Possibly the best croissants in the world: Lune Croissanterie in Melbourne and its scientific pastry making
- One-time Formula One aerodynamicist Kate Reid turned her technical skills to French pastries after leaving the sport
- ‘The prototype for all others’, chef Yotam Ottolenghi called them; ‘The finest you’ll find anywhere,’ The New York Times food critic wrote
What happens here? A kind of magic, as croissants “that should act as the prototype for all others” emerge from a space station-like lab.
Who is behind it? Melbourne-born Kate Reid, who achieved her dream of becoming an aerodynamicist by designing Formula One racing cars in Britain before realising reality didn’t quite match up to that fantasy. Her thoughts turned to pastry (as they do) and, with a mind for precision – and just one month’s training at Paris boulangerie Du Pain et des Idées – Reid mastered the art of the croissant.
Does that mean there’s maths and science in croissants? Yes. In fact, “the technicality of pastry appealed to me,” says Reid.
But how did she go from science to slinging croissants? As well as precision, Reid possesses dedication, stamina and vision. OK – maybe just obsession. Returning to Melbourne, she started her business in 2012 as a one-person wholesale croissant bakery, working 100 hours a week, making, baking, wholesaling, delivering.
When it wasn’t working financially, she began also selling croissants from a hole-in-the-wall outlet. With the help of her brother, she opened Friday, Saturday and Sunday and word spread; people would start queuing in the dark. “We’d open at 8am and we’d usually be sold out by 8.30am or 9am.” Apparently, people arrived with films loaded on their computers to watch while they waited.
So where is the Lune Croissanterie today? The main outlet is a sleek warehouse/cafe in hipster headquarters Fitzroy (seriously, just follow the queue). It’s spacious and stark and at its heart stands The Cube, a glass-walled lab kitchen where pastry shaping has been raised into performance art.