Gelato Messina’s sister bakery opens in Glenelg
Shadow Baking is bringing quirky pastries to the beachside suburb.
How Shadow Baking formed
Messina’s head chef, Flo Fritsch, executive chef Tom Mitchell, and previous head chef at the Messina Creative Restaurant, Remi Talbot, are the brains behind bakery Shadow Baking.
Flo and Tom began baking pastries once a month on weekends at The Cannery Markets in Sydney – which is where Shadow Baking originated.
They did this just after Covid in 2022, while Remi worked in the creative department of Messina for three years in Sydney.
The three of them then opened the first Shadow Baking store in 2023 in Darlinghurst, Sydney, and in April this year, opened the first one in Adelaide in Glenelg.
Given Messina has the obvious relation to gelati, the idea to expand to sweet and savoury pastries and baked goods came as a surprise to some but not to the closer team.
“All the bosses… in Messina, they obviously love gelati but they, first of all, are big foodies,” Remi says.
“They always crave anything sweet, but also savoury and bread and pastry.
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“Every time we did trials and tastings in Sydney, they were always the first ones to come by and try and give us feedback on how to improve.
“They really love all those products, and I think for them, it just made sense.”
Remi Talbot outside the Shadow Baking store in Adelaide
Why did they open Shadow Baking in Adelaide?
Although Gelato Messina only opened the first store in Adelaide in January last year, they opted to open the first interstate Shadow Baking store in South. Australia.
“It’s really a good food destination, Adelaide,” Remi says.
“I think for many, many years it’s been renowned as one of the best cities in Australia for food.
“There’s a big, big Italian and Greek influence from immigrants with family who have been here for generations now. So, there’s a very big food culture here.
“There are pastries here… but we will also try to bring our own things in our style.”
They’ve chosen to locate themselves in Glenelg, as Remi says the beachside suburb is up and coming again.
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“We found a good side here and we realise Glenelg, a few years ago, used to be the place to go,” Remi says.
“It’s still a very good place but recently [in particular] with all the projects coming along, this is probably going to be a place that’s going to shine and be bright again, even more than what it used to be.
“I think it makes sense for us to but, plus, it’s a good spot – you’re just next to the beach.”
The tomato and mozzarella Danish
What pastries are on offer?
Remi says the food offering will be similar to what is on offer at the Shadow Baking stores in Sydney.
“The way we operate, we have a lot of standouts that stay all the time. They’ve been here from day one, like the custard tart and the coconut and pandan brioche,” he says.
“We will have another range of like foods and sweet and savoury that always stay there. Then, after we try to get between five to seven specials that will be there for a month or two or a few weeks.
“So we can rotate them roughly, depending on, obviously, the season, of the produce we can get or what’s available.”
What’s currently on the menu ranges from Reuben croissant, tomato and mozzarella danish, fennel sausage focaccia and more.
What’s it like inside?
The team have gone for a sleek look with bare concrete on show, letting the pastry cabinet do the talking.
“The shop is long. We have a big counter in the centre, which is made with concrete and is a dark red colour – a little bit like terracotta, burgundy – but it’s made of concrete,” Remi says.
“It’s pretty cool and unique.
“And on one side of the shop, it’s all equipment. So, because obviously we have a lot of fridges and provers and ovens and trolleys, it’s on one side and it’s all stainless steel.”
Shadow Baking is located at 8/1 Colley Terrace, Glenelg and is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 8am until 2:30pm
Connect with the business on Instagram for more.