Holy Sugar To Close (No!), But Brings Back Cake Boxes (Yes!)

Audrey Allard has never had a plan for Holy Sugar. The former Lune pastry chef started her business as a weekly dessert box during Melbourne’s lockdowns. In May 2022, she opened a bakery on High Street, Northcote, and lines quickly formed for citrus tarts, butterscotch crullers and Basque cheesecake slices.

On Sunday June 29 – just over three years after Holy Sugar first opened – Allard announced via an Instagram post that she’ll close the bakery to focus on other opportunities for Holy Sugar. “As much as it’s all working out and we’re busy, it just doesn’t feel like [a retail bakery] is the end path for me. It feels like this has been a stepping stone,” she tells Broadsheet.

“I felt like I was where I was meant to be,” she says of the bakery. “And then I felt that shift – I needed to be pushed to do something else … As soon as I feel trapped, I escape.”

The retail business will stay open for roughly a month, with its last day of service on Sunday July 27. For these final weeks, Allard will bring back the cake boxes that started it all. There’ll be a few crullers, cake slices and other things on offer, but Allard says there’ll mostly be pre-packed $50 dessert boxes for takeaway.

Allard will keep the High Street space and focus on catering and working with brands. She’s already collaborated with clothing label Henne, beauty brand Gisou and coffee machine maker Lelit. She says she’s also excited about documenting her baking and sharing more with her online audience.

“I’ve never really had a goal with Holy Sugar,” she adds. “I think I’m ready to sort of put a pin in what I’m doing at the moment and see what lands in my lap.”

Holy Sugar will close its retail business after service on Sunday July 27.