Meet the couple behind one of the Highlands most iconic businesses
As a Highlander, you’ve gotta be living under a rock not to know about the iconic Gumnut Patisserie and all its delish goodies. Their award-winning Vanilla Slice [as well as all their other tasty treats] hold a special place in our hearts and when we got the chance to chat with the couple behind this magic creation we were just chomping at the bit- literally.
Vicki and Tracy have been wowing us locals with their baked goodness for over 28 years, and it was super interesting to learn all about how the biz got going, and where it’s at today, [spoiler alert: still going amaze-balls].
Check out our chat below.
1:: Hey guys, let’s start with something romantic. How did you two meet?
Tracy: We met when we were both working at the Sheraton in Sydney, I had just finished my apprenticeship and Vicki was beginning hers. I was working in the pastry kitchen and Vicki came in to do a rotation and well, you could say I was pretty impressed.
Back then you weren’t allowed to date other staff, I quit just so I could ask her out. We started going out that night and within a year we were married, living in the Highlands and starting up Gumnut Patisserie.
2:: Well, that is romantic! So, what inspired you to make the tree change to our part of the world?
Vicki: A friend of ours gave us the idea. It was a bit of a risk but when we came down and looked at the location and the whole vibe down here, we fell in love. I also liked how easy it still was to visit my parents in Sydney, I’m close to them and they were a great support in setting up the business.
3:: And what was it like in those early days of the biz?
Vicki: It was exciting but a challenge. The kitchen space was way smaller than it is now. I remember being so pumped for our first sale on our opening day, that I rang my dad just cheering. And then the next day we had quite a few orders and it went from there.
Tracy: We built the kitchen from the ground up, like physically, tiles and all. We bought the oven with the last of our dollars and pulled in a lot of favours from friends and family. Every set of hands we could borrow.
Vicki: We pretty much lived at the shop for the first few years, our kids too. These 4 awesome humans are a big part of the reason we do what we do. They have all worked in the shops or the kitchen from about the time they could walk and talk. It is quite an amazing feeling to watch your kids grow up in the family business and excel in serving or Pastry cooking. To say we are super proud of Josh, Melanie, Lachlan and little Will would be an UNDERSTATEMENT.
One of my favourite memories was when they were little we had a room at the front of the kitchen that the kids would sleep in whilst we were working and there was a sign on the door that said “You wake them, You take them”. The locals thought it was hilarious and some still remember the sign to this day. .
3:: That is funny! So, then the biz just kept growing right?
Vicki: Yep, it was amazing. We had our Mittagong space first and within a year we opened up Bowral. Several years later we got the Berrima location as well. The demand was incredible, with folks coming from all corners of town. We were constantly selling out, and it became clear that we needed more than one spot in the Highlands to keep up with the demand.
Tracy: We’ve had staff who’ve been with us for a long time too. Our very first apprentice Yasmin is now our kitchen manager, who has been with us for 23 years. One of the things we’re most proud of actually is our apprentice training.
4:: Ooo, tell us more about that.
Vicki: On our wall, we have our apprentice hall of fame. When you become an apprentice with us your photo goes on the wall and when you finish you get a qualified sticker on your pic. I was inspired by something similar that I learnt from my own apprenticeship and I thought it was cool. We make a big deal of our apprentices and team. We give out shirts with stars on them for how many years you have worked with us. We’re all about creating a family vibe among our awesome team here.
Tracy: Recently two of our apprentices had massive achievements that we were so proud of. Renee won gold at National WorldSkills and Carla won Champion Apprentice at the RAS Sydney Fine Food Competition & The National Bakeskills Title. We encourage them to enter competitions so they grow with confidence and learn heaps about their baking skills.
5:: Wow, amazing! And you guys have also picked up quite a few awards in your time, right?
Vicki: Yep! The RAS Presidents Medal 2021 & Best Patisserie Australia 2023 being the Most Prestigious. However one of our most memorable ones is our Vanilla Slice, years ago we entered it into the Sydney Royal Easter Show competition and it won champion pastry, we’ve had people travelling from near and far ever since.
Tracy: Vicki actually put a video up of me making the Vanilla Slice on social media and it went VIRAL. It got onto taste.com and ended up being their video of the year. We were blown away. It had always been really popular but now it’s without a doubt our biggest seller. I eat a piece every day, just as it’s made…mmmm.
Vicki: You’ve gotta be quick to get it ha-ha, it sells out most days, especially weekends. You should see the queues in Bowral sometimes, it’s busy, busy, busy!
6:: And what are your fave things about running Gumnut Patisserie?
Vicki: I love our relationship with the community. The love we feel from Highland’s locals is just the best. Whether it be in our social media posts or in-store, locals just always have a kind word and a well-wish for us. It makes the 2 a.m. wake-ups worth it.
Tracy: I love the huge variety of products we make. We have over 200 items we produce and it just keeps things so interesting. 28 years on and I still can’t wait to get to work every day. We change it up too, right now it’s Tulip Time so we’re making a tulip dessert , it’s fun being creative.
7:: And last of all, what do you love most about living in the Highlands?
Tracy: It’s just an awesome place to live. The sense of community can’t be beat. You can walk down the street and people say hello to you, I love that.
Vicki: It’s special here, when our kids were younger, we really had that whole village vibe, so much support. You feel like locals are looking out for you.
We also love our apprentices; we enjoy watching them succeed and grow. It’s like having extra kids but in the best way. We’re actually looking for some new apprentices next year if there’s any young locals out there interested?
We’ll keep our eye out! Thanks, guys, it was great chatting with you today. We sure could go for a tasty treat or two right now, lucky we know a spot that sells over 200!
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