Top Chef To Open European-Style Bakery In Palm Beach

A South African chef who has worked on luxury yachts catering to the uber wealthy and has led some of  Melbourne’s best bakeries and wine bars is set to open his first foodie venture at Pavilions Palm Beach.

Stefan Van Der Hoven will welcome customers to Well Bread and Pastry in early July, with a focus on serving locals authentic European-style baked goods and creating awareness about the digestive benefits of properly prepared and slow fermented breads and pastries.

“I will place pride in doing things slowly, with all our products being handmade by our small team creating unique products every day,” he said.

“I have been very fortunate in that I have worked at French ski chalets, on luxury-chartered yachts and for families who wanted me to source the finest ingredients and create imaginative food – so I was able to experiment over the years to get the best results.

“I am really looking forward to bringing locals delicious French baguettes and croissants and introducing them to our range of house-made sandwiches, confectionery, jams and tarts.

“While all of our products will be made in the slow, hand crafted European style, we will be  sourcing all our ingredients from South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales and ensuring we are catering to local tastes.”

Stefan said quality and sustainably sourced ingredients were integral to the finished product.

“I’m eager to dispel the myth that gluten is bad for those who don’t have known allergies. Many people do find bread a bit difficult to digest, but this comes back to the ingredients used and the way the wheat is farmed and processed,” he said.

“For those with gluten allergies, we will of course have gluten free options too.

“All of our breads and pastries will be made from wholegrain wheats with no added chemicals, and will be prepared in such a way that all the nutrients and good fibre is retained, which is easier on the stomach.

“Any meat used in our products will be hormone-free from a local butcher, so we are taking a sustainable, hand-made approach to absolutely everything, with all goods baked fresh daily on site.

“We are also sourcing recycled timber for the bakery fitout to make sure we carry this ethos throughout the experience.”

Pavilions Palm Beach is owned by Consolidated Properties Group, with Head of Retail, Kieran Cox saying the centre has attracted a number of unique tenants.

“We’re privileged to have foodie tenants that are artisan operators offering something a bit different for locals,” he said.

“We also have one of the Gold Coast’s newest Coles supermarkets, a number of health, beauty and wellness boutiques and a suite of professional services, making Pavilions a one stop centre.

“Well Bread and Pastry will occupy the final tenancy in Pavilions fronting the Gold Coast Highway, with limited spaces remaining inside the centre.”

For more details on remaining tenancies please contact Rob Clifton on 0407 500 325.