One of life's greatest pleasures is simply being surrounded by loved ones with a great spread of food to match. There's just something so warming about big family gatherings that bring together both, and Kathy Tsaples manages to capture this sensation through her Sweet Greek shop and the many delicious goodies available for purchase.

During our visit, we were able to meet with Kathy and were absolutely captivated by her story and vision to share with others her Greek heritage and traditions through food. Her passion was evident as she took us through the various dishes around the store. Tasting the food, the love is also clearly there. Using no preservatives and only the best ingredients and seasonal produce, each creation was on top of its game. The intimate connection between food and family is further exemplified by her recipe books, the second of which was only recently launched. The gorgeous books feature traditional recipes that have been passed on through her family in addition to many of Kathy's famous sweet creations. Sweet Greek, indeed! The inclusion of family photos add an inviting and personal touch.

During our visit, we were treated to various dishes including:

• berries, pink grapefruit, and banana+caramel cakes - those passing by won't be able to miss the impressive cake tower filled with these cakes. The flavours change seasonally, with more citrusy fruits like mandarin and tangerine making an appearance in winter. The cakes we tried were moist and each flavour was spot on. On another note, these also cater for the gluten-intolerant.

• dolmades - a very traditional Greek dish made from rice and herbs wrapped in vine/grape leaves. This was my first time trying these and I quite enjoyed the tang of the lemon drizzle and the earthy bite of the leaf wrapping.

• spanakopita - much like everything else in store, even the pastry of the spanakopita is made from scratch. Boasting a beautiful crunch, and combined with the balanced saltiness of the cheese and spinach filling, the spanakopita were incredibly addictive.

• kourabiethes - traditionally made for special occasions including Christmas, the sugar-coated almond shortbread cookies were gorgeously short and just melted away in the mouth. Luckily for us, these are available at Sweet Greek all year round...

Based at the bustling Prahran Market, locals and market-goers passing by Sweet Greek are bound to find themselves tempted by the tasty array of treats. The food is purchased as takeaway but dishes like the spanakopita and kourabiethes are just too delicious to wait to tuck in! 

Sweet Greek

Prahran Market, 163 Commercial Rd,

South Yarra, Victoria, 3141.

(03) 9826 0608

http://www.sweetgreek.com.au/home/

Disclosure: I was invited to visit as a guest of Sweet Greek. All opinions expressed in this post are based entirely on my experience and observations made during the time of my visit.