What inspired you to get into baking?
I first started baking as a hobby in my spare time. Little did I know that this hobby would turn into a passion and later on a career!
I studied costume construction in university and as I was approaching the end of my course I started to realise that it wasn't the career for me. I took a gap year after graduation to figure out what I wanted to do and found myself baking quite a lot, trying out different recipes and techniques in my tiny kitchen at home.
It was then that I decided to enrol myself in a baking course just to "give it a go and see what happens". While still in college I started working as a part time baker before taking on a bakers apprenticeship role. And I've carried on working as a full time baker ever since.
How long have you been with Coffi Lab and what's your role?
I joined the bakery team almost two yers ago as a Team Leader and was later presented with the opportunity to become the next Lead Baker.
My role in the bakery is to ensure that things run smoothly, all of the products we make are up to standard, training new bakers that join the team and a lot of problem solving!
What do you enjoy the most about baking?
I associate food with spending time with loved ones and creating memories. I am from Greece and this plays a massive role in our culture. Celebrations, gatherings - everything involves food and all of my greatest memories with friends and family evolved around times we all sat together around a table and shared a meal. I can recall the pastries me and my friends ate coming back home after a party that lasted all night long! Playing even the smallest part in making this happen for other people brings me a massive sense of achievement. And because I've always had a sweet tooth I chose baking over cooking.
How would you describe your baking style?
I pay a lot of attention to lamination as it's key to what we do at Coffi Lab. Lamination must always be up to standard to ensure a great product. Correct techniques have always been what I like to focus on.
Is there a lesson in baking that's surprised you?
A very important lesson I've learnt in baking is patience. I am a very impatient person and this has been my biggest challenge so far!
What stands out for you so far?
I am really proud of how much our bakery team has grown over the last year and of all the different bakes that we are able to produce in our bakery.
Since I started my role as Lead Baker a lot of things have also changed in our pastry production. From our croissant dough recipe to the way we actually make the pastries each morning. It is still a work in progress but I am so proud of how well the team has adapted to the new system we've developed!
What have been some of your biggest challenges?
As proud as I am of how much our team has grown, it has also been one of my biggest challenges to manage a team that's constantly growing. It has been a learning curve for me!
Another big challenge has always been baking in the summer. Temperatures play a massive role in pastry baking and high temperatures impact the dough and lamination process a lot which means we need to take extra steps in order to ensure good quality products.
What's a small detail that customers might not notice, but stands out for you?
It's the layers! People will always notice the taste and looks but for me, it's the perfect crumb inside a croissant!
What's your favourite Coffi Lab bake and why?
It's really hard to pick one, but if I could only eat one pastry for the rest of my life that would be the pain au chocolat! Buttery, flaky and chocolatey - I mean what's not to love? To bake, I would pick croissants over anything else every single day! There's something about the simplicity of a croissant that also makes it complicated and leaves no room for mistakes that I find very challenging. And I'm always up for a challenge!
What's the messiest bake to make?
The messiest bake is by far the pain au raisin! We always find cheeky raisins hiding in the most weird places at the end of the day during cleaning!
What's your baking playlist?
My favourite music genre is metal, especially metalcore and screamo metal. Although it's not very popular amongst the team! So I have to settle for emo which is also one of my guilty pleasures.
How do you like to spend your time when you're not perfecting pastries?
I run on caffeine so on my days off you'll probably find me in a coffee shop trying different types of coffee. But apart from coffee (and of course food) I have been pole dancing for the last three years and it has made me incredibly strong and confident! I also enjoy gaming so if I'm not at a coffee shop or at the pole studio, I'm usually at home catching Pokémon on my Nintendo Switch.
