Former Starbucks star Yaya Hou takes on coffee at Madame Jude

Yaya Hou, who started at the Golden Square establishment a month ago, has 13 years high-level experience in the industry in Shanghai, New York, New Jersey and Seoul.

"We got really lucky," cafe owner Owen Stuchbery says.

"We were pretty surprised when Yaya's resume turned up in our inbox."

The 33-year-old, who came to central Victoria with her winemaker husband, ended up with three Bendigo barista job offers to choose from.

But Stuchbery was "quietly confident" on account of his machine.

Madame Jude is the dream project he returned to Bendigo - with partner Milica Kastratovic and their three children - to set up after decades working overseas as a chef on superyachts.

Part of the concept was to have the best equipment they could afford along with high quality, fresh local ingredients.

"Yaya immediately recognised the La Marzocco KB90 and was taken by it," Stuchbery says.

She also liked the atmosphere he and Kastratovic have created in their High Street business.

"Here feels like family," she says simply.

Hou always loved coffee and "everything about coffee culture," she says.

But growing up in China it was hard to get enough of it.

When she took a part-time job at Starbucks in China's largest city in 2010 the drink was expensive.

"I was just a junior student in college and had an income of around $120/month and one latte was about $4," she says.

While the job only paid around $2.50 an hour it included coffee.

"So I thought 'Good idea!'" she laughs.

At Starbucks she quickly rose to the role of store manager and "coffee master", transferred to the prestigious "reserve" store, and became involved in recruitment, training and brand promotion.

During a stint on exchange at the company's Seattle headquarters she was part of an "international star team" and worked in the roastery and tasting rooms.

After five years with the company she left to open a high-end shop of her own with a friend in Shanghai, and after burning out and selling out of that, went travelling around Europe tasting coffee, beer and wine, before going on to co-found other coffee shops in New Jersey and Shanghai.

She met Josh, a Chinese winemaker, who had studied in Adelaide, in 2021, and travelled with him around China, sampling coffee and vino, before the couple got locked down.

"Unfortunately we had a long quarantine in Shanghai and decided we would leave China," she says.

At one stage the pair had been confined at home with no food for four days.

IN OTHER NEWS:

After a period in California they moved to Australia, where Josh got a job at Whitebox Wine in Heathcote.

Her husband loves Australia, Hou says.

"He says it's more safe, has more freedom and no racists."

So far her own experience has been positive too.

"I move to here and try to be a local," she says.

"When people say they enjoy my coffee it makes me super happy.

"One lady in here earlier said, 'You're the best barista in Bendigo.' I was so surprised!"

Stuchbery, who has had serious challenges to overcome in pursuing his dream to open a US "sunbelt state"-style cafe in an old Bendigo milkbar, is very pleased with his new employee.

She has the talent, the equipment and the quality ingredients to excel, he says.

"The coffee section we can give a big tick to."

Other aspects of the business are still evolving.

Madame Jude will start serving breakfast from next week and a liquor licence expected soon will open the door to night time dining.

"It's exciting and it's changing," he says. "We're looking forward to bringing in these other elements."

Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.