Built for Service - A Transcript
Taken from Fleurieu Living Magazine Winter 2025
Words by Zoë Kassiotis
When Chris Baggaley and Mel Hammond swapped the bustle of the United Kingdom – and later Sydney – for the quieter beauty of South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, they were looking for a lifestyle that aligned more closely with their values: simplicity, community and connection.
What they found was not only a place to call home but the perfect backdrop to establish a people-focused commercial-kitchen design and supply business Forward Creations that’s now making a real impact across the region.
Chris and Mel first landed in Sydney from the UK in 2009, inspired by a holiday to Australia in 2006. But it wasn’t long before the high cost of city living prompted a new decision. With friends in the south of Adelaide and a job offer in the region for Chris, the Fleurieu made perfect sense.
‘We haven’t looked back. It’s given us everything we were looking for – beaches, vineyards, nature and still close to the city and airport,’ the couple explains.
What sets their business apart isn’t just the technical know-how – it’s the human-centred ethos that drives every project. With nearly thirty years of experience, Chris brings deep expertise to the hospitality and food service industry. His career has spanned everything from consumable product sales to end-to-end fitouts and project management. It’s this broad knowledge – honed across sectors of food production, healthcare and education – that thoughtfully informs his user-centric kitchen designs.
Peeling back the layers and thinking beyond the equipment and layout, Chris and Mel are all about the people they serve. The core of the company is refreshingly down to earth: it carefully considers the workflow of the cooking service, the barista trying to move efficiently, and even the customers on the other side of the counter. It’s this honest, collaborative approach that has helped the couple thrive on the Fleurieu.
‘The strong sense of community here is unlike anywhere else,’ says Chris. ‘There’s a shared interest in supporting and promoting the region as a whole. For us, that means our contributions and the success of the businesses we’ve worked with feel more personal and have a tangible impact on the local economy and community.’
In an industry often criticised for being rigid or outdated, Chris and Mel are quietly leading a new wave – one that not only prioritises functionality and compliance, but heartfelt care.
‘We want to set our clients up for success, and having us come in and design the space, help select the equipment and then coordinate and project-manage the fitout saves the client time and energy, but also makes them more profitable in the long run,’ they share.
With the Fleurieu as their base, Chris and Mel have not only found inspiration for this new approach to kitchen design but a true sense of purpose in serving the community.
