For apprentice baker Ryan Wu, winning the Bake Skills (bread) competition came as something of a surprise. But, as he says, hard work and determination always pay off. Baking Business caught up with the Melbourne-based apprentice to talk about his recent win.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Ryan Wu. I was born in Melbourne, Australia, but my parents are from Taiwan and have been in Melbourne for over 30 years now. I grew up learning the Taiwanese culture and learning to speak Mandarin and Taiwanese.

When did you first enter the baking industry? Why?

I entered about three years ago in a small restaurant working in the pastry department and occasionally making bread. Not too long after that I met Dom and Kate Marzano from Eat Cannoli and they happily took me in to train me properly in the world of bread and pastry.

I entered into this industry because ever since I was young I was always so interested in baking and just how cool the science was when you could combine raw ingredients to create an amazing product.

How were the early days of your apprenticeship?

The early days of the apprenticeship were definitely hard as I had to work hard, starting from only being able to flour baskets and weigh up dry ingredients for all the doughs or recipes we would make. But then it just got better and better and I got to do more and more. I would start making doughs and batters, then fillings and now I pretty much get to run my own bread section.

You recently won the Bake Skills (bread) award. Can you share a bit about the competition experience?

The competition was such an intense competition, meeting the talented young bakers like myself who have the same aspiration to be able to create the best bread products and showcasing their skills to the current industry leaders to gain their attention to show them what the future industry leaders are going to do for this industry.

It was especially more intense for myself as I was coming from a 100 per cent certified gluten-free bakery in which I had to do most of my training at home, meaning lots of late nights and exhausting mornings at the bakery.

What was it like to take home the top prize?

I felt so dumbfounded when I heard my name be announced over the microphone. I never thought I was going to be called out on the microphone at all, and I almost wanted to cry because it just made me think of every minute and second I had spent at home practising and perfecting my skills in such a small-scale environment compared to a bakery. The moment was just amazing and it not only shocked myself but it had shocked everyone who had been supporting me through the journey to Bake Skills 2024, because I had actually done what most people had told me was impossible.

Ryan Wu while competing in Bake Skills

What was the preparation like for the competition?

The preparation was very hard. I sacrificed many nights out with friends and was going to work exhausted as the night before I would be up late waiting for my breads to be proofed or resting and then I would sleep for a couple of hours and then be up for work not too long after.

I would do this nearly every day for the next four months leading up to the competition. I would also sacrifice my days off and borrow a room at TAFE just to be able to practise. I had to rely on my hands to be able to form my doughs as I didn’t have a big enough mixer to be able to develop my doughs properly, otherwise I was only able to use proper ovens, provers and mixers at TAFE when I was able to get a room.

Where do you see yourself in the industry in the future?

I see myself opening my own bakery and hiring the next young industry leaders who are just as eager to learn and aspire to be amazing, and great young bakers for the next generation of baking leaders. I want to show the next leaders that working hard will always bring you the best results, whether it be winning a competition, creating the perfect loaf of bread or just being happy in the industry.

What’s your favourite thing to make?

My favourite thing to make would have to be sourdough breads as it is so interesting to me that you can use just two ingredients to make one of the most famous and tastiest breads with increased health benefits that are great for your body and mind. It is so intriguing to me what flour and water can do over time.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I would really like to thank Sean Kenelley and Alice Fogarty first. These two amazing trainers from William Angliss institute were the original people who pushed me to compete in the first place because they believed in me. I also want to thank Dom and Kate Marzano from my workplace, Eat Cannoli, for also constantly supporting me throughout the tough months training for the competition and giving me all the feedback on the amount of breads they had eaten and tasted for me.

I also want to acknowledge and congratulate the other three finalists of the competition: Caleb Braszell, Patrick French and Courtney Brooks. Lastly, I want people to know that nothing is impossible and that if you believe and work hard enough you can also be at the top if you put the work in, like how most people around me were telling me it’s pretty much impossible for me to win coming from a gluten-free bakery – but I proved them wrong.