Nov 3, 2017
David McGuinness has frequently taken his sourdough starter on
holidays with him to keep it alive. "You have to feed it regularly,
like a baby," he says. This dedication to bread is not surprising,
given that he's the co-founder of Bourke Street Bakery, the Sydney
institution that is loved for everything from its chocolate ganache
tarts to its meat pies (Amy
Schumer famously stopped by, straight from the airport, to try one
during her Trainwreck press tour).
Along with the bakery's co-founder, Paul Allam, David has
co-authored two baking bibles – the original Bourke Street Bakery
publication was even released in Russia, where it was called
Streets of Bread. The new book, All Things Sweet,
is dedicated to Bourke Street Bakery's much-loved desserts – such
as the ginger brûlée tart (David shares the lovely story behind
that on the podcast – and tells of the key role it played in how he
met his partner).
Bourke Street Bakery has come a long way from the days when its
chefs had to teeter on milk crates to stir 120-litre pots filled
with pie mix. There's its social enterprise, The Bread and Butter
Project, which trains refugees to become bakers – which was
inspired by the time Paul taught nuns in a refugee camp how to
bake. Then there's the impressive Bourke Street Bakery family tree
– which has seen former BSB graduates branch out and do their own
thing (like Paul Giddings with The Bread Social, Simon Cancio with
Brickfields, Nadine Ingram with Flour and Stone and Andrew Cibej
with Vini, Berta and Bacco). And there's a New York branch of
Bourke Street Bakery on the way, too.
Plus, we chat about David's best bread experiences (including
“one of the most memorable meals, ever” in Kuala Lumpur), some of
the unforgettable responses he's had from Bourke Street Bakery
fans, and why he wanted the team from Moon Park to open Paper Bird,
their new restaurant, in the former Potts Point branch for
BSB.
PS In case you're curious, the Tokyo bakery I mention in the
podcast is called Kaiso.
Suggested listening from the podcast archive: Ben Sears, Kylie
Millar, Christina Tosi, Andrew Bowden (Andy Bowdy), Mike
McEnearney, Lauren Eldridge.