Chloe Murray
Age: 23
State/nation representing: QLD
With which company are you doing your apprenticeship?
Woolworths Bakery, Kirkwood QLD
When did you decide you wanted to become involved in the baking industry?
I decided to get involved in the baking industry because I’ve always enjoyed baking and cooking and thought that I’d enjoy doing something I’ve got an interest in as a job.
What motivates you to be a baker?
I would have to say that the end product is what motivates me most, seeing what the ingredients chemical reactions and moulding techniques look like coming out of the oven and the amazing smells that follow it.
What would you like to get out of the LA Judge Award/why did you decide to compete?
I decided to compete in the LA Judge after working with the other Queensland apprentices at BITA. Working with people at BITA who want to be there, have an interest in the topic and want to be the best they can is extremely inspiring. It makes me want to see what being in a kitchen with the other nominated contestants can bring out in me.
What’s your favourite kind of baked product to create?
My favourite baked product I like to make is sourdoughs. I’ve found it’s what I struggle in the most but when it turns out it makes all the hard work, sticky fingers and patiences worth it.
What is the best thing about being a baker?
The best thing about being a baker to me is working with food everyday. I get to be paid for probably the only hobby I’ve ever stuck with, baking products I had never even dreamed of baking and being able to share it with friends and family is the biggest feeling of achievement I’ve ever felt.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
In ten years time I see myself having my own small business out of my own home. I’d like to be able to make sourdoughs and sell them out to a set roster of people who want to have a subscription. I like the idea of being able to make one thing well and making a lot of it. I also don’t think that there’s any fresh sourdoughs in my home town so I think its a market I could easily tap into. If I have enough room and time I could also occasionally open up a market stall to sell bulk amount of sourdoughs to customers that aren’t in my subscription.
Isabelle Trees
Age: 20
State/nation representing: Western Australia
With which company are you doing your apprenticeship?
I’m currently undertaking my apprenticeship at Coles in Belmont.
When did you decide you wanted to become involved in the baking industry?
I became curious about a career in the baking industry in 2020. I had no prior baking experience , but I decided to take the leap and give it a shot anyway. After participating in the Coles Skilled Baker course (May of 2021), I found that I loved baking. I became an apprentice in October of 2021.
What motivates you to be a baker?
My motivation is simply that I love to bake. There’s so much to learn, and so many things to bake, and I want to see and do it all. Even though some shifts can be fairly intense, I love the work I do and I look forward to it when I wake up in the morning.
What would you like to get out of the LA Judge Award/why did you decide to compete?
At its core, my desire to participate in the L.A. Judge is based in my desire to learn. This competition offers me the opportunity to learn beyond my workplace and TAFE course, to learn new things and challenges me to study things I’ve been introduced to in greater depth. The L.A. Judge offers me a new perspective of the baking, and the opportunity to meet with other members of the baking industry.
What’s your favourite kind of baked product to create?
I find bread the easiest but I have a fondness for laminated pastry. The different techniques used in laminated pastry offer a welcome change of pace from bread baking. In situations where time is not of the essence, I find it relaxing to laminate the pastry by hand using a rolling pin instead of a dough breaker.
What is the best thing about being a baker?
It sounds a little bit silly but I love the sound of fresh entertainer rolls crackling in a wire basket. Don’t get me wrong— the rest of the job is really fun. There’s no particular part I actively dislike (besides when our equipment stops working) I just love taking a moment to listen to the gentle popping and crackling of the rolls as they cool.
If you could create anything in the world with baked products, what would it be?
On a small scale, I’ve always been quite keen on holding a little Halloween dinner party and making pumpkins shaped rolls for it. On a larger scale? I would love to make an entire zoo worth of animals out of bread. It would be a fun challenge to come up with distinct silhouettes for each animal (that hold up through the proving and baking process) not only that, but replicating the textures and patterns of feathers, fur, and scales etc. with the dough would be a fantastic way to experiment with finishing techniques.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
I would like to eventually move into a smaller artisan or specialty bakery, working with smaller batches from a wider range of products. There are so many doughs, shaping and finishing techniques, and I’d love to utilise my skill with them on a regular basis. I want to be able to prioritise quality over quantity. To me, bread can make or break a meal, and I aim to only serve products of a high standard and quality. My baking is a labour of love, a demonstration of my skill, and I hope to create products that always reflect that.
