Check out chef Sam Alexander's take on the classic jaffle at The Sty

Having worked at restaurants the calibre of Fins, Bistro Molines, Icebergs and North Bondi Fish earlier in his career, it was when he joined the Reserve Wine Bar team in Newcastle that the Singleton native increasingly found himself drawn to the simplicity of cooking over an open flame.

He experimented with ingredients and techniques, honing his craft into a culinary art form that found a home at Pokolbin's Piggs Peake Winery.

Alexander and sommelier Patrick Hester opened Yellow Billy Restaurant in 2018. Its renowned custom-made fire pit and extensive wine list have made it a popular dining destination for visitors and locals alike.

Now the pair have branched out and added The Sty to the Piggs Peake menagerie.

"We collectively decided to open The Sty with Piggs Peake owners Bruce Whalen and Tony Miller in an unused space in the winery as we noticed an opportunity along Hermitage Road to provide a quick bite, tasty coffee or cool drink offering over the weekends," Alexander, who is executive chef, said.

"There's lots of traffic with people out and about exploring the area."

He describes The Sty as a "low blueprint offering with one or two front-of-house team members slinging their way through Saturdays and Sundays" while the Yellow Billy kitchen team takes care of the food preparation.

"We have a QR code ordering system on-site or you can order online for pick up or sit down," Alexander said.

"Everything is biodegradable and planet friendly. It's a little hole in the wall of toasted goodness."

The Sty's menu is based on Hester and Alexander's shared love of the humble jaffle. You know, the toasted sandwich otherwise known as a toastie that smells so delicious you simply can't wait for it to cool and you eagerly take a bite and (unsurprisingly) burn your mouth with delicious strings of melted cheese?

"These are jaffles we grew up with as kids - but with a twist," Alexander explained.

"We produce all the fillings in-house and we purchase whole pigs from Near River Produce and smoke our own hams on our custom-built fire pit.

"We also collect as many ingredients as we can from our on-site kitchen garden beds. Everything is local, including our suppliers."

Visitors to the Hunter Valley tend to their follow their noses (or word of mouth) to Piggs Peake. The smell of wood fire in the air is matched only by the aromas emanating from The Sty's oven each morning.

The house-smoked ham and cheese jaffle with tomato relish is a crowd favourite, and the house-made sausage rolls are filled with everything from pit-fired lamb to harissa and pine nuts or pork and fennel. Also on the menu is The Big B Jaffle (ham hock, scrambled egg, ground sausage mince, cheddar, mozzarella, hollandaise); Spinach & Mushroom Jaffle (field mushrooms, baby spinach, mozzarella, asiago); Baked B Jaffle (borlotti bean, chorizo, mozzarella, cheddar); Granola Bowl (house-made granola, fruit compote, Greek yoghurt, apple, coconut) and the Acai Bowl (acai, granola, fresh fruit, goji berries, coconut, peanut butter, apple and blueberry compote, nuts).

Then there's the coffee. The Sty uses Newcastle's own Drop Bear, a brand Hester and Alexander were introduced to during their Reserve Wine Bar days.

"It's now run by Connor Rutledge and Ashley Dykes and the brand has seen real growth. Single origin or blends of ethically sourced beans are roasted to perfection without over-complicating things."

As for Yellow Billy, Alexander says they have "a few things on the go" including two collaborations with The Flotilla as part of Newcastle Food Month.

"We will also be doing Feast in the Field later in the year with acclaimed winemaker and great friend Usher Tinkler at Usher Tinkler wines. You can expect food over fire served in a sharing environment with some delicious wines," he continued.

"We are also revisiting a classic event Pat and I created at Reserve all those years ago with Native & Natural 2.0. where you can expect Australian produce (kangaroo, emu and more) with our signature style of kissing our food by fire. Low intervention, ground-breaking Australian wines will match each dish."

Alexander makes special mention of Yellow Billy head chef Darren Price and restaurant manager Charlie Lawson who, over the past year, have helped to develop and refine the Yellow Billy offering.

"We are extremely happy with where we are at in the present, but we're always excited to keep growing and refining what we do," he said.

"A favourite in the restaurant is the house-cured smoked pork belly amatriciana with papadelle and a parmesan and sage pangritata and, as of this week, we are offering Australian wine and cocktails in a can.

"We also have regular Kings Table events in the works, which will be held once a month in the near future and feature our hangi pit."

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