If you head to a quiet road in Castle Hill, in north-west Sydney, there you will find Luca Bakery – the bakery that isn’t afraid to take on well-loved family recipes shared by its community.

Luca Bakery is the brainchild of 2019 MasterChef Australia winner Larissa Takchi, who first forged her name as the youngest contestant to win the competition.

However, rather than quickly setting up shop, Larissa decided to return home and continue to bake from her own kitchen. These goods were then moved up her driveway to her roadside bakery.

Now, Larissa is putting that same focus into Luca Bakery, which opened its doors in late August.

Beyond the standard product offering centred around top quality pastries and bread, Larissa told good food that she wanted her customers to immediately feel at home.

“Warm, welcoming, with that country farmhouse aura – I want people to feel like they’re at home,” she said.

Another unique aspect is that Luca Bakery’s kitchen works continuously to restock the shelves throughout the day.

“It means you’re eating a croissant that’s still hot, or a cake so fresh it hasn’t cooled yet,” she said

When it comes to the product range, Larissa added that local and seasonal fruits play a large part. Think citrus, honey, zucchini flowers, figs, peaches, and strawberries, and a product range that looks like medovik honey cake and brown butter strawberrry cake sitting alongside black olive focaccia with black garlic and parmigiana.

Larissa said this decision was largely due to her upbringing.

“I’ve always been raised eating what’s in season and supporting local farmers,” she said.

“It was never a trendy thing, it’s just what we did.”

However, perhaps the most notable aspect of Luca Bakery is the notebook and pen that sits open near the front counter, ready for customers to write down their own family recipes.

“Give me your grandmother’s cake, your aunty’s favourite slice, we’ll recreate it in your name and you can come try it for yourself,” Larissa said.

“I’m trying to create a community, and nostalgia is a great way to do that.”