North Myrtle Beach cafe owner wants people to have a taste of Greece. See inside
Local cafe owner Dena Pakitsas remembers when she started working in her dad’s bakery in Samos, Greece.
At just 6 years old, she sat on a stool in front of the cashier, checking out customers and helping her dad prep other items. Since then, it’s always been her lifelong dream to open her own place.
Decades later, Pakitsas is finally getting to just that with Greek Delite Bakery and Cafe.
The cafe, which serves traditional Greek baked goods, such as baklava and melomakarono, opened April 15 in the TEA Plaza at 2800 S Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach. Greek Delite also serves a variety of Greek dishes, including spanakopita and avgolemono, — a lemon orzo soup with chicken.
“It was my dream from little, but now I’m trying to make it into a reality,” Pakitsas said.
A long journey
Pakitsas’ path to opening up her own place hasn’t been the easiest one.
Pakitsas first moved to the United States with her family when she was 12. Her mom received a job opportunity in Rochester, New York, so the family moved, but her father still managed to open up his own bakery in the city.
It wasn’t until Pakitsas got married and got her first cookbook that she truly found her love for baking, she said.
Tired of the cold weather in New York, Pakitsas now older with her own family made her way to a place that for her was similar to Samos — sunny Myrtle Beach.
“I liked (that it’s) parallel to Greece, so pretty much the same climate and the weather and the flowers all year round,” Pakitsas said.
While living across the Grand Strand, Pakitsas opened up two restaurants of her own, while growing her own family. It wasn’t long before she had grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But an illness forced her to move back to Greece where she only saw her family in the states about once a year.
After she recovered from being sick, Pakitsas moved back to the Myrtle Beach area to be back with her family. It was then she decided it was finally time: She would now fulfill her dream of owning her own bakery.
What to expect inside Greek Delite
When customers walk into her cafe, Pakitsas wants them to experience a little slice of Greece, she said.
The cafe has high ceilings and tall windows, giving a brightness to the place. Inside, they’ll see white walls with blue accents throughout and a mural on a back wall that captures Pakitsas’ hometown.
Just like traditional Greek bakeries, Pakitsas has shelves filled with different types of homemade bread, a display case that shows off the different pastries the cafe has to offer and a menu filled typical Greek dishes.
On the left side of the cafe, there’s a grocery stand filled with pantry items and other refrigerated goods that contain all Greek brands. Pakitsas wanted customers to be able to get their own Greek ingredients, she said.
“That’s what I used to look for over here,” Pakitsas said. “I was looking for all this stuff, so I brought it now for the people.”
Since opening, Pakitsas said she’s still been working on figuring out what items customers will enjoy the most. But for now, she’s focused on serving goods that are “strictly Greek.”
Greek Delite Bakery and Cafe is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
