Why Perfecting The Art Of Doughnuts Is A Worthwhile Career Choice

Hopefully your new year has started with a bang – y’know, kicking down doors, smashing goals, etc. Don’t fret if it hasn’t though, we’ve sought a solution to make 2016 your year of career-domination, and the best way to kick-start it is by hitting the booksPEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with Melbourne Polytechnic to showcase their killer courses, all of which serve as the ultimate starting point for your goal-oriented self. Knowing there’s a large portion of our readers who are all about carbalicious loving, we thought we’d take a look at the baking industry. Doughnut miss the chance to live your best pastry-based life – check out Melbourne Polytechnic’s baking courses HERE.


Every so often, a business name comes along and, because of its sheer genius and general hilarity, makes you feel as though you’ve just been roundhouse-kicked by Conor McGregor. We experienced this sensation when we spoke with Janell Smith, the owner of…

… wait for it…
… wait for it…
Yes, Woah Nelly Bakes is a fantastic name for an elite, Sydney-based, doughnut delivery service, for the obvious reason that its products will make you exclaim ‘woahHhHhHhHhHhHhHh Nelly’.
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Dedicating your life to doughnuts isn’t just a job to pay the bills, it’s a calling – IT’S A VOCATION PEOPLE. Why? Because the world loves those sugary bastards and consume them like they’re an illicit substance.
Your participation in the industry puts you into a league of your own – the same as, say, a doctor or firefighter. That’s why its important to know what’s involved upfront so that you’re prepared to dutifully carry-out your responsibilities. Janell shared her ~journey~ with us and we’re bringing these key learnings directly to you. Contained herein are the particulars of being a goddess of glaze. 
Just like all riveting success stories, Janell’s began with her flipping the bird to her monotonous daily grind.
“I ran the business as a side job until it just became so busy that I left my 9-5 to put all of my time and effort into Woah Nelly,” she says.
“We have two sides to our operation: firstly we supply product to cafes around the Sydney metro area, and we also have a direct to consumer delivery option. We take orders through our website and deliver to your home, office – wherever.”
HOME DELIVERY FTW.
Woah Nelly Bakes has been doing some top-notch things since Janell made it the focus of her attention.
“Some of the greatest achievements from last year come from the great relationships we’ve built with people in the food and drink industry. My favourites were the pop ups we did at my local coffee joint Artificer in Surry Hills because drinking the best coffee in Sydney while serving people treats is just the best.”
“We also contributed to a giant donut wall to celebrate Merivale‘s Coogee Pavillion turning one.”
Janell put forward five attributes she believes you need to succeed in the industry, all of which will help you decide if you’re cut out for it.
Creativity: “Creativity in the form of coming up with new flavour concepts and ideas, or in the form of creatively solving a problem – like when something inevitably goes wrong in the kitchen.” 
Consistency: “Our customers know what to expect when it comes to our product, so consistency is crucial.” 
Attention to Detail: “We pride ourselves on caring about every box we send out; it has to look and taste great. Caring about the little details of each product you send out will make a great name for you and your business.” 
Hard Working / ‘Whatever It Takes’ Attitude: “This is a no brainer, but a concept I’ve adapted from one of my favourite pastry chefs – we work very hard. We do our very best, day in and day out, because we care about the customer on the other end of the email. Sometimes conditions and work loads can seem less than ideal, but that in no way makes an excuse for your product to be.” 
Sense of Humour: “We work early and long hours – it has to be at least a little fun! We have morning dance parties to Beyoncé because we think she’d be proud of our girl powered kitchen.” 
We asked Janell what her biggest misconception of the industry was before entering it: 
“That the early hours would get easier – they don’t. It always sucks waking up at 3AM but my staff and I kind of feel like superheroes when we’re done with work by lunch time.”
THANK YOU, JANELL AND CO, FOR COPPING EARLY MORNINGS ON THE CHIN IN THE NAME OF DELICIOUSNESS.
Janell has one last piece of advice for you budding doughnut denizens:
“Trust your instinct and go with your gut. You are the only person who can bring your unique idea or product to the table so be confident in that and don’t try to mould it to someone else’s picture of what is ‘cool’.”
Get amongst Woah Nelly Bakes on their website HERE, Instagram HERE and Facebook HERE – they’ve got some bueno stuff coming up.
“In 2016 we hope to broaden our reach to be able to deliver to a wider customer base, more pop-ups and market stalls, lots of new special flavours and of course a few exciting secrets.”
~mysterious~
For more information on how you could launch a career into the world of baking, head to Melbourne Polytechnic’s website HERE.

Photos: Janell Smith / Instagram. 

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