Sophie Weeding was back behind the counter at Brighton’s Best Bakehouse hours after flying home from Melbourne with the title of Australia’s best apprentice pastry chef under her belt.
The 23-year-old Brighton local won the 2026 Bake Skills National Championships, taking home the title of Apprentice Champion Pastry Chef of the Year.
Her boss Scott Donaghy, who owns the bakery with his wife Tash, said Weeding had shown promise from the moment she started doing weekend work six years ago.
“She showed us that she had a passion, she had skills and she wanted to work hard,” Donaghy said.
“From that, she’s dedicated a lot of time and in the stuff that she produced, it’s always at next level.”
The competition pushed Weeding through a gruelling schedule over several days using unfamiliar equipment under the watch of judges.
She prepared choux pastry eclairs, puff pastry palmiers, vol-au-vents, savoury tarts and pies, an Italian birthday sponge cake and a salted chocolate caramel Swiss roll.
“She’s absolutely smashed it out,” Donaghy said.
“She’s put some sensational products up there that not only looked good, but their taste was different, which attracted the judges’ attention.”
Weeding travelled to Gumnut Patisserie in the Blue Mountains before the competition for extra training.
She finished second at a similar event in Sydney around three years ago and has now claimed the top prize just as she completed her apprenticeship.
Donaghy said the win had created a buzz at the bakery, with regular customers coming in to congratulate Weeding.
“It’s great for Tassie as well, because we don’t often win too many of these national competitions,” he said.
“The wife and myself are very, very proud.”
The bakery plans to bring a selection of Weeding’s competition creations into the shop over the coming weeks for customers to try.
