About

My name is Kate Nelson. This is a potted history of how The Floral Apron came to be....

My career as primary school teacher ended when blessed with motherhood in 2005. I baked my way through a steep parental learning curve. In a moment of sheer madness I decided to bake 800 cupcakes for a local market- it was a mix of euphoria and delirium when they sold out in 4 hours.  So I started supplying cafes, called myself the Floral Apron and became an advocate for that food combined, whimsy, tradition and practicality.

It seemed logical to start running cooking classes, the success of these made my heat sing. Buoyed, I entered an eclectic array of baked goods in the 2008 Royal Show. To my delight I picked up a swag of firsts and claimed the big prize “Best in Show”.  The sash is kept neatly folded amongst the family tea towels. Since then I have gone on to be recipe consultant, cook and food stylist for the Sydney Royal Easter Show Cookbook, proof that from little things big things grow.

The other marvellous by-product from my RAS glory was a 2.5 year stint on ABC radio. A phone interview sharing my secrets to a perfect scone grew into a weekly 30 min segment -Theme music and all. 

It’s easy to dismiss it as a lucky break, but the truth is I have worked hard and swotted content relentlessly.  It was fun rubbing shoulders with Australia’s fooderati; I got to interview them all. The highlight was being nominated for 2010 World Food Media Awards. I wore a sequined dress to the awards ceremony. It was all rather exciting and gave me a sense perhaps my best work was yet to come. I like to be challenged.

Nowadays my diary is packed with cooking classes, corporate gigs, food styling projects and writing. It never ceases to amaze me the lovely response I receive for my monthly column in the local paper The Post. It seems absurdly fitting that I have practised and honed my writing skills for an audience that still take the time to write letters of thanks. I have contributed many times to the Fresh lift out and really enjoy the process of creating, testing and publishing recipes. 

I am never exactly sure what to put on documents that ask for my occupation, but I feel immensely fulfilled and lucky; perhaps I should just write that?