Brendon Woodward

Skill: Baking Bread 
Region: Brisbane, QLD
Training Provider: BITA Morningside, Brisbane
Employer: Bakeologist, Brisbane
Mentor: Martin Schett

Brendan began his career almost by accident. A full-time job after high school at Le Sebastian, a family-owned wholesale bakery, unexpectedly sparked his passion for bread. He began his apprenticeship in 2011, split between Le Sebastian and Brumbies. After completing his apprenticeship in 2014, Brendan stepped straight into a job as head baker with Bakeologist.

His work experience in the UK will be split between a wholesale/retail bakery and a smaller one that is focused on sourdough, where he hopes to learn new techniques and more about European-style breads. He has planned a trip to the Puratos Sourdough Library in Belgium after his UK experience, where sourdough cultures from around the world are kept alive. He is passionate about long fermentation breads and his craft, as demonstrated by his commitment to the WorldSkills competition.

“To compete at a national level for WorldSkills requires a lot of training. So much sacrifice went into winning my gold at the Nationals. I would train for five hours before work, then work for 8-10 hours, and did that seven days a week for about four months. It was worth it.”

Fast facts

• The best UK saying that you know: “Have another cup of tea.”
• One thing that most people don’t know about you: “I always wanted to represent Australia in something.”
• Vegemite or Marmite: “Neither, both smell terrible.”