Image: Glam Adelaide
From working in the police force, to achieving her dream of becoming a pâtisserie chef, Le Cordon Bleu Adelaide Alumna Belinda Moore is opening up about her heartbreaking journey to find success and happiness.
At the age of 18, Belinda joined the army to become a chef, but instead she was enlisted as a solider to another corps in the Australian Army. After five years in the military and several years down the track, Belinda joined the Northern Territory Police Force (in 2008).
In September 2018, Belinda’s husband Anthony (Tony) – also a Northern Territory Police Officer – unexpectedly passed away and Belinda’s love for policing died with him.
“After he died, my life internally fell apart. I thought, I can’t do this (policing) anymore,” the 43-year-old, of North Haven, said.
“I went through a long state of undiagnosed depression and PTSD after that, I was uncertain about where to go next in terms of a career.”
While grieving the loss of her husband and caring for their 18-month-old daughter, Belinda experienced a moment of sudden realisation and found her new career inspiration.
“I was watching a program called The Little Paris Kitchen: Cooking with Rachel Khoo,” she said.
“I was intrigued by Rachel’s cooking and baking, so I looked her up on the internet, and that’s where I learnt she had studied pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.
‘“This was my light bulb moment! I knew I had finally found my new career: A pastry chef.”
Belinda then relocated to Adelaide where she studied Diplôme de Pâtisserie and won the Tod Dolphin award, which
recognised Belinda’s excellence during her industry placement at Adelaide’s Mayfair Hotel.
While studying full time, Belinda had the support of her late husband’s family and the lecturers who went above and beyond.
“The breadth of knowledge and skills from my lecturers was completely outstanding in my humble opinion, I really
was in awe of the amount of knowledge they all had.”
Belinda’s Instagram page @henrysandmoorepatisserie is a tribute to her late husband Tony.
“He (Tony) afforded me the opportunity to study at Le Cordon Bleu Australia, and continue to run the household and support my family,” she said.
“I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like now if I had stayed in policing.
“I know there are so many people out there who feel inside of themselves that there is something that they need to do.
“The way I look at it is, I don’t want to be running around as 60-year-old elderly lady chasing criminals. I want to choose something I can enjoy until I fall off my perch.”
Belinda’s lifelong goal is to eventually set up her own café with a commercial sized kitchen which specialises in French pâtisserie products.
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