Three chefs from Gelato Messina will open Shadow Baking in Darlinghurst on Friday, October 27, following the sell-out success of their September pop-up.

Customers queued for up to two hours at the one-off event at Messina HQ in Marrickville to try the team’s innovative interpretations of classic viennoiserie, which included eggs benny tarts, coconut and pandan brioche, and a Reuben sandwich with house-made pastrami on a salty pretzel croissant.

“It was such a huge, insane response,” says Tom Mitchell, co-founder of Shadow Baking and executive chef at Messina. “We weren’t expecting that at all.”

Shadow Baking began as a monthly market stall run by Mitchell and Messina head chef Florian Fritsch.

Previous SlideNext Slide

The post-lockdown passion project combined the culinary prowess of two colleagues with skills honed in fine-dining restaurants, who were later joined by Messina Creative Restaurant head chef Remi Talbot.

Mitchell was once the head chef at Adriano Zumbo’s now-closed patisserie; Fritsch has worked in acclaimed kitchens such as Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and Rockpool Bar & Grill; and Talbot spent eight years as the pastry chef at Den, a Tokyo restaurant with two Michelin stars.

“The experience the three of us have in working in different places shines through to each item we create,” Mitchell says.

“There’s a bit of Australiana, a bit of nostalgia, and a big French influence.”

At the Cannery Markets, where they’ve appeared for the past 18 months, the trio developed a strong following for signature pastries, such as twice-baked mandarin and macadamia croissant, stuffed with macadamia frangipane and mandarin marmalade, and topped with vanilla cream and toasted macadamias.

Now, in partnership with Gelato Messina, they’re moving into the small space beside the gelato shop on Victoria Road. It will be a multisensorial experience, with two ovens in front of the counter baking treats throughout the day.

“We want our customers to be able to watch everything being baked, and when something is ready, the baker can open the oven door, and they’ll be hit with the heat and the smell,” Mitchell says.

“When someone grabs a croissant and it’s still warm, their face just lights up. They’re like, ‘Oh my god’, and that’s a feeling we want to replicate.”

The menu will be much the same as at the markets, with batch-brewed coffee and new additions such as blueberry tart (layered with baked cheesecake, blueberry jam, vanilla cream and fresh blueberries).

As is Messina tradition, customers can expect a series of weekly rotating specials, and there’ll be plenty of Messina products in the mix (including their dulce de leche, milk and scoops of gelato).

Due to the size of the space, it will be takeaway-only, although there are plans to install outdoor tables, pending council approval.

The team plan to open Friday to Sunday, with Talbot as head baker and Mitchell and Fritsch retaining their respective positions at Messina HQ.

Open Fri-Sun 7.30am-2pm or until sold out.

241 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, nomnie.com/shadowbaking