It may be her bright pink van that first catches people’s eye, but it is Audrey Timms’ baking that keeps people coming back to Baked By A. The creative kitchen whiz behind the brand is as well known around the local market scene for Pixie – her bright pink van, complete with matching pink personalised BKDBYA number plates – as she is for her cupcakes.
Audrey Timms turns heads around local markets with her Baked By A bright pink van. Picture: Alison Wynd
The joy she feels when turning out her tasty, colourful creations mirrors the encouragement she was given long before she struck out on her own. The place was Tasmania, and having lost her job in the kitchen of Launceston airport because of the Covid pandemic, Audrey had resolved to “just bake a few things and see how we go”. It was the first time she had baked by herself for someone other than family; she didn’t even know what she needed to do to get her kitchen up to code. And that’s where she met a fairy godmother.
Audrey first thought about baking as a business while living in Tasmania during the Covid pandemic. Picture: Alison Wynd
“I got registered and the lady down there was really excited,” Audrey recalls from her sun-drenched Grovedale home. “The council lady was like, ‘This is such a great idea and I hope to hear about you one day’. It was really cute. She had a lot of belief in me that we could go a long way.”
Baking was always on the cards as a career choice for Audrey; she enrolled in Melbourne’s renowned William Angliss Institute straight out of high school, completed her Certificate IV in pastry and then walked straight into a pastry job at Seddon Sourdough Kitchen in Melbourne where she stayed for several years. But even before then she was heading down that path.
Audrey trained as a pastry chef at the William Angliss Institute. Picture: Alison Wynd
She grew up in Melbourne, following in the footsteps of her grandparents who loved baking. She still has some of her gran’s cookbooks, and “Gran’s Orange Slice” made its market debut this month. At high school, Audrey took hospitality and cooking classes in years 11 and 12, but all they reinforced was her love of the sweet side of life. “I was always ‘the one’ at family dinners: ‘Who’s going to do the dessert? Audrey will do it’. I always got that job, but I loved it, so why not just do it?” she says.
“Gran’s Orange Slice” is one of Audrey’s latest creations for Baked By A. Photo: Instagram
The move to Tasmania was to be closer to her husband Lachlan’s dad. Audrey’s loss of work notwithstanding, she says it was a good place to be during the pandemic because they were spared the continual lockdowns. She eventually found work in a cafe, where she was happy to bake and her employees were happy with the end products, before coming back to Melbourne.
Audrey, Lachlan and their son moved to Geelong about 12 months ago, about the same time they got Pixie, sourced by Lachlan in an act of serendipity. “He’s in lots of Japanese car groups and it popped up online and he was like, ‘Um you need this car’ because someone was selling it in Brisbane. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I need this car’; it was already pink,” Audrey recounts with a smile.
Pixie was found second-hand in Brisbane by Audrey’s husband Lachlan. Picture: Alison Wynd
“The minute that was ready to go we said, ‘All right, let’s do some markets, see how we go’ and it’s been really good. People love it. You’re driving around and they’re just like, ‘What is that thing?’ It’s so good.”
Because she doesn’t sell from the van and only uses it to get to and from markets, it has not required any extensive modifications. The only addition they have put in was a fridge to keep her cupcakes cool when the weather heats up.
Audrey’s mum and mother-in-law often help her get the Baked By A goodies ready for market. Picture: Alison Wynd
Baked by A is largely a one-woman show – it is common for Audrey to bake 100 cupcakes in a batch – but she’s getting by with a little help from her family. Her mum and mother-in-law will help at markets and do the unglamorous behind-the-scenes work like bagging the goodies, while Lachlan helps when he can and “looks after the little dude” when Audrey is baking.
Beyond selling her cupcakes, biscuits and slices at markets, Audrey dreams of expanding into events like weddings and corporate clients. She is trying to think of different ways to get the Baked by A name out there and is in the process of getting a website up and running.
Baked By A makes "to order" treats like GT cookies. Picture: Alison Wynd
Catch Audrey next at Portarlington Makers Market (May 2), Geelong City Market (May 9) and Torquay’s Cowrie Market (May 17). Follow @bkedbya on Instagram.
