Last night, TAFE NSW Hamilton Certificate III in Retail Baking (Combined) student Tristan Beisler won bread gold in the form of the prestigious title of ‘Baking Apprentice of the Year’ at the LA Judge competiton in Sydney.

Tristan works at Barrington Bakery in Dungog, which is run by his father, who owns a number of baking enterprises across Newcastle and the Hunter. This year’s LA Judge theme was ‘Your Business’, so as part of his efforts Tristan created a ‘quasi bakery shopfront crafted through inspiration from our Barrington Bakery bread bag logo and design’.

Tristan represented NSW in the annual national event, vying against competitiors from other states and New Zealand. His prize is an all-expenses-paid trip to Belgium for a week of training with LA Judge sponsor Puratos.

This morning Tristan said, “I cannot believe it. I’m incredibly humbled and thankful for all the support I’ve received. It was great to see and meet industry people from all walks of life last night, who came together to recognise the award. I’m incredibly chuffed to get it.”

“I’m super excited about spending time with Puratos overseas, seeing their sourdough library and research faciltiies. People who have done that in previous years told me about how amazing the experience is.”

Tristan’s TAFE NSW Hamilton baking teacher Dean Tilden said Tristan was a humble young man who has worked extremely hard and deserved the win.

“With any pursuit, hard work, practice, quality training and education plus support networks can result in great success. Tristan has put in a lot of effort to get where he is and now has a big reward to show for it,” said Dean.

“It is wonderful to see Tristan follow in the Beisler family’s footsteps with his high-quality baking skills and commitment to industry excellence. When the win was announced his dad came up on stage straight away and gave him a hug. It was beautiful to see such family pride.

“Tristan’s success is a great demonstration of the valuable training TAFE NSW provides and a big credit to all his hard work and perseverance. At the beginning of his Certificate III in Retail Baking apprenticeship Tristan had a lot to learn but has realised his potential through much practice.

“As teachers, we can give students the tools and guidance, share our expertise and help form their skills; but what it comes down to is what they do with all that. Any TAFE NSW student can become a national champion.”

Tristan’s dad Simon said, “I’m the proudest dad in Australia.”

TAFE NSW is Australia’s largest training provider. Many courses can also be studied online, when and where it suits students, via TAFE Digital. Visit www.tafensw.com.au or call 131 601.