This big-hearted bakery will recreate your grandmother’s cake or aunty’s slice

She might have won MasterChef but Larissa Takchi found her true calling on a quiet rural road in Sydney’s north-west.

In 2019, aged just 22, she became the youngest contestant to win the competition. Rather than chasing fame and fortune, Takchi went home, baking from a tiny oven in her kitchen and racing up and down her driveway every hour to keep up with demand from her roadside bakery.

“I realised we don’t know who our neighbours are anymore, and this became a way for me to serve my community. I want to know who these people are, I want to connect with them,” she says.

That first venture, Lily’s Local in Arcadia, struck a chord. Now a mother of two and 29, Takchi has opened something bigger but with the same heart.

Luca Bakery in Castle Hill isn’t just about croissants and coffee. It’s about creating community. “Warm, welcoming, with that country farmhouse aura – I want people to feel like they’re at home,” Takchi says.

Step inside to find an exposed kitchen, flooding the shop with sweet, nutty aromas. The counter brims with whole cakes sliced to order, golden tarts, stacks of sourdough, buttery pastries and piles of biscuits still warm from the oven.

That freshness isn’t down to chance. As soon as supplies dwindle, Takchi gets baking again. “It means you’re eating a croissant that’s still hot, or a cake so fresh it hasn’t cooled yet,” she says.

And it seems the strategy is working. Since opening, locals have been queuing out the door.

Black olive focaccia with black garlic and parmigiana is a huge hit, while medovik honey cake and brown butter strawberry cake are also popular (the latter tastes like a hot jam doughnut). Takchi took a year to perfect her brown butter chocolate chip cookies.

The menu is built on seasonal produce: citrus, honey, zucchini flowers, strawberries, figs and, soon, peaches. “I’ve always been raised eating what’s in season and supporting local farmers. It was never a trendy thing; it’s just what we did.”

But perhaps the most personal touch is an open book near the front counter. A pen sits ready for customers to share their own family recipes.

“Give me your grandmother’s cake, your aunty’s favourite slice, we’ll recreate it in your name, and you can come in to try it for yourself,” Takchi says.

Already, a honey cake from a friend’s grandmother has become one of Luca Bakery’s bestsellers. “I’m trying to create a community,” she says. “And nostalgia is a great way to do that.”

Open Tue-Sat 6.30am-4.30pm

Shop 4, 83 David Road, Castle Hill, instagram.com/lucabakery__