Andy Bowdy

Andy Bowdy

Andrew Bowden is best known to fans as his ‘assumed pastry alter ego’, Andy Bowdy, and it’s Andy who is ready to rumble in the Dessert Masters kitchen.

Sydney-based Andy might be famed for his incredible cake creations, but he will be out to prove that he is no one trick pony as he steps up to the plate during the competition.

As sous chef to both his Nans in the kitchen growing up, and religiously reading the Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book, it was years later whilst living in London that Andy ‘blagged’ his way into work in a kitchen and truly discovered his passion as cook, blossoming under chef Stephen Fredericks.

Returning to Sydney, Andy worked at Hartsyard restaurant and quickly gained a loyal following for his epic Peanut Butter and Banana Sundae, his over-the-top soft serves and outrageous oversized pies. He stepped away to focus on his now famous cakes, one of which – Rita – featured a MasterChef Australia Season 9 Pressure Test challenge.

In 2017, Andy opened Saga Enmore café and bakery with fiancé Maddison Howes, successfully running the business for seven years before closing in mid 2023. The pair bounced quickly into their new project in July this year, opening Salma’s Canteen in Sydney’s Rosebery, a joint venture with chef Michael Rantissi and wife Kristy Frawley. With its focus on easy eating, Andy’s fans are relieved to find a line-up of Saga favourites inside the Salma’s pastry cabinet, plus he still somehow finds time to whip up his larger-than-life celebration and wedding cakes.

Having long dreamt of going head-to-head with the best in the business, Andy plans to give his creativity a blank canvas to create upon whilst in the Dessert Masters kitchen. His cooking is always squarely focussed on flavour combinations and balance, and he is here to show that he is still at the peak of his pastry powers, with more than cakes alone in his bag of tricks.

Not one to always colour inside the lines, Dessert Masters judges and viewers alike won’t be surprised if Andy adds a pinch of the unexpected throughout the competition in pursuit of success.