Looking back at the beginning of his culinary career in London in the late 1990s, The Great Australian Bake Off star Darren Purchese admits it was a job choice that left him “ruined”.
“I was actually a night time baker in London back in the day,” the British pastry chef explained in a July 2024 interview with Paul Verhoeven on the ABC show Overnights.
“It was very hard. I was actually put on the bakery section by my chef who thought it’d be a good idea because all of the bakers had left.”
What is Darren Purchese’s background?
Darren’s first day on the job as a baker at London’s ultra posh Savoy Hotel ended up being a “baptism of fire” when the chef who was meant to show him the ropes during the 12am-11am shift ended up at a party drunk – later calling Darren and talking him through what to do over the phone.
Darren pulled it off, but as he continued learning the job over the weeks and months ahead, he’d find himself arriving at work at 10pm and not leaving until 3pm the next day.
“I would always fall asleep on the train and wake up at the end of the train line which is somewhere in Surrey,” Darren explained. “That was my life for a little while. It was hard hours, but I absolutely loved it because I had nothing else going on in my life at that time!”
Darren’s dedication to his craft saw him work in prestigious kitchens across England and France. In 2004 he was invited to appear at Brisbane Masterclass Weekend – it was to be his first visit to Australia.
Who is Darren Purchese married to?
Darren’s appearance at the event also led to him meeting his future wife, Cath Claringbold.
Cath was already a celebrated chef herself, having opened a two hatted restaurant, Mecca, in the late 90s before launching her popular Mecca Bah’s in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.
Darren made the permanent move to Melbourne to be with Cath in 2005 and the couple combined forces by opening the beloved Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio on Chapel Street in Melbourne in 2011.
What happened to Burch and Purchese?
The business endeavour led Darren to build on his reputation as a master dessert chef, creating revolutionary dessert concepts. However, the shop closed after 12 years in 2023.
“We want to express our heartfelt thanks to all our customers for their unwavering support over the years,” the pair wrote on Instagram at the time. “Your loyalty has been the driving force behind our success, and we are grateful for each one of you.
“We’ve had the time of our lives baking for you, but it’s time for us to explore other creative pursuits, and of course Darren will be keeping busy in his role as judge on The Great Australian Bake Off.
“There are also delicious cookbooks to write, online classes to host, pop ups to be had, and collaborations to work on. We are launching a new website later this year with recipes, food inspo, videos, and much more.”
The couple went on to concentrate their efforts on a new business venture, Studio Kitchen – a platform for food lovers offering online recipes and a physical studio space for food shoots, workshops and events.
On the About Us page of the Studio Kitchen website, Darren and Cath reveal they both “absolutely adore all things food”.
“Eating, traveling, and cooking are some of our biggest passions in life.,” they say. “We love nothing more than exploring new flavours and ingredients, and sharing all our culinary adventures with others.” They also say they’re excited to “connect with like-minded foodies who appreciate and share our love for all things delicious”.
What does Darren Purchese do now?
“I do love passing on my knowledge and giving out those recipes, giving as much information as possible so people can have success,” Darren told Overnights. “And seeing them put their attempts up on social media or emailing us with all these great stories of how they made this cake for their daughter’s birthday and it was such a great hit and they’re going to be making it every year, that really fills me with joy.
“That’s what I live for,” he added.
Indeed, his role as judge on The Great Australian Bake Off seems a perfect fit for Darren who is a self-confessed softie.
“I wanted to be a fair judge, I love to see people really achieving and doing things that I love while providing my own professional opinion,” he told Media Week of his approach in 2023. “It is a competition though, so I am aware that I have to pick out some faults.”
Darren went on to describe Bake Off as being like “a hug from your nan”.
“The show is something that stands out as being positive and sort of affirming, encouraging people to just do what they love,” the star, who remains on screens for the 2025 season of the show alongside British cook Rachel Khoo and hosts Natalie Tran and Tom Walker, added.
“I think everyone loves the idea of getting in the kitchen and creating something for a loved one and that’s magnified on the TV screen. I think that’s why people tune in.”
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