Once trade qualified, I’m considering doing further learning in patisserie and pastry. My heart will always lie with bread baking, but I’d love to learn how to work with other products. I hope to have travelled, and seen baking around the world. I hope that 10 years from now I’m still learning and growing as a baker, and that I can inspire young bakers to love their work as much I do.
Luke Williams
Age: 20
State/nation representing: Tasmania, Australia
With which company are you doing your apprenticeship?
Coles (Devonport)
When did you decide you wanted to become involved in the baking industry?
I’ve always loved the atmosphere of a bakery, some of my fondest memories are when my Pop would buy me baked products.
What motivates you to be a baker?
To be better, I look at how far I’ve come in the 2 years I’ve been doing my apprenticeship and I’m proud of that, but I know there’s a long road ahead, I want to be able to produce an extensive amount of product, I was to be fast, versatile, and just better.
What would you like to get out of the LA Judge Award/why did you decide to compete?
The way I view the LA Judge from my perspective is that it’s an awesome way to get myself out there, I love meeting people and first impressions are my favourite, I love to be a bit out there. I’m keen to meet all the new faces that are in and around the LA Judge. I’m keen to learn, attempt, potentially screw up and rectify, and most of all just have fun.
What’s your favourite kind of baked product to create?
I love anything with a process, instant dough is fun and all but I love product like ciabatta, focaccia, different sourdoughs, etc, I like to put a lot of effort into said products and for a nice quality product to be churned out the other end is satisfying and gratifying.
What is the best thing about being a baker?
The ability to be creative, not only in the products you’re creating but also the process of creating, the versatility of creating is immense. I love the satisfaction that comes when someone eats, looks at, feels, your product and they tell you it’s a quality product. Just the fact that 2 years ago I didn’t even know anything about baking astounds me, I love that this career is a constant learning curb with seemingly no end, in the best way possible.
If you could create anything in the world with baked products what would it be?
Memories, some of my fondest memories growing up was going to the local bakery and grabbing baked goods with my Pop. Now hes not here anymore I like to think I can create those key memories for someone else
Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
Where I want to be in 10 years, which is really hard to answer, I guess I’d really like to have completed a Uni degree by then, I’ve always wanted to be an architect, I’m conflicted, because I do love the baking industry, but I told my Dad one day I’d designed and build my own house, I intend on fulfilling that, and I’m already part of the way there, I’ve got my own block of land in Latrobe and construction on my first house should hopefully begin in about 8 months. I also have a little side business that keeps me busy every day basically fulfilling orders on my eBay store, who knows, one day it might blow up and that could be my career path, 10 years is a long time, we’ll see.
Joshua Chapman
Age: 18
State/nation representing: Queensland
With which company are you doing your apprenticeship?
I am currently completing my apprenticeship at Coles Supermarket (Northern Beaches)
When did you decide you wanted to become involved in the baking industry?
Halfway during year 10, when I started working in the bakery department after school, and fell in love with the trade.
What motivates you to be a baker?
What motivates me the most is my passion for the culinary industry,. I have always enjoyed being in the kitchen and taking on this apprenticeship has given me the opportunity to extend my knowledge and skills.
What would you like to get out of the LA Judge Award/why did you decide to compete?
I have entered the LA Judge competition to demonstrate what I can offer to different businesses in the baking industry.
What’s your favourite kind of baked product to create?
My favourite products to make are the savoury types, such as pizza, garlic and herb ciabatta and pumpkin sourdough.
What is the best thing about being a baker?
Despite the early starts and long hours, there is nothing more satisfying than the smile on the customer’s face when buying one of your delicious products.
If you could create anything in the world with baked products, what would it be?
I would recreate the Golden Gate Bridge using only French sticks
Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
In 10 years’ time I see myself managing a bakery, or even owning my own bakery.