Christopher Thé – Black Star Pastry

The fan base for Black Star Pastry is pretty large – after all, its stores attract long lines, have scored many Sydney food awards and even drawn the attention of an Argentinean TV show (its crew called up and asked for an updated pavlova).

Black Star Pastry's success may seem unlikely when you consider that its creator Christopher Thé originally had a BA in Psychology and was also told the original Newtown location was "cursed" when he moved in; the DIY attitude that powered the first store meant that he pretty much built the patisserie from scratch, using his parents' retirement money.

But the former pastry chef for Quay and Claude's eventually built up such interest for his work that a spin-off Black Star Pastry store opened in Rosebery and a pop-up has appeared at the Powerhouse Museum. Demand for his signature strawberry and watermelon cake has spiked exponentially – not long ago, he was selling half a tray of these a day; now Black Star Pastry buys around a ton of watermelon a week to cover the thousands of strawberry and watermelon pastries that are sold. (The revenue from the cake alone is basically enough to cover 40 people's wages at the company).

Christopher shares many other amazing stories about running Black Star Pastry – including the incredibly personal story behind the design of the Rosebery outlet and the inspiration behind the Anzac Day cookie packages – to his surprising army ambitions, collaborations with local designers and keeping watch over former charges who have gone on to their own thing (look out for John Ralley's Textbook Patisserie).