Melbourne patisserie, GingerSnap is co-owned by Brett Duncan and his sister Jess, who collectively hope to change perspectives on those in society who live with disability. Everyday in his work, Brett demonstrates how disability doesn’t limit skills or passion, something evident in his dedication to the patisserie.

For many people born with disabilities, their dreams seem out of reach, but Brett Duncan proves that with determination, passion, and support, anything is possible. Born profoundly deaf, Brett has faced his fair share of challenges, which has led him to GingerSnap, a bakery he always dreamed of opening.

“I had often dreamed of having my own business,” Brett shared.

“One day, I made a Celebration Mousse Cake for the Conservatory at Crown that was vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and halal friendly. My sister tried the cake and was blown away by the taste and the quality. Jess has worked in hospitality and knew that this calibre of desserts didn’t really exist in the market.”

Brett wanted to go further; he wanted to make an impact in the world.

“She [Jess] was also working with social enterprises who were celebrating the talents of marginalised people. We decided to combine our skills and experience and see how we could make incredible desserts accessible to everyone, and also change people’s minds about the potential of people with disability,” Brett said.

Now working as a sibling team, something they often did growing up, Brett and Jess provide a variety of cakes, pastries, and other baked goods at GingerSnap.

“Working with Jess has allowed us to build our relationship even stronger than it has ever been before. Jess always believed in my ability to produce my quality cakes and always trusted me in what I did in the kitchen,” Brett said.

“My sister and I are collaborative in our approach to coming up with ideas and flavours. We love exploring desserts and are very inspired by our travel and ideas all over the world.”

Brett at work

Going back to the start

At the patisserie Brett works at his best. He described the immense pride he has in what they’ve created. He acknowledged that while it can be a lot of work, ultimately it was rewarding, providing opportunities to be creative, explore, and express himself through food. Brett’s passion for baking began at age 16, when he started working at Bakers Delight.

“I first learned how to produce savoury twists and pull-apart loaves. When I started there was something that inspired me to develop vegan versions of desserts with different flavour combinations of fruits or chocolate, sponges, mousse, ganache, meringue etc,” he said.

After 11 years at the bakery, it was time for Brett to transition somewhere new where he could continue to hone his skills and learn from others. After moving between various kitchen hand jobs, Brett found a new home as a kitchen steward in the pastry section at Crown Casino.

“They have a disability employment program called Crownability, and the manager asked me what I want to be. I knew then that I wanted to be a pastry chef,” he said.

“I was also vegan, so I knew deep down that one day I wanted to be a vegan pastry chef and make these amazing desserts accessible to everyone. Crown put me through my apprenticeship and have given me lots of opportunities to grow my experience and expertise.”

Throughout his two apprenticeships, Brett had many vegan pastry inspirations from chefs like Toni Rodriquez, to bakeries like Loba Patisserie, and approaches to cooking like vegan gastronomy. It was a collection of these that guided Brett to embrace his creativity when it came to conceptualising his own dessert ideas.

Although Brett has been blessed with support from his family, friends, and bosses throughout his journey, there are still times where he has faced hardship in the workplace and world.

“I have experienced a lot of discrimination because of my deafness. People often expect that because I have a cochlear implant that I can hear the same as everyone else. They get frustrated and impatient with me if I don’t answer them, or if I ask them to repeat themselves four or five times,” he said.

“The truth is, I can only hear about 5 per cent of what a hearing person can hear, and surrounding noises have a big impact on my comprehension and concentration. At the end of the working day, I am exhausted – not just because of working hard, but because of how much concentration it takes for me to hear.”

Work burnout is not uncommon when it comes to people with disabilities working in spaces with able bodies. They often need to work harder to adjust to other’s needs, and when they may need accommodation to work, it is viewed as an inconvenience. This has led to many people with disability not being offered even a chance.

“People with disability are often overlooked, or the stories told in the media are often negative or have a sad perspective (about how hard it is to have a disability). This means that society often underestimates the contribution we can make,” he said.

“With the right support and accommodations, a deaf person and a person with disability can thrive in their lives, in their own way, and we just need to see more positive examples in the world.”

A coffee and chocolate opera from GingerSnap

Changing perspectives

GingerSnap is one of the ways that Brett hopes to change perspectives on disability.

“We have run cooking classes for primary school aged deaf people, and also had school tours through our kitchen. In doing this, we can set an example of what opportunities exist for the future of young people with disability (who are often shown limited options for their career choices),” he said.

Brett’s journey has also inspired Jess to become the first CEO of All Things Equal, a café that provides training and award-wage employment for people with disability. Their aim is to bridge the gap between people with disability and the wider community. Brett shared his sister’s passion for the company and how he steps in to help when he can.

“She is very passionate about how putting the right accommodations in place for a person can change the career opportunities for an individual, and how that impacts the life of the individual and also the lives of the family,” he said.

“Jess brings me into opportunities with All Things Equal wherever possible – whether it through facilitating cooking classes for young people with disability, taking on public speaking opportunities, or creating desserts.”

Brett has discovered an incredible pathway where he can engage in his passion of baking and provide a voice for those unheard in the disability community. It is through overcoming challenges head on, valuing support as an important resource, and breaking boundaries, that he has found happiness and success.

“I really do want to set an example and show others what I can do, so that others can feel empowered to do the same (in their own way/field),” he said.

“I’m proud of being deaf. I want people to know that deaf people and people with disability have limitless potential.”