Bakery toasted

By Kath Gannaway
BEECHWORTH Bakery in Healesville is open… at last!
Eight years after flamboyant Beechworth Bakery founder Tom O’Toole announced plans to build his second bakery on the old Park Drive Motel site, the finishing touches were put in place over the weekend for today’s (Tuesday) opening.
Getting the recipe right in Healesville has not been easy.
The project, heralded as an economic coup for the town and a new beginning for the ‘forgotten’ East End retail strip, met strong opposition from local environmental and township groups when it was expanded to include a proposed brewery and, later, the Innocent Bystander Winery which opened two weeks ago.
It is the first purpose-built Beechworth Bakery and seats 200 people with parking for 170 cars.
Mr O’Toole, in partnership with Marty Matassoni and Simon Bedbrooke, has added bakeries at Echuca, Ballarat, Bendigo and Albury to the chain.
He greeted the imminent opening with a mix of excitement and trepidation and told the Mail there were times he felt like walking away.
“Yeah, I’m excited,” he said, “and it scares the hell out of me.
“If I had done what I was going to do eight years ago I would have just built the bakery and we would have had quite a few years in operation by now.”
He said the failed brewery proposal and a raft of regulations and specifications on the site had held things up and brought with them all sorts of problems.
“The secret of getting there is getting started,” he said, “and we are doing that on Tuesday.”
Mr Matassoni, the company’s managing director, and Healesville manager Matt Schwab were also looking forward to getting the ovens fired up.
“Like a lot of other people involved, I’ve been with the company for a long time and after so much planning, discussion and delays, it’s just fantastic.
“We have a few people coming down from Beechworth on Tuesday, including Tom, but it will be a low-key opening.
“We want to get the staff trained and the product right then we will be out there telling everyone,” he said.
With his wife, Jo, Mr Matassoni and Mr Schwab were enjoying the organised chaos of putting new staff members through a final weekend of training before the big day.
About 30 local people have been trained for baker/ decorator, retail and cleaning jobs.
A squad of Beechworth employees will buddy up with the new recruits for the first four weeks to pass on the finer points behind the success story.
Rob Hauser, Shire of Yarra Ranges CEO, said the Beechworth Bakery, along with the Innocent Bystander, would add to the breadth of tourism attractions already available in Healesville.
“It’s been a very long journey but I think it is a very positive outcome for Healesville.
“I congratulate Tom O’Toole on his commitment to Healesville and for persevering for what has been a very challenging development,” he said.
Margaret Baker, coordinator of the Yarra Valley Visitor Information Centre, predicted the reputation of Beechworth Bakery would draw visitors to Healesville and enhance opportunities for the retail shops in the East End.
“It’s great for local employment and with the winery next door the development is a great asset for this region,” she said.