My Story

My name is Cathy Sabbo and I am the baking and decorative hands behind The Potoroo Pantry, a bespoke baking and cake decorating business based in Apollo Bay, Victoria.

I am a self-taught baker and decorator and I've loved baking and sharing the joy of delicious foods with others for as long as I can remember. I take great pride in creating cakes, slices and desserts that both look AND taste amazing. I particularly love to combine my passions of flowers, native flavours and cakes.

The Potoroo Pantry launched in late 2020, as a popular market stall in Apollo Bay, specialising in freshly baked goods, including our signature Portuguese Tarts.

Through word of mouth the business morphed into a registered home-based baking and cake decorating business, where I mix, bake and create cakes, slices, cupcakes, tarts and more for customers.

I hope you enjoy looking at all the sweet treats on offer and that you are inspired to enjoy one of my creations.

Where to find our freshly baked goods:

Our online shop provides a simple and straightforward way to order sweet treats for your occasion. Please note that our baked treats require a minimum of 10 day's notice - if you can't find what you want, require a customised cake or are after a last minute treat then please email me.

• We have the occasional market stall at the Apollo Bay Community Market and Apollo Bay Farmers Market.
• Our sweet bakes are proudly stocking the cake display fridge at 'The Emu Cafe' at Wildlife Wonders in Marengo.
• We now deliver some of our biscuits, cookies and brownies to Foodworks Apollo Bay on a weekly basis.
• I teach cupcake decorating classes througho ut the year - all scheduled class dates will be listed on this website.
• We don't have a shop front - all our cakes are baked to order - so please place an order or make an enquiry for a special baked treat!

What's in a name?

In my past life I studied Environmental Science, majoring in Conservation Biology, and worked in various locations as a Park Ranger for over 10 years. In that time, I was involved in conservation projects that aimed to protect threatened animal species, such as the Long-nosed Potoroo. 

The Potoroo is a nocturnal small hopping cousin of the kangaroo, shy and cryptic and a similar size to a bandicoot. They are known as 'ecosystem engineers' that improve the health of the forest by dispersing beneficial fungi spores around other plant species as they forage and move around. They are pretty special little critters! I like to compare myself to the potoroo - improving the health and wellbeing of our community by dispersing delicious baked treats around town!

Being an environmentally friendly business is important to me and my personal values and I incorporate sustainable practices, from using minimal packaging, sourcing local and Australian ingredients where possible and using reusable equipment in my baking processes.