At just 25, Sarah Jones has already clocked up more than 30 cooking competitions, including two major wins in 2024 alone: the inaugural Buondi All-Rounder Award in the Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award, and Club Chef of the Year at the ClubsSA Awards.
But when she’s not competing, Jones is busy leading the kitchen as sous chef at The Junction, the South Australian Jockey Club’s sports bar and bistro next to Morphettville Racecourse, where she’s been based for nearly two years.
Jones’ interest in cooking started when she was just seven years old when she would watch her dad cook.
“He was the reason I got into it.”
She took on more cooking at home, and in high school, her home economics classes only fanned the flame.
“It was the most exciting part about going to school because I knew I’d be able to cook something and then bring that recipe home knowing how to cook it.”
By year 11, she was doing Certificate II in Kitchen Operations. When her class took an excursion to the National Wine Centre, Jones found herself with an unexpected opportunity.
“We had a tour of the whole centre, and at the end of it, the executive chef at the time was looking for an apprentice. He asked my lecturer if there were standouts in the class, and he pointed to me.
“After that, I sent my resume in. At the time, hospitality-wise, I had only ever worked at Maccas, so I added some photos of food I had created at home and that was a highlight for them.
“I was only 15 at the time, so they took me on as a kitchenhand where I was mainly washing dishes, but I helped with food prep and service. They could tell I really wanted to be there because I would work really late – sometimes until 4 am.”
Within six months, she was offered an apprenticeship and spent a total of four years at the National Wine Centre. It was there are the centre that Jones met Steven Clark, a multi-award-winning chef and now executive chef at Morphettville Racecourse.
“He’s been my biggest mentor and support throughout everything to the point where I’m still working with him to this day.”
Clark also recognised her potential early. Just six months into her apprenticeship, he encouraged her to compete in the National Apprentice Competition.
“I did that every year throughout my four-year apprenticeship at both regional and national levels.”
Now she’s paying that mentorship forward, leading a brigade of chefs from diverse backgrounds and helping them develop their skills and confidence.
“We have a lot of guys from the Philippines and India, and I love putting them in charge because they get to show their flair; it’s really important to me.
“I love getting their opinions too. At the moment our daily special is pasta, so I’ll get everyone in the kitchen to come up with a pasta where they have to provide me with the costing, a recipe, and a method.’”
She explained these exercises don’t just teach creativity; they help build the skills needed to step into more senior roles.
“A lot of guys want to move up in the world, so it’s good to give them this knowledge. I wasn’t given that kind of insight until I started at Morphettville. It’s so important to understand what goes on in the background, what goes into menu planning, and costing.”
This is an excerpt from Club Management Winter. Read the full interview with Sarah Jones below.
Since the article was published, Jones has been named an award finalist in the Club Chef of the Year category for Clubs SA 2025 Awards.