REDFERN: PT Crown Bakery on George Street, close to Redfern Street and opposite the Fire Station, serves fresh bread daily – loaves sliced and unsliced, delicious flat rolls, long rolls, white, wholemeal, with sesame seeds – and a whole lot more.
Bun arrived in Australia in 1988. A refugee from Cambodia, he had been living in Thailand. Tovy arrived a short time later, and the couple have been happily married for 30 years. They have worked together at the bakery since 2005.
PT Crown Bakery is open Monday to Saturday, 7.30am to 5.30pm. Bun starts preparing each day at 3am. All the bread is baked onsite, with fresh ingredients and no preservatives. Tovy makes many of the pastries and cakes too – lamingtons, custard tarts, chocolate eclairs – as well as making sandwiches, and PT Crown’s famous pork rolls.
“These are the best salad sandwiches in South Sydney,” says one happy regular, “and such good value too. Tovy is very generous with the fillings – and the chilli is just right.”
Supplies come through every day – fresh milk, fruit juice, tomatoes and veggies. “We do our main shop on Sundays,” Tovy explains.
Aside from shopping, the couple make the most of their day off. “I like to sleep in on Sundays,” Bun says. Tovy enjoys cooking and “spending time with the kids outdoors”. They also find time for “strolling around the neighbourhood” and eating out.
Some of their favourite things about Redfern are “the friendly locals, including other business owners”, the “convenience of living close to the railway station and city”, a “strong sense of community”, and “the growing diversity of people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds”.
Bun says: “To all our local customers, thank you (arkoun) for supporting us – without you, we wouldn’t be here.”
Tovy says: “If you haven’t tried our offerings, pop by when you get the chance – we bake our bread daily – get it in the morning while it’s still warm. And, as always, stay safe and positive.”
