Famed pastry chef, Rosemary Andrews, has honed her craft alongside some of the world’s biggest personalities in the food industry. Now, it’s her name in the spotlight as she leads one of Melbourne’s newest high-end patisseries.

Looking around Rosemary Andrew’s latest venture, a pop-up bakery in Malvern, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in an art gallery. Slices of cake are individually displayed in the front window on marble plinths under glass cloches. Further inside, the counter display is meticulously arranged and brightly lit, showcasing a curated range of cakes, tarts, biscuits, and ultra-soft focaccia.

It’s refined, minimalist, and very Instagrammable. It’s also a long way from her humble beginnings in suburban Tasmania.

Rosemary always knew she wanted to bake. As a child, she’d spend countless hours in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother, both talented home bakers. Delighted by creating food from scratch, Rosemary baked at every opportunity, practicing with slices, muffins, and biscuits.

“I was always baking with mum for school fundraising stalls or to take a plate of sweets to a friend’s house,” Rosemary said.

Some of her fondest childhood memories are visits to cake shops for special occasions and her grandmother serving dazzling sweets on fine China every Sunday afternoon.

By the time she was a teenager, Rosemary was analysing recipes in popular magazines and baking every day after school – much to the delight of her neighbours who happily received her experiments. At 15, she landed her first job with The Cheesecake Shop and, just two years later, was working in a commercial kitchen with a small wholesale cake business.

While her small hometown didn’t have a lot of high-end bakeries, one of her college teachers owned a French-style patisserie. Inspired by Parisian boulangeries and viennoiseries, the shop was, in Rosemary’s words, “a bit fancy”, and offered a food experience unlike anything she had previously encountered.

It was all Rosemary needed to set her sights on owning her own artisanal patisserie.

Early beginnings

Rosemary Andrews at work at Mietta By Rosemary

Rosemary figured Melbourne offered the best opportunities to hone her craft and soon landed a job at the esteemed Rockpool Bar & Grill Restaurant. The “eye-opening experience” armed her with a toolbelt of practical know-how and critical thinking skills, which she would later take with her around the world.

In one of several stints in London, Rosemary worked with Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal, and Brett Graham. The high standard of dining was a valuable, albeit steep, learning curve.

Back in Australia, Rosemary refined her skills at some of Melbourne’s leading bakeries and restaurants, including Tivoli Road Bakery, Laurent Bakery, and Cobb Lane Bakery. Under the direction of uncompromising chefs and astute business owners, she learnt that every detail matters and consistency is key.

This unwavering commitment to perfection secured Rosemary a full-time job during the 2020 lockdown period with Attica restaurant. Under the leadership of famed chef Ben Shewry, Attica had pivoted amidst hostile Covid restrictions and Rosemary was tasked with baking thousands of cheesecakes, cakes, and desserts for customers to takeaway.

It wasn’t long before Ben made Rosemary Head Pastry Chef of Attica’s pop-up restaurant, Attica Summer Camp, where the pair collaborated on a decadent and nostalgic dessert trolley. Nonetheless, by the time lockdowns hit Melbourne for a second time, Rosemary was ready to go out on her own.

Soon, she began baking, sharing, and selling her sweets online, exclusively through Instagram. Despite being locked down, it was clear that Melbourne’s foodies still craved their sweet treats and were keen to support local businesses.

“When I first started my dessert boxes, bringing happiness to those in lockdown was such a memorable experience. People would often send cake to friends and family, either from interstate or even overseas,” she said.

“One lady gifted her 94-year-old mother a dessert box, and I will never forget that moment of joy when she opened the door. Her daughter later messaged me to say her mum said it was the best cake she’d ever had.

“Playing a small part in creating those moments isn’t something I take lightly.”

Taking the leap

One of Rosemary’s creations

Late last year, Rosemary took the plunge to launch her first physical store: Mietta by Rosemary. A strong social media following doesn’t always guarantee in-store success, particularly in a cost-of-living crisis. Nonetheless, Rosemary’s transition to a bricks-and-mortar business has exceeded everyone’s wildest expectations. In fact, it’s not unusual to see customers waiting patiently in a long queue around the block on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until stock sells out.

With the exquisite patisserie menu complemented by soft-serve ice cream with rich chocolate sauce, as well as Market Lane Espresso, it’s little wonder why Mietta has garnered a cult-like following.

Among the best sellers are Rosemary’s signature layer cakes, boasting ultra-thin tiers perfectly stacked into a tall wedge. The Honey-Misu cake; 8-Layer Carrot Cake, and Honey, Espresso, and Dulce de Leche cake are featured alongside other fan favourites, including the Dulcey Baked Cheesecake, a two-texture Valrhona chocolate cake, and her famed lemon tart.

“My goal was always to make people feel joy and to bring them happiness,” Rosemary said.

“Mietta reflects a long career of hard work, resilience, and passion. It reflects what I am about: quality, delicious cakes that make people smile.”

Her customers aren’t the only people to be awed by Rosemary’s skill and creative vision. Mietta by Rosemary recently won 2024 Pastry Opening of the Year Award by La Liste. The pastry awards celebrate creativity, technical skill, and intrepidity on a global scale, and are a testament to Mietta’s rapidly growing impact and reputation.

“It was an amazing experience to travel to Paris and receive the global award. It re-inspired me and I loved seeing how parts of Europe are operating in the patisserie industry,” Rosemary said.

Mietta by Rosemary’s sign

Initially, Mietta was given a six-month contract on the Malvern property. Recently, however, Rosemary signed for another 12 months, securing the space until March 2025. Rosemary said she will use the time to expand and evolve the brand.

A pop-up shop wasn’t always on Rosemary’s radar, but its unrivalled success is a perfect example of what can be achieved by “trusting the process”. Her advice to anyone thinking about opening a hospitality business is to spend a lot of time researching, planning, and strategising, and to learn how to do as many jobs as possible, from marketing to interior design.

“Just have a go and keep going,” Rosemary said, noting that success never comes without risk.

“If I had waited for the perfect space to become available, I still wouldn’t have a shop front. After searching for a commercial property for two years, I realised there is no perfect space. Instead, I needed to create it myself.”

“My dad used to say to me, ‘do it while you can’. You learn more from trying, even if you fail again and again. Lessons are reinforced each time.

“Mietta has been a great opportunity to evolve from the Instagram platform to see how the community responds to a bricks-and-mortar business. I am hoping to take the brand to new heights and see where the business can evolve.”