We’ve been quiet on the blog-front while we busied away in the background setting up our new kitchen and warehouse in Osborne Park. Now we’re all moved in and we’re excited to welcome our new superstar baker to the team, Debs Tideman!
Debs is a long time baker with a particular interest in developing gluten-free and allergen-friendly recipes due to her own dietary restrictions. Bekah has handed over her apron to Debs, who’s now leading the team in the Honest kitchen and is already tinkering around with some new things which we can’t wait to tell you about! In the meantime, let’s all get to know Debs a bit better…
Bekah: How long have you been baking for?
Debs: Since I was really tiny, 3 or 4 years old. I had cancer when I was a toddler, so I was kept back from school a lot. My mum and my grandma both baked a lot, and they would pop me up on the bench and let me help.
Bekah: So young! What was the first thing you ‘baked’?
Debs: Banana bread. I’ll be honest it wasn’t hugely successful. Luckily I improved with age!
Bekah: And professionally, was baking always your thing?
Debs: Actually no, I’ve done a lot of different things. I started as a kids book illustrator, but doing it as a job made me enjoy it less so I ended up moving into working as an aide with autistic children in schools. When I moved to Australia (2016) I got a job as a nanny and worked on a cattle station as the station cook. Eventually I got a placement as an educational assistant with autistic children again, this time in Broome, and there I met my husband-to-be.
Bekah: It was meant to be! And then we snapped you up when you ended up back in Perth. So why do you enjoy baking so much?
Debs: It’s a creative outlet for me. I love the balance of art and science, it’s what I’ve always been about. It’s so methodical and yet the tiniest little things can change the whole results so drastically, so you’ve really got to be paying attention and care.
Bekah: Favourite thing to bake these days?
Debs: GF cinnamon scrolls…
Bekah: Oooh watch this space! And what is your favourite way to eat Honest Goods?
Debs: Oh definitely the vegan brownie, warmed up with coconut ice cream!
(Bekah’s note: me too!!)
