Adriano Zumbo

“I live my normal life. I love what I do, and try to look after myself as much as I can.”

“Chocolate's good for ya - high cocoa content chocolate is.”

“I look at what's happening, the trends and what people want, to come up with something that's going to work.”

“The great thing about pastry is there are so many avenues - it's very hard to get bored doing this.”

“I love high tea, but I think it's very repetitive in terms of what's on the stand.”

“I want to stay ahead and to stay ahead you always have to be thinking out of the box.”

“I say to the guys at work, 'You've got to have fun - we're here more than we're at home.' Same with cakes; when you go and buy something, you've got to buy some fun.”

“I want to promote pastry. Pastry has always been in the background - it's always cooking, cooking, cooking on programs, and pastry has just been this thing at the end. I want to show people what we do.”

“I'll put a 25-kilogram bag of sugar over each shoulder and run up the stairs with them when we're loading ingredients that have been delivered, and I'll hold 25-kilogram blocks of butter at shoulder height to build arm strength as well.”

“Temperature is the key to making a smooth custard butter cream. Some add the butter when the mixture's still hot but it tends to split and you end up with a grainy result. Wait for it to cool.”

“I go to Perth a few times a year and I love going there.”

“Inspiration is everywhere - life, travel, childhood, nature - it depends on how you see it, how you can absorb the inspiration, and it depends on how your mind thinks. It could be a pattern on the floor that may be the next pattern I put on a cake, it just depends upon how you take it, when you're seeing it and what you're looking for.”

“That way I look at it, I want to push myself to create things people could've never imagined. It's a good motto to have in the back of your head, I think.”

“I hope I come across as supportive and encouraging as well as being firm when I need to be firm.”

“In the end, you have to do what makes you happy - the people who love you and are around you are all that matters.”

“I think the main mistake people tend to make is that they rush desserts. Take your time and plan ahead.”

“I don't get time to go to the gym often, so I exercise on the job.”

“Compound chocolate is gritty, cheaper and doesn't have that fruitiness, the backnotes and smoothness you get in couverture.”

“Living in a small country town, there wasn't a whole lot to do so you find your own fun. I was always getting myself in trouble.”

“I've become good at judging whether a girl wants to be around you just because she's after your status or because you're popular.”