No ordinary Pavlova
The Pav Queen is Nerida McPherson, who lost much of her work as a hospitality industry consultant and as a podcaster and broadcaster early in 2020, with lockdown.
At some point later in the year, a friend asked her for a pavlova. Nerida told me she had never baked one, and the first attempt was a disaster. By the time she got it right, friends of the friend were asking if she could make one for them, too. Before too long, she has borrowed the kitchen at Scott Pickett’s Lupo restaurant (closed during lockdown), and was making pavs to order. By last Christmas, she realised she had developed a business.
She had jokingly referred to herself as the pav queen, and the name stuck. The business took shape: she found premises, an old butcher’s shop across the road from the Alphington railway station in Melbourne. Not quite as simple as it sounds – there was more work to do than she had anticipated, and it took much more time, too. But it’s been up and running for a couple of weeks, and one of the magic things about it is that it is a three-generation business now. Her mother works with her, and her daughter Matilda – who makes brilliant coffee.
There’s coffee, and little meringues of many flavours, and pies from Wonderpies, as well as a range of other small and delicious things. Pavs large and small should be pre-ordered.
It’s one of the good news stories of lockdown, and I’m predicting it will be a long-term success.
Pav Queen is at 48 Wingrove St, Alphington. https://pavqueen.com.au/ And listen to my interview with her: