Charlie Duffy is the pastry chef’s pastry chef. And now, the former Small Batch and Tivoli Road Bakery alumni has announced he’ll be opening his own bakery in Melbourne’s Abbotsford.

Charlie announced last week he would be stepping away from Small Batch to open Daybaker, which will be located in the former Little Molli site.

Speaking with Broadsheet Charlie said he envisioned Daybaker to be a modern Australian bakery.

“It’ll be really focused on the craft of the baking and viennoiseries and the products – and that seasonality and working directly with farmers and producers and getting access to unique and special produce,” he said, adding he wanted to create a relaxed bakery environment for people to enjoy.

“I think there’s a little bit of a juxtaposition with the detail-oriented, technique-focused style of the product that I do. But I don’t want that interpreted into something pretentious or too fancy.”

Charlie said Daybaker would focus on laminated pastries – the items he has built his reputation on – although there will also be a new savoury pastry made with polenta sourced from Turrong Farm. This will involve Charlie first making the polenta into a porridge before mixing it through a croissant.

“So you’ve got this yellow speckled, cracked-corn croissant dough,” he said, adding he would then fold through a cheese spicy bomba calabrese butter and dried corn for crunch.

The shelves will also be stocked with a lunch offering complete with salads, Roman-style pizzas, and sandwiches made from house bread.

Visually, Daybaker will welcome passers-by into the inner workings of the bakery, with the open kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows allowing them to watch on while Charlie and his team are at work.

Dabybaker is anticipated to open in December.