Fire in their souls

When an up-and-coming chef started working with an ambitious young sommelier at a popular wine bar in Newcastle five years ago, they not only became great mates, but they also forged a working relationship that would lead to bigger and brighter things. It was here that they had the initial spark of inspiration for Yellow Billy, a restaurant that specialises in ‘food over fire’.

Co-owner and executive chef Sam Alexander grew up on a hobby farm near Broke, not far from where Yellow Billy is located at Piggs Peake Winery. “We had cows, goats, chickens, and we grew our own vegetables,” Alexander recalls. “My dad was from a mixed Egyptian, Greek and Italian background, so our family meals were often infused with Mediterranean flavours, and cooked on barbecues, grills or open fires. It’s no wonder that this style of cooking and eating became a passion of mine. It’s in my blood!”

Gaining invaluable experience as a sous-chef in iconic restaurants such as Bistro Molines in the Hunter, Fins in Byron Bay and Bistrode in Sydney, Alexander learned from some of Australia’s best chefs. “Those culinary luminaries were incredibly influential in the shaping of who I am today as a chef and restaurant owner,” says Alexander.

Alexander’s business partner and co-owner Pat Hester, who is also the restaurant’s manager and sommelier, worked in hospitality in London for four years before moving to Tasmania, which is where he discovered his love of wine. After completing his sommelier studies in Newcastle and teaming up with Alexander, Hester knew he had found his calling.

“We worked so well together, we started kicking around some ideas for our own restaurant,” Hester says. “Sam was always keen on doing something with firepits, and we started looking around the Hunter region for possible locations.”