The Goods from Banda Volpi Group

Vancouver, BC | Savio Volpe’s long time pastry chef, Jessi Morton, has been crafting sweet finishes for guests for the last three years. And now, she’ll be creating even more delicious treats for all of Banda Volpi’s restaurants (Savio Volpe, La Tana, Pepino’s, Elio Volpe) as Executive Pastry Chef.

Having grown up in the countryside, Jessi has always had a deep appreciation for seasonal, local ingredients. Part of her childhood was spent on Haida Gwaii, where her family hunted, crab fished and dug for clams and, to this day, Jessi’s menus reflect this forager mentality and seasonal sensibility.

Though food and where it comes from has always been important, cooking wasn’t always Jessi’s dream; in fact, she didn’t truly grasp the art of the craft until she started to travel. In her late teens and early twenties, Jessi lived in China, Japan, and Italy, returning with an insatiable hunger to learn more and to express herself within the hospitality industry at home.

Adopting her parents’ can-do attitude, Jessi continued to teach and push herself, learning from those along the way in esteemed Vancouver kitchens. After cooking professionally for more than ten years, Jessi intuited that she was best suited to pastry – she’d always had a sweet tooth and it felt like a very natural next step.

Having had the space to be creative while developing her skills at Savio Volpe feels like a gift to Jessi – collaborating in the kitchen with other passionate people motivates her to further grow and learn.