After eight years running his own business with partner Maddison Howes, Andy Bowden, also known as Andy Bowdy, is making the transition into a new role.

The closing of Saga marked the end of their successful bakery, but the beginning of something new for Andy. After working in the Ace Hotel, specifically in the Mitch Orr’s rooftop restaurant, he was asked to join permanently as its pastry chef. This role will provide Andy more control over desserts, allowing him to explore new flavours.

“I haven’t been working in a restaurant for a long time, after owning my own business for eight years. Doing Dessert Masters [in 2023] reignited my passion for doing plated desserts. Timing just worked out perfectly. Both [head chef] Mans Engberg and Mitch know what I can do in the kitchen and have been very happy to step back and let me do my thing,” Andy shared with Broadsheet.

He has already started to roll out his new dessert menu.

“My desserts tend to lean to the savoury side. I tend to use a lot of salt and savoury elements.”

His work will also fill the shelves with new offerings at Good Chemistry, the cafe in the Ace’s back laneway.

“I get to scratch all my itches! Any silly idea that pops into my head I can go and work on, and there’ll be a place for it.”

A bigger pastry team is planned, but for now the brief’s simple and delicious: salted choc-chip cookies, salted honey tarts, slices of banana and date loaf and savoury scones.