If you know anything about me, you know that my two passions in this world are food And sports car racing — so imagine my sheer joy in figuring it out Dishes52 that one of the most famous pastry shops in Australia was founded by Kate Reid, a former engineer of Williams Formula 1 team.
In case you lost it:
Born and raised in Melbourne, Reid studied aerospace engineering and got a job at Williams Racing in 2005. She and her father were attached to Formula 1 as she was growing up, but she was fast. She quickly realized that the demands of the job outweighed the joy she felt. basically getting your dream job. After three years, Reid returned to Melbourne for health care, which rapidly deteriorated under conditions of high stress.
Part of her stress led to an eating disorder; In her home country of Australia, she has re-established a healthy relationship with food by helping to bake cakes at a cafe. From Food52:
“I am a regular coffee drinker at a small but perfect cafe called Ousia,” she says. “I plucked up the courage to ask the owner if I could help her with the daily baking. She taught me to love food again. Not just the enjoyment of eating but also the joy of preparation, respecting the ingredients and their transformation into something more than the sum of their parts. Gradually, Kate built up her knowledge of baking and began to develop a passion for more complex pastries. Over the next year, her obsession with cake took her life. During the day, her hands are covered with powder, and at night she bury herself in her favorite book on the subject, Cuisine et Patisserie au Gazwritten in 1950 by Paul Roinat.
Reid flew to Paris to learn the art of pastry making in his hometown, then brought his knowledge home to open Lune Croissanterie, which has become known for its authentic French croissants made with Normandy butter. , specialized pastry dough and skills that can only be tempered with intense passion.
As an F1-obsessed person who has struggled with all forms of mental health anxiety and eating disorders associated with the stresses of working in the high-content motorsport world. adrenaline high (yes, even as a writer), there are many things about Reid’s story that moved me. . In fact, I have made it my mission to cook my way the national dishes of every host country on the 2023 F1 calendar and in my most recent dish. entry for plov of Azerbaijan, paella, I have experienced personal difficulty making and eating this dish. Rice has long been one of my taboo foods, and even a few years after treating my worst ED symptoms, I find myself going through a lot of complex emotions as I deal with one. A dish that is largely composed almost entirely of one of those foods. my longtime forbidden food. Searching for Reid’s story this morning was a bit like finding a soul mate.
You can read more about Reid, who is publishing his first cookbook, on Dishes52 (Here you can also find her delicious-sounding chocolate-dipped “biscotti” croissant recipe). In the meantime, I’ll pick up this cookbook.
