Any foodie seeking a peek into the mind of the man behind Crust bakery in Victoria will get a chance come this fall.
Tom Moore, the man behind Crust Bakery and Tombo Eats in Victoria, launches Crust the cookbook, featuring recipes to satisfy every sweet, savory and in-between tooth.
The book, to be released Sept. 24, is the culmination of a lifetime in the kitchen.
Moore met his then wife in Canada while working as a chef in the Inner Harbour. The pair headed to Australia for 15 years, returning to Victoria in 2013 so their kids could meet and enjoy their North American family.
Already well into a career as a chef in fine dining restaurants, he shifted to bakeries to get out of the late-night life often associated with kitchens, and to focus on family. While in his home country owning and operating eateries and bakeries as well as teaching others to pursue a love of food creation.
“The other passion I’ve always had is teaching people,” he said. “I got to the point where I really wanted to open my own cooking school. So I did.”
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It became an award-winning endeavour, blending online self-paced programs with hands-on work and farm visits.
“It was so good, it was a mix of new and old,” Moore said.
It’s something he left behind returning to Canada.
About three years ago, he started to pursue a blended version of the passions, sharing recipes.
“It was my dream, I’ve always wanted to write a cookbook,” he said. “I was fiercely determined to get a cookbook done and I had the time, and luckily the staff at Crust were unreal. They were able to support me enough I could work on the cookbook three days a week.”
Moore tapped the expertise of wordsmith Rebecca Wellman to help him get the recipes together and build the stories around them.
“Every recipe has a story about where it originated, or a childhood memory,” Moore said. “It’s really sort of my culinary journey.”
The cookbook features more than 85 recipes, including “some fun, not so serious recipes” that aim to entertain, inspire and educate.
“I actually had to cull a lot. They just kept coming out,” he said.
Crust – Essential Sweets and Savouries from Victoria’s Beloved Bakery published by Penguin Random House Canada goes on sale Sept. 24. It’s available for pre-order online at any of Moore’s online venues crustbakery.ca, tomboeats.com, and cheftommoore.com.
Fans of the eateries or the chef can expect appearances at local bookstores and an official launch in coming months.
