Twenty-plus years, nearly a dozen locations and thousands of loaves later, The Grumpy Baker is still, at its heart, a family business. Not “founded by a family” in the marketing sense, but the everyday, elbows-in-the-dough sense – early mornings, Christmas Day bread orders, and a family who genuinely can’t stay out of the bakery.
Here’s a bit more about the family behind the counter.
Michael Cthurmer – the one who started it all
Michael’s earliest memories of baking aren’t from a kitchen at all, they’re from childhood trips to local bakeries with his father, where the best part was always sneaking bread straight from the oven. That memory never really left him, and it’s the whole reason The Grumpy Baker exists: simple, handmade, baked fresh every single day.
Michael opened the first shopfront in Paddington back in 2002, and it wasn’t long before locals were lining up for the cakes and pita bread. More than two decades on, the menu has grown into sourdough, muffins, Middle Eastern pastries, pies and an all-day café offering. Everything is still baked on-site, every day, from original recipes – muffins hand-piped, dough hand-shaped, same as day one.
And Michael’s there for all of it, 365 days a year.
“The proudest thing for me isn’t the number of stores,” Michael says. “It’s that my kids grew up in these bakeries and chose to stay. That’s the real business.”
When he’s not at a bakery, you’ll find Michael on his motorbike, out on the water, up in the mountains, or at the family’s Bilpin property looking after his horse, Clancy.
Lily Cthurmer – Business Manager
Lily, Michael’s daughter, didn’t choose the family business so much as grow up inside it. As a teenager she started on weekends at the Vaucluse bakery, learning the coffee machine and working the counter.
Through high school, bakery life meant early starts and working straight through the busy periods, Christmas included. While other families were unwrapping presents, Lily and her siblings were often packing bread orders before joining the celebrations later on. She even helped get the Bilpin café and bakery in the Blue Mountains up and running while studying for her HSC.
These days, with her “Grumpy Baker degree” well and truly earned, Lily is our Business Manager, overseeing day-to-day operations, supporting the front-of-house teams, and jumping behind the coffee machine whenever needed.
“Working with Dad has taught me to trust my instincts and back myself,” Lily says. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve taken from all of this.”
Outside the bakery, she’s usually at the gym, walking her border collie Toby, or out and about with a Grumpy Brekky Roll in hand.
Noa Cthurmer – Operations & Production Manager
Noa’s earliest Grumpy Baker memories aren’t behind a counter – they’re riding shotgun with dad Michael on early morning deliveries to Randwick and Rosehill, before Sydney had woken up.
His “official” start was clearing tables at Vaucluse. Then the till, customer service, coffee, and by 16, running the machine solo. Now, at 19, Noa is our Bakery Operations & Production Manager, handling stock, ordering, wholesale, supplier pricing, and staff hiring. He’s still on the benches most days too, mixing dough and shaping bread by hand.
Bread is Noa’s favourite thing to make – there are so many variables in getting a loaf right, and he loves chasing that consistent result. But when it comes to eating, there’s no contest: it’s the sausage roll, every time.
“I’ve grown up inside every part of this business,” Noa says. “Front of house, production, operations, there’s always more to learn, and I like that.”
Away from the bakery, Noa’s really into motorbikes, just like his dad. You’ll find him at track days when he can get to them, or out on dirt bikes at the family farm.
Still a family business, after all these years
One family, one bakery philosophy: bake it fresh, bake it by hand, and show up every day. It’s what’s kept The Grumpy Baker feeling like a neighbourhood bakery even as it’s grown across Sydney and regional NSW.
Pop into any of our bakeries and say hello – chances are, a Cthurmer isn’t far away.
