Much has been made of Reid’s pivot from aerodynamicist for Formula One to creator of what’s been called the world’s best croissant, but even more fascinating is the woman herself. Happy to call herself an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist, Reid maintains those traits are necessary to make the perfect croissant.
Fascinated by Formula One as a child, teenage Reid showed determination by funding her own grandstand ticket to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in 1997 through part-time jobs.
The moon was a favourite view for Reid as a child, and even when she studied aerodynamics at university, a job in F1 was her goal. Her ambitions seemed fulfilled with a role in the UK at Williams F1, but she became disillusioned, depressed and anorexic, returning to Australia.
Reid’s mental health spiralled, but she secured a part-time job in a café making muffins, as baking was one of her joys. Entranced by cookbooks, she undertook a training stage in Paris, learning croissants before starting her own business at home, where people queued from 5am for her products.
What did she call her operation? Lune Croissanterie, from her early fascination with the moon, now with outlets in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, employing 300 people.
Reid sees the powerful will and unflinching focus she exercised when anorexic as dangerous, even deadly, but crucial strengths when founding Lune. Her last word: the book is not about how to grow a business, but about purpose … finding it, losing it, rediscovering it.
Reviewed by Jennifer Somerville
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHORKate Reid is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of Lune Croissanterie, a renowned bakery established in Melbourne. Her path to becoming a celebrated pastry chef and the creator of an internationally acclaimed bakery has been anything but conventional. Kate initially pursued aerospace engineering at RMIT University before following her lifelong passion for Formula 1 racing. After three years, however, she realised that the reality of the job didn’t match her expectations, prompting her return to Melbourne with a fresh goal: to forge a career in pastry.
Kate honed her skills at one of Paris’ top bakeries before dedicating countless hours to perfecting the croissant back in Melbourne. In 2012, she took a bold step and opened Lune Croissanterie, a small bakery focused exclusively on croissants.
Destination Moon is her memoir.
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