com.au
​Instagram: @locavore_studio
​Facebook: @locavorestudio

For media enquiry, please contact: ​
​Georgia Heathcote | Reymond Communications
​
​E: georgia@reymond.com.au | M: +61 (0) 497 199 842

Jasmine Geraridis | Reymond Communications
​
​E: jasmine@reymond.com.au | M: +61 (0) 437 786 377