NT baker earns his crust at national comp

An apprentice baker from Darwin has risen to the challenge, winning the Apprentice Baker section at the national Excellence in Baking 2013 competition.

During the past couple of months budding bakers have demonstrated their skill levels, pride in their work and dedication to their trade as they vied for the title and $1500 prize money.

Charles Darwin University Certificate III in Retail Baking student and apprentice at Ben’s Bakehouse Chris Field took out the top spot in the national competition after winning the Northern Territory heat held at Palmerston campus in September.

He said he was very proud to have won the NT heat, and that winning at the national level was “incredible”.

“It is good to see the Territory stand up against the rest of Australia in what was a really tough competition,” Chris said.

“I am extremely happy for the baking team at CDU’s Palmerston campus. They are world-class lecturers, and I certainly learnt a lot from them.”

Chris said his quest to become a qualified baker has been a challenging albeit rewarding one, juggling full-time employment and study commitments throughout his apprenticeship.

“I wake up at 1:30am to go to work, and sometimes don’t finish up in the classroom until 4pm,” he said. “There have been some long days.”

Participating apprentices from throughout Australia were required to bake bread products to the same criteria within a five-and-a-half hour period.

Aside from a final product that tasted and smelled delicious, judges were looking for impressive working practices, organisational skills, technique, and presentation.

Rustic and artisan breads, commonly found on trendy café-style menus, were the focus of this year’s competition.

The Excellence in Baking 2013 competition is an initiative of the peak industry body, the Baking Association of Australia.