Profile
John Reminis: Young
Bakery Hopeful 2016
On February 5, 2016, as the Europain show opened at
Paris Villepinte, the first world final of the new Lesaffre
competition, “Young Bakery Hopefuls”, took place. Meet
John Reminis (Australia), the winner of the food critic’s
prize at the premiere event.
By Catalina Mihu
ASIA PACIFIC BAKER (APB): Congratulations on your acknowledgment.
How and when did you start baking
and how is this passion building into
a career?
John Reminis (JR): I began working in
my parents’ bakery at around the age
of 15 and discovered my love for the
trade. Throughout my journey, I have
been lucky enough to be mentored by
some extremely talented and supportive individuals who have fostered
my skills and passion into encouraging
me to engage in competitive baking at
regional, national and international
levels. At present, I balance my love for
competitive baking with building my
career, managing my parents’ bakery
and helping support young bakers
coming through the ranks to develop
their own love for the trade. This gives
me a sense of accomplishment in giving back. I really do feel so lucky for all
of the support and great opportunities
I have been given. To have the chance
to support others with this is really
significant for me.
APB: Please describe your current
activities, from daily work to training with your coach and practicing
for competitions.
JR: Routine has become so essential in
balancing my commitments and staying focused in preparation for big
competitions such as World Skills in
Brazil 2015 and Young Bakery Hopeful
in Paris. This routine has meant organizing my weeks around work commitments with the bakery and training in
order to best prepare myself for the
competition, constantly honing my
skills in striving to achieve perfection.
In terms of training with my coach, this
was also planned carefully. As most
people understand, Australia is a big
place and my coach, Dean, and I live
around four hours from one another.
This meant that training would occur
in blocks of a few days at a time to
support my development with Dean,
who has graciously given his own time
to support me to grow and learn
throughout the process. The Australian
baking team as a whole was extremely
supportive throughout this process. I
also believe finding a good work /life
balance is paramount in organizing my
routine for the lead up to a competition. Spending time with my family
and friends doing things I love, such as
fishing, taking the boat out or just
spending time with my dogs; these are
the things that I make sure I make time
for in order to keep me grounded and
maintain some sense of normality and
balance in what could otherwise be a
daunting and anxious time.
APB: What are the most difficult
aspects related to competitions?
JR: Training is essential in preparing for
competitions, so prioritizing training
whilst balancing other commitments
of work and life can sometimes be
challenging. In terms of competing
internationally, it can also be challenging when faced with practical
issues, such as using foreign machinery
and products like flour. Additionally,
developing new ideas for products
that have never been used or seen
before can put on some extra pressure
to present new and innovative ideas.
All of these elements of competitive
baking add to the challenges of the
journey. Whilst these are challenges, in
a way, I do feel lucky to experience
Spring 2016
• BISCUIT WORLD