It’s been months in the making, but Butter Days Bakery is finally set to open its doors in Melbourne on Thursday, October 9.

The bakery is the brainchild of pastry chef and 2024 MasterChef Australia Dessert Masters winner John Demetrios and his wife Martina

John announced he’d be opening the Malvern-based bakery back in May, saying it would focus on bakery-style sweet treats, quiches, salads, laminated pastries and grab-and-go lunches. Also included on the menu is the BMO – one of Denmark’s most popular grab-and-go sandwiches – which John said stands for bolle med ost or “bun with cheese”. This is a sourdough roll that is thickly spread with salted butter – this is done to such a degree there is actually a Danish word that translates to “teeth butter” and refers to butter spread so thick that you leave tooth bites in it after taking a bite. This butter is layered with quality Comte cheese.

The addition is a nod to John’s career, which has included stints in incredibly impressive kitchens including a two Michelin-starred restaurant in Stockholm and Vue de Monde, where he was executive pastry chef.

Speaking with Concrete Playground John said at the end of the day the menu he has curated is all about the bakes you want to keep eating.

“There are no rules and we’ll use that to our advantage. No one says we can’t flood the room with trays of boozy sweet buns, caramelised apple pies or those cardamom-infused Scandinavian treats Melburnians have come to love,” John said.

“We want the space to feel calm and inviting, never stiff or intimidating – somewhere you want to come back to.”

Since the initial announcement John has offered regular glimpses at the work being done behind the scenes while the bakery was being built, and most recently has included visits from his Dessert Masters companions.