Greek cafe International Cakes closes its doors after 62 years in Melbourne

One of the city’s longest-running Greek cafes is serving its last baklava after six-decades in the game, with the owner sharing his sad reason for the closure.

One of the city’s last Greek cake shops has closed its doors after 60 years.

International Cakes, the last remaining bakery in Melbourne’s Greek Quarter, served its last baklava on Monday night.

Business owner and pastry chef Vasilios ‘Bill Batz’ Batzogiannis first wanted to hang up his apron five years ago, just before Covid, but decided to stick around for a few more years.

“I’m OK, I wanted to stop working. It’s time for retirement,” he told the Herald Sun.

“But I wanted to keep running the shop (after Covid). This city suffered so much (in lockdowns), I had to go on.”

Bill said his customers were “so sweet”. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

After spending five decades in the kitchen — working everyday in his prime and at least three days a week until Sunday— the 75-year-old decided to call time.

Batzogiannis and his daughter Mary broke the sad news to their loyal customers via a note on the door of the Lonsdale St shop last week.

“The response has been unbelievable and the customers are very sad to see us go,” he said.

“Ever since they found out we were closing they’ve come and bought all of our cakes. “They’ve grown up here … the many thousands of customers who have ordered cakes. I’ve had the sweetest customers.”

Bill grew up in Katerini, Greece, before moving to Melbourne in the 1960s.

He worked as a pastry chef abroad and at Myer for three years before taking over International ‘Diethnes’ Cakes in the early 70s with new business partner Emmanuel Giovanoglou.

Billl hung up his apron on Sunday— after working three days a week in the kitchen at 75-years-old. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

At the time, it was the first Melbourne Greek Café that baked Greek pastries on site.

Batzogiannis was one of the Greek expats responsible for introducing the city to his country’s popular sweet treats such baklava, kataifi, galaktoboureko and kourampies.

International Cakes is the last cake shop of its kind to close its doors in the city’s famed Greek Quarter.

Despite its 60-year innings, it’s not the oldest in Melbourne.

Hopetoun Tea Rooms was established in 1892 in the Block Arcade, while St Kilda’s Monarch Cakes celebrated its 90th birthday this year, opening in 1934.

Batzogiannis’s commitment to hospitality hasn’t gone unnoticed either. In 2016, he was one of the longstanding small business owners awarded a Lord Mayor’s Commendation.

International Cakes closes on Monday at 10pm.