Newcastle, NSW, Australia
I’m a former industrial chemist, and after deciding on a career change while at home with my two young children, I’m now a qualified pastry chef and cake decorating enthusiast. In 2009 I started taking some classes in cake decorating and other pastry-related cookery, and taught myself many more decorating techniques from books and internet resources. In 2010 I started a pastry apprenticeship, studying Retail Baking (Cake & Pastry) Certificate III at TAFE, which I completed with Distinction in 2012. I completed my apprenticeship in December 2013, and as of 2018 I am now working as a Cake Decorator at Designer Delights in Charlestown, NSW.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Two Years On...

How time flies... it's the 1st of August once again, two years to the day since starting my blog.  As stated in my very first post, I intended to 'document my quest to become a pastry chef and cake decorator.'  While I succeeded in recording my early efforts in learning the art of cake decorating, blogging fell signifcantly by the wayside once the real journey of becoming a pastry chef began.  So far it's a road that's been a little bumpy and taken a few unexpected twists and turns... my first job at 321 Patisserie fell through unexpectedly, then I had a brief stint at Snows Patisserie, but that didn't work out either.  Life's little roller-coaster is finally back on the upswing, though... I'm now happily working at Saxby's Bakery in Salt Ash, into my third semester of Cake & Pastry at TAFE, and not too far off being a second year apprentice.

Although I tried to keep doing cakes from home, the pressures of full-time work and study quickly became too much to handle.  Bakery/patisserie work is more physically demanding than I had anticipated, and unexpectedly long days at work caused significant stress when I was already exhausted to breaking point and then had to go home and make more cakes for my own customers. My sincere apologies to those who have made enquiries recently... at this point in time, staying focussed on my apprenticeship, and time for myself and my family, are higher priority than 'cakes on the side.'

Having said that, I will still be doing a select few cakes for family, close friends, and competitions.  I started my blog in the lead-up to my first serious attempt at cake decorating... my son Cameron's 3rd birthday cake.  Now my boy is nearly 5, and even as I write, the cake that will become his long-anticipated 3D 'Lightning McQueen' is in the oven.  It should be an interesting project... if I have time, I'll try to take a few progress pictures during the week.

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