Karen’s early years in rural Armidale are filled with memories of unconfined spaces, fruit trees and the Australian bush.
Relocating to Sydney during high school, life was highly structured but she spent many a free afternoon with her grandmother and recalls the wonderful homemade cakes and cookies as a highlight. During her Uni years studying architecture, she rejoiced in finding an outlet for her creativity and spent a rewarding year studying in Denmark. Karen recalls vividly the irresistible aroma of the bakeries as she cycled home each day!
In her late twenties, together with partner Dom (now husband), she set off on a road trip around Australia. With a growing interest in food, Karen took a fork in the career road, and upon return to Sydney settled in Sydney’s Blue Mountains where the Gingerbread Folk business was born. Twenty years later, Karen enjoys the juggle of business, family and her love of the outdoors. Kindness to the planet and all beings are her guiding lights.
Dom grew up in the English countryside. Armed with a sense of adventure and a sack full of fresh biscuits, he spent most of his childhood outside forming a strong connection and love of nature.
When his family moved to Australia this metamorphosed into a passion for all things marine. Weekends were spent snorkelling at the beach or hiking through the bush. Dom completed a degree in marine biology and left university with a strong desire never to work in a lab again. Working on Heron Island and skin diving in the magical waters of the Great Barrier Reef crystallised the desire to always work with passion. A stop gap job at BridgeClimb in Sydney turned into six years of intense education on customer service and business acumen.
In 2008 Dom decided to join the Gingerbread Folk family full time and turn his love of sweet things into a career. Now days when he is not taste testing he spends his quiet time buried under a pile of natural history books.
