Baker George Wassif goes beyond the blue to raise dough

Tasmanians are being encouraged to head along to Hobart’s Farmgate Market this weekend to help bake the world free of mental health difficulties.

George Wassif from Georgie Boy’s Bread will be baking limited edition blue sourdough loaves and blueberry scrolls to sell at Sunday's Farm Gate Market in Hobart to support the Reach Out mental health charity. Picture: FIONA HARDING

TASMANIANS are being encouraged to head along to Hobart’s Farmgate Market this weekend to help bake the world free of mental health difficulties.

Hobart baker and local business owner George Wassif is one of the millions of Australians touched by the troubles mental health can cause.

It’s an issue close to the 22-year-old’s heart and one that he’s wanted to help tackle for some time but hadn’t known how to, until now.

Tomorrow, Mr Wassif, through his Georgie Boy’s Farmgate Market stall, will turn his baking products blue in support of the national Raise Dough initiative aimed at tackling mental health.

Organised by mental health online support service Reach Out, the initiative will see Mr Wassif use organic butterfly pea flour in his bread loaves and scrolls with $2 from each going to Reach Out.

Mr Wassif, who spends Saturdays baking in a commercial Hobart kitchen after his messy baking habits saw him booted from baking at his parents’ house, said it was important to become part of the national fight.

“It’s just a cause pretty close to my heart,” he said.

“I’ve had my own problems and I know lots of people who have also been affected, so it was something I was happy to get behind.”

Mr Wassif said he was hoping to raise $500 for the Raise Dough initiative.