Adele’s Bakery, a new family-run business specialising in traditional Iraqi breads, pastries, and cakes, officially opens its doors this week in Wetherill Park, New South Wales.

The bakery is the culmination of years of perseverance, passion, and training by Tanya Naseer Salman, a graduate of The Bread & Butter Project, Australia’s only social enterprise bakery providing training and employment for refugees and asylum seekers.

Originally from Iraq, Tanya arrived in Australia in 2016 without English or formal work experience.

Just nine years later, she’s launching a fully-fledged bakery with the support of her husband—an experienced baker himself—and her parents, who are contributing to the business operations and baking.

Adele’s Bakery marks a significant milestone in Tanya’s journey from home-based cake decorating in Iraq to small business ownership in Australia.

Tanya’s professional journey began in 2018, when she commenced her traineeship with The Bread & Butter Project. The program, which reinvests all profits into training and employment pathways for people seeking refuge in Australia, provided Tanya with foundational skills in baking.

Following her graduation, she gained hands-on experience in retail bakery environments, including in-store bakeries at Harris Farm Markets and several cafés, where she refined her expertise in cake making and customer service.

Although Tanya studied hotel and restaurant management back in Iraq, restrictions on women’s employment meant her skills remained largely unutilised.

In Australia, she has not only realised her dream of working in hospitality, but expanded her qualifications to include baking, cake decorating, and disability support.

Adele’s Bakery is named in honour of Tanya and her family’s new chapter in Australia.

It represents a collaborative effort: Tanya leads the baking, her mother contributes traditional recipes and skills, while her father manages the administrative side of the business. Her husband, who spent seven years baking professionally in Sweden, plays an essential role in daily operations.

The Bread & Butter Project, founded in 2013, has helped hundreds of refugees like Tanya find long-term, meaningful employment. Almost all graduates from the program have secured sustainable jobs, enabling them to build lives of independence and purpose in Australia.