In a testament to that success, he has won a total of 37 ribbons in eight years in the perishable and non-perishable cake sections at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
As the most successful contributor in the non perishable competition in 2015, he was awarded the Heather Gibson Perpetual Trophy and is the only male so far to have won this honour.
This year he won two firsts (Light Fruit Cake and Shortbread), a third (Orange Cake) and a highly commended (American Fruit Cake).
“I do remember watching my grandmother and mother baking cakes when I was a young boy,” said Peter who has been Padstow’s optometrist since 1987.
“I’ve been baking birthday cakes for my three children, following the Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s birthday cake book, since their first birthday; I continue this tradition even now and my eldest daughter is 37.”
Peter began entering cakes for the Royal Easter Show in 2005.
“I just wanted to make a contribution,” he said.
“If no one contributes, there will be no Arts and Craft competition at the Show.”
His Show success began to rise after attending classes at the Australian Patisserie Academy at North Ryde TAFE.
“This is the home of Le Cordon Bleu,” he said.
“It has taken my skills to a higher level of achievement which I now apply to my cake entries.”
He said many of his patients visited the Show each year to check his entries and whether they’ve won.
“I apply this same attention to detail in cake-making, to my patient’s eye examinations as well as spectacles provided for my patients; everything takes careful precision, passion and time,” he said.
