Pastry chef John Demetrios has worked at some of the world’s best fine-dining restaurants. He led the pastry section at Circa the Prince, was executive pastry chef at sibling venues Omnia and Yugen, and held the same role at Vue de Monde. But opening a bakery has always been the goal for him and his wife, sommelier Martina Cissig Demetrios (ex-Embla, ex-Trader House).

Despite their wealth of experience – which also includes the now-closed two-Michelin-starred restaurant Oaxen Krog in Sweden – the pair didn’t feel ready to make the leap until Demetrios won season two of Masterchef spin-off Dessert Masters last year.

“Winning Dessert Masters has given me the confidence to give it a shot,” he says. “But I’m definitely, definitely nervous. It is stressful and exciting and all of the things. But I feel I’m never going to get a better opportunity to propel.”

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He’s taking that opportunity – and the $100,000 prize money – and opening Butter Days Bakery on Glenferrie Road, Malvern (across the street from Yo-Chi), at the end of winter.

There’ll be quality coffee; laminated morning pastries; grab-and-go lunches which could be sandwiches, quiches and salads; and afternoon desserts – bakery-style sweets that Demetrios says will have “a little more finesse than the morning stuff”.

He’ll develop breads especially for the savoury items, making sure to pair the right style of bread with different fillings, and wants to revive some Aussie baker classics such as the vanilla slice. But the hero will be the sunshine bun: malted savoury Danish dough filled with custard. “It’s a sweet item, but it’s got a bit of character,” he says.

“I’m drawing on a lot of things I’ve seen from my time [in Michelin-starred restaurants overseas] that are not so common here,” Demetrios says. “I would like to bring that experience into the humble bakery scene, [and apply] a range of techniques that are not so common in bakeries – really using ingredients the way I would approach it in a restaurant.” More than anything though, the couple cares about being a go-to for locals, and building the kind of place where they know their regulars’ names.

Butter Days Bakery is expected to open at 209 Glenferrie Road, Malvern, at the end of winter.

@alwaysbutterdays

John Demetrios appears on Masterchef Australia * from 7.30pm on June 3 on 10 and 10 Play. The show airs at 7pm on Sundays, and 7.30pm Monday to Wednesday.*