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from the beginning

In 2006, when I was sixteen, I stepped into a professional kitchen for the first time - wide-eyed and flour-covered - beginning my apprenticeship at Careme Pastry in the Barossa Valley. The mornings were early, the standards were high, and I quickly learnt pastry is equal parts patience, discipline and heart.
At seventeen, I travelled to France with one goal: to experience as many patisseries as possible. Paris didn’t capture me the way I expected, but regional France did. Small bakeries, village shops and local pastry traditions left a lasting impression, and I returned home with a head full of ideas and inspiration.
In 2008, I continued my apprenticeship at Mulots Patisserie on King William Road in Hyde Park. It was there refinement became everything - precision in every fold, consistency in every bake, and a quiet respect for technique that continues to guide me today.

travelling with dreams

Melbourne was my next chapter - fast paced, demanding and endlessly inspiring. We worked long hours and rarely had time off, yet every day pushed me to grow. I had the privilege of working alongside many influential chefs, and spent time in some of the city’s most respected patisseries and fine dining kitchens such as Burch & Purchese and Hare & Grace.

Those kitchens shaped me in ways I will always be grateful for. They strengthened my resilience, refined my creativity and deepened my understanding of flavour, texture and design. I fell in love with the culture of those spaces - the discipline, the passion and the pursuit of excellence.

It remains one of the most rewarding periods of my life, but also one of the most challenging. Those years pushed me further than I thought possible and played a defining role in my development as a pastry chef.

the next chapter

When I returned to South Australia, I began building my name across Adelaide through cafés, restaurants and patisseries, gradually developing confidence and a style grounded in quality and intention. One of the most formative periods was my time at Magill Estate, where I worked long weeks - often close to 90 hours - saving steadily with the goal of eventually opening a bakery of my own.

That goal led to the opening of Leabrook Bakehouse and Patisserie, a milestone that marked an important step in my journey as a pastry chef. For four and a half years I worked to establish the bakery within Adelaide’s food scene, continuing to refine my craft and build experience along the way.

Eventually, I felt drawn back home to the Barossa - not only to continue growing my craft, but to build a life. Alongside my fiancé, Daniel, we chose to plant our roots here and begin our family in the place that first shaped me. It felt like everything had come full circle. During this time I also ran the patisserie section at El Estanco for two and a half years, right up until the birth of our beautiful daughter.

Becoming a mum quickly became the most important part of my life. The challenge then was finding a way to balance motherhood with continuing my work. I began creating bespoke wedding cakes for life’s most meaningful celebrations, while my patisserie stall at the Barossa Farmers Market became a weekly ritual - early mornings, familiar faces and a loyal community gathering around the things I loved to create.

It became a rhythm that worked beautifully for our family, allowing me to spend precious time with our daughter and our two boys while continuing to share my craft with the Barossa community.

travelling with dreams

Then came the next chapter, opening my own patisserie. A space designed to reflect everything I had learnt along the way: the discipline of apprenticeship, the refinement of city kitchens and the confidence built through years of experience.

Alongside my fiancé, Daniel, this dream began to take shape. His support, belief and steady presence made it possible to bring the vision to life and create something we could build together for our family and our community.

It also became a place to build a strong team and nurture the next generation of chefs, just as I was once supported at sixteen. A place to pass on the standards, the care and the respect for craft that shaped my own journey.

Now, in the heart of the Barossa Valley, our patisserie stands as both a business and a home for creativity - grounded in community, family and years of dedication. Each croissant folded, each cake layered and each detail finished by hand carries every step of that journey within it.

Where It All Led

At sixteen I stood in a professional kitchen learning how to fold butter into dough, slowly discovering the rhythm and patience pastry demands. Those early mornings and long days shaped the way I see baking - not just as a skill, but as a craft built through repetition, care and respect for ingredients.

Today I still do the very same thing. The difference now is where that journey has brought me. Here in the Barossa, surrounded by family, community and the landscape I grew up in, I get to continue that craft every day. What began as a young apprentice learning the basics has grown into something far more meaningful - a place to share food, stories and the simple joy of baking with the people around me.

What once felt like a dream has quietly become a life I’m incredibly grateful to live.

Visit us

This article was published in 2016 when I returned to Adelaide and began working as pastry chef at Local Grind in Walkerville, bringing with me the experience I had gained working in patisseries and fine dining kitchens in Melbourne.

In 2022 I was fortunate to be highlighted by JamFactory alongside Danielle Barrie, a jewellery designer and object maker. JamFactory is one of Australia’s leading centres for contemporary craft and design, making the feature a very special moment in my journey as a maker.

Fast forward to 2025, Daniel and I are running our family business while raising our three children in the Barossa Valley. The patisserie has grown into more than a place to bake, it’s a space shaped by family, community and the life we are creating together.

Today the patisserie is beginning to make its mark, with features on television and in publications. It’s far beyond anything I imagined when I first started baking, and I feel very fortunate to be here.