Baked On Nathan opens in Vincent Market Place offering 19 pie flavours

With over three decades experience, a Townsville baker is ready to win over the city’s meat pie lovers with his well-tested recipes. See where his new bakery opened.

Izzabel O’Shaughnessy with Ray White Commercial agent Taz Townsend at Baked On Nathan in the Vincent Market Place. Picture: Leighton Smith.

A veteran Townsville baker who spent years refining his recipes has opened a new bakery with the goal of making it one of the best places in town to buy a meat pie.

Racking up 33 years experience in the baking industry, including 21 as the head baker for Mals Pies and Pastries, Todd O’Shaughnessy decided to carve his own path by opening Baked On Nathan in the Vincent Market Place shopping mall on February 17.

After spending over $100,000 to upgrade the commercial space, the family business now offers a tempting selection of freshly-made food including 19 different meat pie flavours, sausage rolls, breads, pastries, sandwiches, wraps, cakes, slices, eclairs, tarts, fruit salad, and doughnuts are coming soon.

A self described “perfectionist” who doesn’t take shortcuts, Mr O’Shaughnessy had been perfecting his pie recipes over the past 10 years, cooking up batches at home and giving them to people to taste test, and continually making adjustments based on their feedback.

“I just want to go back to doing things the way we did in the 1990s, when I first started baking … we did things correctly and didn’t do things to cut costs,” he said.

Todd O’Shaughnessy is living the dream after opening Baked On Nathan in the Vincent Market Place. Picture: Supplied.

“We’re going to specialise in pies and pastries. They’re going to be exactly the way I want them.”

Whether it was sourcing high quality bacon from the butcher, or properly caramelising the onion, he was determined to ensure their flavours were amazing.

The bakery will offer a unique chicken and bacon pie, a corn beef pie that is “the fricken bomb”, jalapeño, plus traditional flavours like cottage, steak with cracked pepper, curry, steak and kidney, and party pies.

Baked On Nathan opened in the Vincent Market Place on February 17. Picture: Supplied.

There's plenty of meat pie and sausage roll flavours available at Baked On Nathan in the Vincent Market Place. Picture: Leighton Smith.

“I’ve got a few other ideas I want to play with, with some different things, but need to wait till we get the approval of the council before we can start doing that,” he said.

Helped out by his daughter Izzabel, Mr O’Shaughnessy intended to train her up to take over the business when he was ready to hang up the apron.

Baked On Nathan offers a range of fresh breads in the Vincent Market Place. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Baked On Nathan offers eclairs and tarts in the Vincent Market Place. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Mr O’Shaughnessy was attracted to the Vincent location due to its proximity with his home, and its positioning next to Woolworths, reaching out to Ray White Commercial agent Taz Townsend to secure a three year lease, with options to extend.

Mr Townsend said the business was easily accessible on the corner of Nathan St and Fulham Rd, where 24,000 vehicles passed daily, drawing shoppers from Vincent, Heatley, Gulliver, Currajong and Cranbrook.

Izzabel O’Shaughnessy with Ray White Commercial agent Taz Townsend at Baked On Nathan in the Vincent Market Place. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Baked On Nathan offers a range of slices in the Vincent Market Place. Picture: Leighton Smith.

“Having Woolworths as an anchor tenant with a minimum 10 years remaining on their lease was a very appealing feature of this property for small business owners,” Mr Townsend said.

“Everyone who goes to Woolworths has to walk past the bakery, and I believe this exposure was what drew Todd to this property.”

For more information, visit Baked On Nathan on Facebook.

Originally published as Baked On Nathan opens in Vincent Market Place offering 19 pie flavours