The Flour Melbourne

The Flour is a bakery where the elegance of French pastry meets Korean traditional flavours and aesthetics. It’s the story of a lockdown pivot made good by sisters April and Sarah Bae.

“I’m the baker in the kitchen, while Sarah manages everything else!” laughs April.

The story of The Flour began back in 2017, in a cosy home kitchen.

"I trained as a pastry chef and at home I started wholesaling canelé, small French pastry with a soft custard centre and a dark caramelised crust," April reminisces.

When the pandemic hit and cafes shut, April and Sarah didn't miss a beat.

"We were supplying cafes, but when they closed due to the lockdown, we shifted gears,” explains Sarah. “We started selling directly to our customers through our online shop and it was really popular. People craved the comfort of our sweets, delivered straight to their doors.”

The journey from home-based bakers to a thriving cafe didn't come without its share of challenges. Yet in 2022 the sisters decided to take a leap of faith and venture into a physical store.

Choosing West Melbourne for their cafe was a no-brainer, given the area's evolving culinary scene.

While April experimented with marrying Korean and Asian flavours with traditional French pastry techniques, Sarah applied her training as an art teacher to decorate the space and design the menus and signage.

“At The Flour we want to create a calm and serene atmosphere inspired by our memories of our mother’s tea ceremonies.”
“We’ve added Korean touches as a nod to our heritage. The little wooden tables are called ‘soban’ and function as trays and side tables. And we use bojagi, a traditional Korean reusable wrapping cloth, to wrap our cake boxes,” explains Sarah.

As well as their signature canelé, customers are loving the buttery financiers, silken Basque cheesecake and dacquoise in jewel-like colours. Everything is made fresh, daily.

The cafe also serves up great coffee, courtesy April’s husband Harry Ko.

“Harry’s an international award-winning barista,” smiles April. “He’s often rotating our selection of beans and offering coffee flavours that are unique to The Flour.”

Next time you’re in West Melbourne, step into The Flour and be invited into Sarah and April’s world of delightful desserts and warm hospitality.

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna Encio