Sometimes you just have to get a little nudge from someone to realize your own talents, and go-for-it, in life. That’s pretty much what happened with 34-year-old Simon Rasmussen of Queensland, Australia. This husband and father had a hidden talent that he loved to do in the privacy of his own home in his off-hours of work. He loved to bake and create unique, and unbelievably delicious deserts that his wife thought were worthy of more than just sharing with friends and family. This blue collar worker got the opportunity of a lifetime and it was was the show, Zumbo’s Just Desserts Season 2, which aired on Australia’s Channel 7. You can now see the show on Netflix, and if you already have, you probably remember this fan favorite. But keep reading to learn 10 things you didn’t know about Simon Ramussen.
1. Before he mixed ingredients, he mixed concrete
Ramussen made a living with a regular, run-of-the-mill job, working in the concrete business. According to Cook Islands News, Ramussen spent his days mixing and pouring concrete, which he didn’t mind doing, claiming that it was a job he liked, plus, it helped to keep him fit and in good shape.
2. He was ashamed of his passion
Ramussen didn’t see his passion as a manly type of hobby, therefore, he kept his hobby to himself, only baking at home and keeping his talent under wraps. He has confessed that he would occasionally show up to work with some treats for his mates and instinctively, tell his mates that they were made by his wife, and Ramussen would receive the comments regarding how good his wife could cook. According to an article by Distractify, this little lie only worked for so long, when one day his wife showed up to his work and asked the guys how they liked her husband’s treats. Needless to say, they guys were shocked, and couldn’t believe these delicious treats came from their workmate. It wasn’t long and soon the orders began flooding in.
3. His wife secretly entered him in the contest
Ramussen’s wife, Natacha, has always been her husband’s biggest fan and knew that he had something special when it came to his baking. Behind his back, she decided to enter Simon into a baking contest and dessert making skills show, which happened to be Zumbo’s Just Desserts. It was Season 2 of the show, and it was for amateurs who were just learning the skills on their own. Perfect! Of course, Ramussen ended up giving in, once he found out he had been accepted as a contestant.
4. He was the most captivating contestant
It didn’t take long for Ramussen to sin the hearts of the fans watching the show. He was making incredible desserts and they were all amusing to the viewers. He created two that were especially memorable, the ‘UF-Fro’, and ‘Lucky-13’. Most fans thought Ramussen was an easy-win with his colorful and unique creations.
5. Despite the love he got from fans, he didn’t take home the grand prize
Well, despite his popularity on the show, unfortunately, Ramussen wasn’t the one who walked away with the grand prize of $100k. He did remain as a tough contestant all the way up until the very end, however, the one who wound up with the grand prize, was a 19 year old girl named Catherine, from New South Wales and she had inspired the judges with her spectacular dessert, a ‘three ruby ring bake,’ a South-Korean inspired dessert.
6. He designed something straight out of the 80’s
One of Ramussen’s most memorable creations was his ‘Lucky-13’ creation that was a throwback to children’s toys from the 1980’s. The dessert is described as, being ‘Covered in thin strips of magenta, cherry red, honey-yellow, and baby blue fondant.’ It was said to be totally creative and his craftmanship was impeccable. Many fans found it hard to believe that the ‘Lucky-13’ wasn’t enough to have won the judges over.
7. He may have looked confident, but was full of doubt during the competition
To watch Ramussen, you have thought he was as confident as any baker who had been doing this all his life, but according to Ramussen himself, he was full of doubt, even before the show started taping. Ramussen admitted that after he heard the stories from the other bakers, how their baking was their passion and how seriously they all took it, he simply didn’t feel as if he was good enough to compete against the others. He didn’t feel like he should even be in the competition to begin with. But he proved himself wrong by making it to the very end and nearly winning the grand prize.
8. He considers hims to be a perfectionist
Like many people who have a craft they are passionate about, Ramussen falls right into the category of being a perfectionist with his baking. He admits that he is hard on himself in the kitchen and he takes it to heart if he looks at one of his creations and it falls short of his expectations.
9. His family was his biggest motivation
So what’s his biggest motivation to create the best desserts? If you happened to see any of the episodes of the show, you may have realized that Ramussen always had a picture of his wife and three kids, all girls, with him all the time. He has said that the whole reason he did the competition, was for his family. He says that they have always been, and will always be, his biggest inspiration and what motivates him.
10. His dreams have changed, and they include a boutique and bakery
Now that he has let the cat out of the bag and the world knows what his true passion is, Ramussen is redirecting his goals in life. He may not have taken home the grand prize for the show, but he is putting some serious thought into his future. He has been baking for more than eight years now, and he’s thinking he just might like to get out of the concrete business and start something he really loves, and something he could pass down to his girls. According to Cook Islands News, he wants to open a small boutique where he can create ‘simple, yet elegant desserts and patisseries.’ I don’t doubt that he won’t make that dream come true for himself.
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