Bakery “feels like home” for staff turned owners

By Sam McNeill

The bakery’s new owners Pam Johnson and Mason Tranter (centre) along with their staff.

Parkview Bakery’s local legacy will be continued by long-time staff turned owners Pam Johnson and Mason Tranter.

The pair have balanced a new look with a familiar menu since they took over the three decade-old business earlier this month.

Together they’ve spent years at the bakery working for Parkview’s founding owners Garry and Julie Higgins — who recently retired.

Mr Tranter has spent a dozen years behind the scenes first as an apprentice and now an award-winning baker.

Up front, Ms Johnson has been serving food and banter at Parkview for over half a decade — longer still across her whole career.

Yet their decision to buy the bakery goes back further to childhood dreams.

Mr Tranter said he remembered going on a school excursion to the bakery when he was nine years old.

“From that moment I went yep this is what I want to do,” he said.

Ms Johnson said her “big dream” at 11 years old was opening a pie shop — she even cooked an apple pie from scratch to practice.

However, neither of them took on the business because of those dreams alone.

Mr Tranter said it was to continue a success story they played a role in building.

“It feels like a legacy. It really does,” he said.

“It just feels like home.”

Ms Johnson agreed going on to credit their staff’s role in that legacy.

Across four “long” days ahead of opening, Ms Johnson said there was a revolving door of staff helping out.

“Everyone just chipped in and they were excited for it. We were all so excited for it,” she said.

Their support has continued in the weeks since as the new owners tried to find their feet.

While Mr Tranter has been baking thousands of products, Ms Johnson has been swamped in paperwork.

It’s meant neither of them have spent much time with customers which Ms Johnson said she missed.

“The first week when we opened, in my mind, I had this plan of being out there [being a] hype girl. That’s what I do. I love it,” she said.

“That didn’t happen ... that was hard for me.”

However, the staff were there to fill in the gaps.

“They rallied around us in support and I’m never going to be able to repay it,” Ms Johnson said.

“That feeling that’s wholesome, warm, and fuzzy. So many tears. Beautiful tears.

“They continuously just warm my soul.”

Ms Johnson said she’s glad her two young sons, Patrick and Blake, get to spend time with them,

“I want them to be good people and this is the place for that,” she said.

“Every person in this bakery is good for them.”

Both Mr Tranter and Ms Johnson said they wanted to thank the community for their “mind blowing” support.

“You have a dream, you have ideas, you have all these hopes and wants but I wouldn’t have expected all of this,” Ms Johnson said.

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