Adriano Zumbo

Despite being quite a shy kid, I was in my element with my mates. I definitely wasn't shy then. We had a lot of fun, running around town getting into mischief.

I think the main mistake people tend to make is that they rush desserts. Take your time and plan ahead.

Focus on the flavor and texture of your desserts. Don't go overboard with too many ingredients and flavors keep a good balance of flavors.

At school, before I left, I was making cake mixes and taking them to school, giving them to teachers and my classmates.

Geography was my best subject but that was only because of the game 'Carmen Sandiego.' I chased her all over the world.

I was a real unfocused academic student, always fiddling around in class, or doing something silly and thinking of something else that had nothing to do with school.

Coming from an Italian family, my parents had supermarkets and they said I had to take over as any son should take over the family business - I copped a lot of flak when I said 'no.'

I need a strong woman who can handle the attention I get and not get upset if I cuddle a stranger for a social photo.

I've never been worried about being alone and there is no pressure to get married, although I would love to do it one day with the right girl.

I love jelly gummy lollies, liquorice, ice-cream and I eat my own ice-cream; I take it home from work.

I love Vegemite sandwiches, Milo, ham sandwiches, chicken breasts, and that's all I used to eat. I wouldn't eat anything else. So at home there was always two sets of dinner, one for Mum and Dad and one for me, because I was so fussy.

When I was kid, one of the big things was watching all the cattle trucks and wheat trucks coming through town.

As a young kid I wanted to be a truck driver.

I would definitely recommend getting a decent electric mixer. A good quality non-stick baking mat is also essential for creating those impressive desserts.

Living in a small country town, there wasn't a whole lot to do so you find your own fun. I was always getting myself in trouble.

I was a bit of a wild kid.

You need to have that natural instinct in the kitchen, in order to develop that combination of interesting flavors that make great desserts work.

I'm someone who's easily bored.

I look at what's happening, the trends and what people want, to come up with something that's going to work.

Mostly my ideas come from within, from my experiences, my childhood and the master of all sweets and lollies, Mr. Willy Wonka.

The great thing about pastry is there are so many avenues - it's very hard to get bored doing this.

That way I look at it, I want to push myself to create things people could've never imagined. It's a good motto to have in the back of your head, I think.

It's an indulgence to go out for bacon and eggs. It's not something you can do every day.

I'll eat a bowl of bircher muesli for breakfast and I really like fresh carrot, orange, ginger and mint juice.

Whether it's a leaf from a tree, the supermarket or person, everything is art and movement, it's all inspiration.

There's nothing better than opening a block of chocolate and sitting back and that little joy it brings to your face and to your body.

I'm like anyone else: there's good and bad in what I do and there are always people out there who think they know better than you.

I want to stay ahead and to stay ahead you always have to be thinking out of the box.

I want to promote pastry. Pastry has always been in the background - it's always cooking, cooking, cooking on programs, and pastry has just been this thing at the end. I want to show people what we do.

I was a fussy eater when I was young and a lot of the time my parents weren't there because they were always working. So I'd just eat lollies and biscuits and chips. That's kind of where I got the taste for the sweet fix.

You might go to a cheap bakery that uses really bad fats and sugars and stuff like that. You go to a nice bakery and you can enjoy a nice sweet that's made well and it doesn't make you put on any weight if you eat in moderation and if you do a little bit of exercise.

Before I went on sporting trips I'd take chips or lollies. I had a love for sweet foods.

In my early teenage years I wasn't doing well at school and I wasn't really interested in a way. I knew I wasn't going to go to uni or anything like that.

My favorite dessert for me to eat at home is Milo and ice cream.

For me inspiration is pretty much life. The life around you and everything that happens, the people you meet, where you go, what you've eaten in your childhood.

I hope I come across as supportive and encouraging as well as being firm when I need to be firm.

It's definitely always daunting to have your name on a show and a lot of pressure in some ways, but obviously in other ways it's a lot of fun and it's a great honor.

I'm not that menacing. Although I can be quite direct.

When I have red velvet cake, I normally have cream cheese icing.

Sugar brings happiness. Eating it once or twice a week in a dessert, that's what life is about. There is nothing wrong with it.

For me with sugar, it's all about balance. It's about being strong enough and to have the willpower to say, you know what, Saturday is my treat day, I'm going to eat cake, I'm going to eat dessert, I might eat a packet of biscuits.

There is sugar in everything. It doesn't matter what you eat in life, there is sugar in it.

It was a great challenge creating the Zumbarons. Coming up with the elements for each was the hardest, but it only took us one attempt and we were happy with the flavor.

Texture and flavor is king.

So my brain started ticking and I bought all my books from a cookbook shop, Libraire Gourmand in Paris. I bought them over the Internet and they sent them from France. I got the 'Larousse' in a box with 20 other books. I was pretty excited. It was like Christmas for 20 years.

I've probably got about 300 books. I love collecting books.

The 'Larousse' is my favorite book. It's my bible; it's a good reference for me.

You can always imagine the unexpected and strive for it. You may never get there, but it's always a good thing to have.

I love high tea, but I think it's very repetitive in terms of what's on the stand.

I love Melbourne and South Yarra's perfect for high tea.