First Look: An Ex-Napier Hotel Chef Brings Serious Sourdough to Essendon
Even with 30 years of experience as a chef, Nick Williams couldn’t make sense of the cost to run a restaurant in a post-Covid world. For Williams, whose career includes two years as head chef at the Napier Hotel and five years as executive chef at The Sir George in regional New South Wales, a bakery seemed more viable, and the economics made much more sense. “I can still put all my love into creating something amazing, but have two days to make it to impress people, instead of 20 minutes,” he tells Broadsheet.
In 2022, he opened a wholesale business, Backhaus Bakery, in Airport West with business partner Melissa Matthew. Head baker Alan Trethewey leads the bakery – which produces croissants, shortbread, amaretti and 48-hour fermented sourdough loaves and baguettes – alongside pastry chefs Davina Dorney and Jaye Nalder. The team opened a small retail window at the factory in December 2023, and recently opened Backhaus Food Store in Essendon.
While the team planned to open a larger space, the Essendon shop came together sooner than expected. “We were looking to do retail later, but the space was far too pretty to give up, with the terrazzo tiling and exposed brick, and we’ve gotten to know the community really well there through the bakery,” says Williams.
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All the bread and pastries are baked fresh daily in the factory, then delivered 10 minutes down the road to the food store. In addition to the staple loaves and cookies found in Airport West, there are grab-and-go items like semi-sourdough focaccia, fresh light rye sandwiches and piping hot fougasse filled with kimchi and cheddar cheese.
An impressive pantry section offers butter, cured meats, Acide pickles, The Apiarist honey from Bendigo and Jam Haus preserves, and you can even pick up fresh flowers when you drop in. The offering will expand with produce like house-made cheese (a hobby Williams picked up during his Sir George Hotel days) and a daily chopped salad.
Plus, there’ll soon be a dine-in experience and Williams, who previously headed up the charcuterie offering Piper Street Food Company, will emphasise charcuterie and grazing boards. Once the team has nailed the concept here, there are plans to open more retail shops around Melbourne.
35 Rose Street, Essendon
No phone
Mon to Fri 7am–4pm
Sat to Sun 7:30am–2:30pm
@backhausfoodstore
