Twenty years ago Yasmin Soulsby walked in to Gumnut Patisserie to start a three month trial as an apprentice.
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Now she's the kitchen manager.
"I was just finishing year 10 in high school and I always knew I wanted to cook and I had been going for a lot of jobs in hot kitchens as a chef and getting knocked back because I was just a little girl to all the main chefs," she said.
"I saw this job advertised and I thought to myself 'I prefer to bake cakes more than anything else'.
"Before I started I didn't know what a pastry chef was but I called up and I met Tracy and Vicki. They invited me for a trial and that evening they called me back and said I could trial for the apprenticeship for three months and I've been here ever since."
A passion for cooking and an apprenticeship attracted Yasmin to the role and has lead to professional high points.
"I did work experience in high school and I always enjoyed cooking and cooking at home with my grandmother," she said.
"An apprenticeship was really attractive to me, being able to achieve something and learn a trade over four years and going to TAFE.
"It's very challenging but with all the challenges, there are even bigger rewards. All the hard work I've put in, I feel so proud to say I worked that hard and achieved what we achieve here everyday and every time we have a competition or events we cater for."
While the hours may differ to when Yasmin first started thanks to new technology in the kitchen, she still feels a great sense of achievement in what she does every day.
"When I first started we worked really hard, longer hours compared to now," she said.
"Over 20 years I've completed my apprenticeship, I have apprentices underneath me and I've learnt to manage to the kitchen, order stock, develop new systems to help the kitchen run smoother, and watch the kitchen team grow from a small team five to six of us to 15 - 20 of us every day."
"We're a family. I started here and I met my husband when I was finishing my apprenticeship, and we built our house and had kids and it suited our lifestyle.
"I never needed to go anywhere else or try anything else. I've enjoyed working here, Tracy and Vicki are my two best friends so it makes it much easier to go in to work each day and I just couldn't see myself going anywhere else."
For Yasmin, one of the best parts of the job is that it's never the same.
"You don't get to do the same thing day in, day out and it's really rewarding," she said.
"I've competed in competitions and through Tracy and Vicki I've done work experience in other kitchens and I've always felt rewarded and appreciated here."
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