Time Out: Meet the patissiere - Jonny Pisanelli, From Scratch

The chemistry of a pastry-making couple has resulted in some of Adelaide’s sweetest treats. By Simon Nicholas
From Scratch Patisserie has hit the drool button for the city’s pastry fiends with its attention-seeking seasonal cakes, macarons and croissants. You’ll find the French- and Italian-inspired treats in cafés around town and at the From Scratch stall at the Adelaide Showground Farmer’s Markets every Sunday. But it is From Scratch’s own pop-up store on Leigh Street on Fridays that has Time Out intrigued and frankly a little teary it isn’t open every day.
The love child of Edwina Peoples, 32, and Jonny Pisanelli, 24, From Scratch was a beautiful accident following an international love affair. Eddie, as her friends call her, had worked as a pastry chef at major hotels in Singapore, before moving out of resorts and into the city’s Central Markets. Jonny was a talented barista, competing throughout the world – sixth at the World Cup Tasters competition in 2009 – and studying Pastry at TAFE. They first encountered one another when they were both working stalls at the Adelaide Showground Farmers Markets. Knowing that Jonny harboured a passion to become a pastry chef, a friend suggested he go talk to Eddie. “We went out for coffee and the rest is history.”
When the opportunity arose for Jonny to work in pastry shop near Naples, he quickly accepted. Eddie met him in Italy and together they travelled to Paris for more work experience. “We wanted to open a little shop on the side of the road, like we’d seen in Italy and France, but the Council didn’t want to know about it,” Jonny explains. “Then we discovered that there was a loophole where, as long as you had the right accreditations, you could set up on someone’s private property and not have Council approval.” The owner of Coffee Branch was amenable, so they set up shop next door.
Now, having quit their day jobs, they work through the wee hours crafting flaky morsels for our delight. Jonny describes his cooking philosophy like this: “For us it was always about no compromise: We’re not taking shortcuts; sometimes you have to stay back later or make things ‘from scratch’. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here. To have tradition as a foundation is really important to us but we also have our own unique style.”
With their backgrounds and recent success, surely a café of their own is not too far off? “There aren’t a lot of places where you can get a well prepared espresso and a well made pastry, and that’s the direction we want to go.”

You can get your hands on From Scratch's delicious treats at the Adelaide Showground Farmers Markets, Leader St, Adelaide 6000. Sun 9am–1pm, Leigh St Pop-Up Patisserie, 9am every Friday, and from Paddy's Lantern and Coffee Branch cafes in Adelaide.