Smells of fresh bread and home cooking waft into the air as you walk by 535 Main St. in Penticton.
Two signs hang above the door of the new restaurant — Bistro 535 and Athena’s Kitchen — the mark of a unique collaboration between Pentictonite Athena Vassilaki and French-Canadian chef Micheal Legere.
Athena’s Kitchen supplies Greek home cooking with breads — from French loaf to Tsoureki, traditional pastry dishes like Spanakopita and Kotopita and desserts, all made to traditional recipes. Legere handles the bistro side of the business, making a range of dishes from breakfasts to delicous rueben sandwiches with Montreal smoked beef and brew-battered fries.
For Vassilaki, who is a drama and english teacher, it is the fullfillment of a lifelong dream of providing Penticton with a traditional greek bakery.
From breakfast to dinner, everything is made from scratch, and all the choices can be ordered for takeaway or eaten in the small restaurant.