The end of an era: my friends at #TivoliRoadBakery Pippa & Michael James are moving on and new hands will steer the bakery onward in about two weeks time.
Back in 2012, just a few months after I did the popup sourdough bakery in the summer in San Sebastian I posted about here, I was in Melbourne to film the first series of the @greataustralianbakeoff. There I met up with an old friend of my sisters, restaurateur Peter Bartholomew who started @movidamelb (as well as @peimodern + @leehofook). Peter took me to see what was then Movida’s bakery in Tivoli Road and that was when I first met head baker Michael.
Absolutely blown away by Michael’s love of detail and talent, he’d been trained by both @tomaikens & my pal @jason.warwick from London, I decided from that point on to always go there to check in on what Michael was up to and support the bakery however I could.
Together with Michael’s partner Pippa they took over the bakery from Movida in 2013 and created magic out of a tiny space blessed with an amazing team of bakers, cooks, pastry chefs, baristas and a brilliant front-of-house crew.
And in two weeks time, after 5 brilliant but immensely pressured years, they will bow out and let others take it forward. The dedication it takes to produce excellence in baking every day cannot be underestimated, so Pippa, Michael and their team can be utterly proud of the efforts and results they crafted. Time for new adventures!
p.s. only just read John Reid @hotscotchoven’s very moving post about Pippa And Michaels support and encouragement to other bakers, millers, farmers and small producers, do have a read too.
I asked Michael where all this camaraderie came from amongst bakers in Australia, and he thought it was Instagram. Nah, just realised it was the friendship that flowed from Michael & Pippa at #TivoliRoadBakery #respect
