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Five Minutes with David Damour, Arthur E Denison O...

Five Minutes with David Damour, Arthur E Denison OAM Trophy winner

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David Damour

October saw David Damour named as the Arthur E Denison OAM Trophy winner by Australian Society of Baking. We caught up with the Canberra Institute of Technology Bakery Teacher to hear about the win and how he found himself in the industry.

 

Can you share a bit about yourself?

My name is David Damour, and I have been a baker for 14 years now. I am from Toulon in the south of France, however, I have made Australia my home for the past 14 years.

I completed my apprenticeship when I was in my mid 20s, in a big organic wholesale bakery in Gonfaron, in the south of France. Once finishing my apprenticeship, I decided to make the move and come to Australia.

After travelling Australia, and spending time on the NSW South Coast, I then ended up moving to Canberra. Currently I am a Bakery Teacher at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), and have been for the past six years.

I love baking. I have a passion for dark baked, chewy sourdough bread, and have a bit of obsession for laminated pastry. My vision of baking is trying to be as natural as possible, honest and true to myself, the customers and the industry.

My other big passion is the outdoors, camping, fishing and foraging. I try to do that as much as I can with my two kids, my dog Maggie, and close friends.

When did you know the baking industry was where your future lay?

It was actually quite late in my life that I discovered my passion for baking. The plan was to be an English teacher. I studied English at the University of Exeter and I was playing rugby at a high level. However, after a bad injury that put a stop to my career, I came to realise that I needed to find another path.

While on a working holiday visa here in Australia I started working in a bakery in Gerringong on NSW South Coast. This is when I realised that it was a job I really enjoyed and a career I would like to pursue. I went back to France and enrolled into the Boulangerie de l’Hermitage in Gonfaron and completed my apprenticeship through my local TAFE.

My idea was to open a French bakery in an English-speaking country. As I fell in love with Australia during a previous trip, coming back down under was stuck in my head.

Now I am feeling very fortunate to be able to train students and future generations of bakers.

David with one of his creations

David with one of his creations

Can you share your career progress with us? Are there any milestones that really stand out for you?

I studied at my local TAFE and was an apprentice at the Boulangerie de l’ Hermitage in Gonfaron, in the south of France. It was a great place to learn. It was an organic sourdough bakery, and everything, apart from the mixing, was done by hand and in very large quantities. I can still remember my first day – the smell of all these different doughs left to prove on the bench (rye, buckwheat, einkorn, Khorasan, …) it was just magical!

The first few months were very hard. Dividing dough for seven hours a day and cleaning were my only tasks. Then I gradually moved into the shaping, the mixing and then the oven work. I was working four-days-a-week in the bakery and one day a week at TAFE… earning a bit under $1000 a month as an apprentice. Life was tough!

I then did a video of my work and start posting it online and I had so many job offers all around the world. However, my mind was on returning back to Australia.

After a few trips, I decided to move to Canberra and help some investors set up a bakery. It was an amazing experience to see the business growing. In France, I had never seen a constant flow of 50 people on the weekend queuing outside of a bakery to come and get their treats.

We even opened up another bakery in Sydney. Everything was expanding so fast!

Sadly, one of the investors wasn’t being honest with the business and I had to step away.

After that unfortunate experience, I went to work for a little local bakery in Canberra. The work was fun, and I was able to focus on just baking. At this stage I had just became a father, so this was perfect for me.

Starting at CIT was a great step forward for me. I applied for a casual job which then led to me being a permanent teacher. I absolutely love it! Even though I miss the industry, being able to share my passion with people is something incredible.

For me, becoming a teacher is definitely a highlight in my career. I feel very fortunate to pass on my skills and knowledge to future bakers and students that share my passion.  This job also allows me to keep learning and attend conferences and masterclasses to continue to learn and bring that new knowledge back to my students.

And then winning the 2024 Arthur Denison OAM trophy was definitely a milestone!

You were also named as the 2024 Arthur E Denison OAM trophy winner – congratulations! What was this experience like?

It was incredible! I am still coming to terms with winning. This was my second time taking part in this competition. Last year I came second and that was such an achievement. But to win this year is amazing!

This year all the regional winners were gathering in Melbourne for four days, with industry tours and the conference. It was great! Being able to see some large scale plant bakeries, mills and manufacturers facilities is not something that you can do on a daily basis. The people from the Australia Society of Baking and the competition sponsors made this possible and it was an incredible experience.

Networking is a big part of this competition, and this year I had an amazing experience at a human level. All the other regional winners were great people. It was so good that by the end of our time together it didn’t really matter who was about to win. The win was these four days in Melbourne looking at facilities and walking around the city to check high end patisserie shop and meeting the other winners. I think I would have been as happy if any of the other guys would have won.

David has long had a passion for baking

David has long had a passion for baking

What was the competition like?

For those who aren’t aware of this competition, it is a writing competition. You have few months to write a paper on a particular subject relating to the baking industry. There is a of research involved, engaging and talking to people to be able to make it happen, and of course, submitting it on time.

On top of this, you still have your work, family and life commitments. On a personal level, it was a tough year for me and there were several times where I was very close to not taking part in this competition. However, writing and researching this topic, took my mind off the problems. Then at one point, I decided I just had to finish what I started. I am very happy to have persevered!

You’re now off to San Francisco next year alongside Maylee Howard, who won the Sydney J Packham OAM Baking Industry Medal. What are you most looking forward to about the trip?

I have a few things that I am looking forward to doing.

I wasn’t planning any holidays for the next few years as I just purchased a house. So being able to go overseas was very unexpected. I have never been to the US, so it will be a first for me. I love going to masterclasses and learning new things. So going to the San Francisco Baking Institute is just a dream come true!

I am also looking forward to seeing iconic bakeries, like Tartine, and all the San Francisco sourdough scene. As well as hopefully bringing some starter back!

I also plan to do a bit of travelling while over there. I would love to see some National Parks, like Yosemite.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about joining the industry?

As I say to every person coming to CIT; baking is a very tough industry. There is a lot to do and some great opportunities, but you need to work hard for it! You need to be passionate about it if you want to enjoy it.

My advice is to go to a bakery and ask if you can help, or just sit down and watch how things are. The dynamic, the job, the physical but also mental aspect of the job…as it is not for everyone to be stuck in a room for long hours with the same people and bake bread.

If you are someone reliable and passionate about baking, you will find this amazing career. A job that gives you a lot of rewarding moments and also the possibility to do other things related to baking.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Australia is an amazing place, and it is a place where there is still a lot of growing when it comes to baking. So, if you are passionate about having a career in baking, then go for it!

I would also like to thank my work for letting me go to Melbourne. They have been so supportive of me taking part in this competition.

Above all, I would like to thank Janet (Blythman) from the ASB, who is just a truly amazing person. I would also like to thank all the sponsors for this competition, because without them nothing like this competition and this trip would be possible. To all the regional winners – Glenn, Martin and Vikram – You guys were just awesome and I can’t wait to catch up in the future.


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