Find Your Festive

Toula and Orlando, the creative chefs
Life In Colour
Blogged by: Highpoint 04 Nov 2016

The sweet, heady aroma of dough floods Candied Bakery. It’s a mix of diverse ingredients, tweaked and tossed together until it rises beautifully. Not unlike the West itself.

In a community as cohesive as the West, food is one of the essential elements that brings people together. Food isn’t simply sustenance here - it’s passion. And no-one embodies this more than Spotswood bakery owners Toula and Orlando - partners in love, life and business and the mastermind chefs behind Candied Bakery.

The West was the perfect playground for Toula and Orlando to test out their original approach. Their recipes are refreshing, unexpected and, most importantly, delicious. Nowhere would welcome an Aussie bakery with American and European influences more warmly than the progressive, multicultural melting-pot of the West.

Life In Colour Chirstmas

Toula and Orlando exude enthusiasm. They’re bright, passionate, happy people who love what they do. As soon as Toula has had her coffee, she immediately starts thinking about what she can create that day. Orlando is the same, having inherited his passion for baking from his Italian mother and grandmother. No TV and takeaway for his family - instead evenings were spent hand-kneading pizza dough to swiftly slide into the homemade wood fired oven.

Their optimism is infectious, and it’s no wonder customers queue up to try the latest Candied Bakery inventions. Whether it’s tradies craving a meat pie at lunchtime or mums picking up a fresh loaf of bread for their families, locals and visitors to the neighbourhood alike keep on coming back.

Life In Colour Christmas


There are plenty of innovations at Candied Bakery that are worth keeping an eye out for.

“We try and always do something a little bit differently, whether it’s our apple pie shake or putting vegemite in our meat pies” says Orlando.

They make the most mouth-watering inventions - nacho crusted hotdog, or delicacies that are topped with crispy candied bacon. Yet they also have their classic award-winning croissant. Their approach is unique, but also grounded.

“We’re all different, but we’re all Australian. Everyone loves a pie, it doesn’t matter who it is” says Orlando.

Toula and Orlando love Spotswood because it’s filled with people who have lived in the neighbourhood for years. It’s up and coming, but not overdeveloped. Less posers, more people who form part of the furniture.

Life In Colour Christmas 

The family-friendly neighbourhood, and a family-focussed upbringing, have been a huge influence on Toula and Orlando too. They have a daughter, Morgan, aged 3.

 “She definitely wears the pants”, laughs Toula.

No time of year encapsulates this family’s fun and food loving spirit better than Christmas. They’re in their element - and of course, everyone has something a little bit different to bring to the table.

Life In Colour Christmas

Orlando’s Italian heritage really comes to the fore during the festive period. The centrepiece of their table is a glorious lasagne, that the family dig into with gusto. Then there’s pasta dishes and meatballs - made from scratch of course.

It’s a truly international affair. Toula’s mum makes her famous Greek spinach pie - Spanakopita. Other dishes include a sumptuous fruit bread - a German Stollen - and golden French croquettes. This is all washed down with a rich, ruby-red wine, after they’ve toasted one another’s health and happiness. There’s a clattering of plates around the table and a cheerful commotion as they celebrate being together.

Christmas wouldn’t be complete without the Candied Bakery prize-winning mince pies, too. Those are in plentiful supply, fresh from the bakery. 

 Life In Colour Christmas

“We can relive all the excitement about Christmas through Morgan’s eyes now” says Toula; but it doesn’t seem like enthusiasm would ever have been lacking in this family. 

Meet the people who are influencing our corner of the city for the better, and follow the conversation on Instagram or Facebook for more of #HPLifeInColour

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