Patrick Dale on the freedom to be creative
We first met tween, Patrick Dale, in the March trends report. At just 12 years old and based near Port Macquarie in NSW, Patrick runs his own marshmallow business, Sweet Tooth Marshmallows, creating flavours that have won awards at Sydney Royal’s blind tastings against established sweet makers. He sells his marshmallows at local markets and recently began supplying Billabong Zoo, where you can pick up his award-winning chocolate, lamington and coffee flavours.
He’s had such success with his products that he was able to purchase a dedicated food trailer for production and employs his school’s canteen lady to help with the volume of orders.
“It’s an opportunity to do something I love,” Patrick tells InSeason. He began making marshmallows at home with his mum several years ago when he couldn’t find any chocolate flavoured ones at the shops and ended up developing his own recipe through trial and-error, after online recipes proved inconsistent.
Patrick says rather than being a disadvantage, being young and working in the food-service space has important benefits. He says he has a huge support base and having less financial pressure gives him the freedom free to think more creatively.
“I do think kids get to be more creative with flavours than adults. Because kids look at the world differently. Things are a bit simpler for kids, so it’s easier for us to come up with ideas.” He adds that food – especially sweets – draws kids because of the excitement. “It’s because it can be fun and creative. The flavour comes first, not so much the business.”
Balancing schoolwork and the marshmallow business can be tricky, but his family is supportive because it’s a skill that he’s taking seriously. What he needs next is to find a mentor who can help with the ongoing chemistry questions for his new flavours.
Grace Blythe on pursuing your passion
16-year-old baker, Grace Blythe, agrees that sweets attract kids to the food business because there’s so much excitement around them and they are an outlet for creativity.
“It’s a special occasion thing. I would get so excited when it was dessert time, and I had this special dish to present. I think there’s more of a passion for it because of the fun and the craft.”
Currently in year 11, Grace is balancing her made-to-order online cake business, Cakes by Grace, in Coffs Harbour, NSW, with her schoolwork and finds running her own business allows her to manage the workload.
Self-taught through hours of practice, along with work experience, she started baking seriously when she was ten years old and invested every cent of pocket money she could into tools and equipment. She devoured hours of YouTube tutorials – finding huge inspiration in How to Cake It – eventually honing her skills enough to sell her sweets.
“About 18 months ago I started a professional business,” she says, adding that she has her food safety accreditation and a dedicated space, which she jokingly calls her ‘cake dungeon’. “Baking is my life – it sounds dramatic, but I just love it.”
Like Patrick, Grace believes kids are free to be creative in the food space because they don’t face the same financial pressures as adults, making it the perfect time to sink into your passion and get started.
“You just go for it. Because nothing has told you otherwise yet. You’re happy to start from the bottom and work up. There’s so much excitement and not as many challenges in your way.”
She’s also clear that the digital landscape has created new opportunities for young people.
“That’s the power of social media. We have access to the resources to learn and push your passion,” she says. “I think any business owner would agree that social media is amazing, because word of mouth is good, but with social media the capacity for sharing is huge, and the way you’re able to find a business or show your work is enormous.”
Morgan Hipworth on nurturing young voices
23-year-old Morgan Hipworth is one of the clearest examples of a kid that not only harnessed his passion for cooking and turned it into a business at a young age, but then went on to transition it into an expanding brand. Like Patrick and Grace, he began baking when he was very young – supplying local cafes when he was just 13 – before opening his now famous Bistro Morgan with his signature doughnuts in Melbourne.
“I was 15 when the first store opened. And now we have two Bistro Morgans [Windsor and Fitzroy] and [the restaurant] Maven.”
Morgan was able to successfully navigate the transition from teenage prodigy into an established brand and business with bricks and mortar premises and employees. At just 23, Morgan has over a decade of experience in food service and puts the success of any food business down to passion.
“I remember at our local bakery, mum got chatting to the owner and said, ‘my son likes baking’, and next thing I know he was inviting me down every Sunday to learn in the bakery. There are not many industries where you find someone sharing their expertise from the goodness of their heart – it’s definitely the passion of the industry.”
This passion enabled Morgan to stay focused while juggling multiple priorities. He managed his business while still finishing school and expanded his expertise with on-the-job training in Paris.
Like child actors blooming into mature celebrities, Morgan proved that the passions of kids are a solid jumping-off point for a career in food. Today he has employees and finances to consider, but his creativity and passion are still a driving force.
“For me, the money has always come second. Even if I didn’t make a single cent in the world, I just love it. That true passion is definitely how it started.”
Morgan also believes that we’re getting better at listening to young voices in the food landscape, and he works hard to mentor other young up-and-comers.
“I think we’re getting more and more progressive in the industry and embracing the young ones because let’s be real, they’re the future.”
by InSeason Team 
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