Nada Bakery, a family-owned business, has been operating successfully for 49 years, with Michael Gray, the current owner and operator, working in partnership with his mother.
With his level-4 craft bakery certification and position on the National Executive Committee of Baking NZ, Gray has served as Vice President for eight years and President for four years.
He also runs another company, Total Baking Industries, that imports and sells bakery equipment and machinery to the industry.
“My passion for baking began at three when I started accompanying my father to work. Since then, I have developed a keen interest in creating and baking food and learning about the business aspects of running a bakery,” said Gray.
“We take pride in building strong relationships with our customers and obtaining their feedback. We also enjoy training young people in baking and customer service, watching them grow and develop into successful individuals.”
When it comes to my favourite baked goods, pies are what come to Gray’s mind, particularly creating new flavour combinations. Pies present a challenge to balance flavours while maintaining that wow factor.
“Our bakery is renowned for its pies, with our Steak and Cheese, Potato Top, and Reuben pies being among the award-winning favourites.”
The famous and signature pastry, the Steak and Cheese pie, is rich, slow-cooked steak filling, gooey cheese, and perfect pastry, not too crumbly and super flakey.
He also enjoys making fresh bread, from start to finish and seeing the final product come out of the oven.
“We also produce a unique loaf called Nadaburg, an open-textured grain bread that pairs wonderfully with poached eggs.”
Gray’s approach to baking is characterised by passion, creativity, and a willingness to take risks. To anyone interested in pursuing baking as a career, he suggests finding something you love, having a passion for food, and being prepared for the challenges that come with it.
Currently, Nada Bakery has observed the trend of gourmet pies alongside the continued popularity of doughnuts. Their goal is to take the business beyond its 75th year while keeping the quality of its products and services consistent.
For Easter, the bakery offers hot cross buns, with traditional buns being the most popular in Wellington.
“We have earned a reputation for quality, which we maintain with every product we offer.”
They also produce chocolate hot cross buns made with Whittakers chocolate and gluten-free hot cross buns.
