Glyka-Sweets - Made in America Originated in Greece!
In a world where mass production often replaces memory, Glyká Sweets is a tender rebellion — one cookie at a time. Behind this soulful brand is Effie Fourakis, a woman who carries her Yiayiá Lilly’s recipes not just in a cookbook, but in her heart. Glyká Sweets isn’t just about desserts — it’s about preserving a legacy. Hand-rolled koulourákia, buttery kourambiédes affectionately dubbed “cookies-white,” and golden layers of flaky phyllo are more than treats; they’re love letters from the past, made fresh for the present. Rooted in Greek tradition and baked with the care of generations, Glyká Sweets stands as a sweet bridge between two cultures — originated in Greece, made in America. In this interview with Delivery Rank, Effie Fourakis invites us into her world — a kitchen warmed by memory, shaped by precision, and stirred with the devotion of family tradition. She shares the story behind her inspiration, the values that guide her, and why every batch still tastes like home.
Yiayia Lilly’s recipes are the heart of Glyka-Sweets. What’s one recipe that still brings you right back to her kitchen—and what memories come with it?
I have so many fond memories of my mom’s kitchen, both growing up myself and raising my children next door to her. For my brother and me, as young children, she made us a homecooked dinner every night. My favorites were stuffed tomatoes and dolmades (stuffed grapevine leaves). Yiayia Lilly also made a family favorite that was simply fried dough sprinkled with parmesan cheese. She called it “tiropita” or cheese pita. This “tiropita” was something her father had created to feed his young family during the years of the Great Depression. He had emigrated from Greek Asia Minor and settled in the Sacramento area of California. This simple food had sustained his food-insecure family and later became a favorite of all his grandchildren and later, his great-grandchildren. Some days, while my children were at school, Yiayia Lilly would make a stack of “tiropita” and leave it on our kitchen table, for a delicious surprise, a symbol of her all-embracing love.
The one recipe that always brings me back to Yiayia Lilly’s kitchen, every time I make it, is the twisted butter cookies called Koulourakia. While we have a computerized cookie drop machine that twists our Koulourakia at Glyka-Sweets, Yiayia Lilly would consistently hand roll each cookie to perfection, each shaped like a key with a hole at one end. She always had a stash in her kitchen. My younger son would search for them and come back with a bunch of them looped on his fingers. When we started Glyka Sweets, he informed me that I was twisting them in the opposite direction to how his grandmother made them, and I have switched direction since.
Running a family business can be a delicate dance—how do you balance tradition with innovation when introducing new items to your menu?
Being born and raised into a Greek family, and my husband born and raised in Greece, we have been immersed in Greek traditions our entire lives, giving us an innate sense of the cultural tradition, honed during our annual trips back to Greece for ideas and research (aka every meal enjoyed there). Our love for Greek culture is also expressed through teaching Greek folk dance at our church for over 40 years. Through our performing groups, the Minoan Dancers, we strive to promote Greek culture in the youth of our community through dance and performing in traditional costumes.
In the early years of Glyka-Sweets, innovation involved figuring out how to take family recipes and scale them up for production, going from a home kitchen 3-quart mixer to an 80-quart mixer, from a home oven to a double rack oven, without losing the essence of tradition in our products.
Over the years we have developed a few non-traditional items, some with success, some not so much. Like pecan pumpkin baklava for Thanksgiving and nut-free baklava made with chickpeas for people with nut allergies. My take, however, is that people are not really looking for the newest, latest, trendiest cookies and pastries. People crave cookies and pastries that remind them of their childhood, products that they know are traditional and authentic. And that’s what we offer, delivered to your doorstep!
Your team includes your husband and sons, each with different roles—how do you all work together under one roof without getting into “too many cooks in the kitchen” territory?
Glyka-Sweets was created and launched by myself and my entire family and we all contributed with our own talents and skills. I’m the baker, bringing my biochemistry and public health background into the mix, to develop safe and efficient protocols, and accurately scale recipes. My husband Vasilis, a general and closet design contractor brought his skills and expertise to oversee the build-out of our own facility and continues to advise on equipment issues.
Older son Achilleas finished his bachelor’s degree in Communications and worked with me, side-by-side, in the early years as Sales and Marketing manager as well as being a baker-in-training. Younger son Odysseas, with a degree in Computer Science, an intrinsic curiosity for how things work, and an eye for spotting problems, takes a systematic approach to fixing problems so if the machines or ovens at Glyka-Sweets are ever down, it’s never for very long.
In 2020 our youngest child and only daughter, Elektra, passed away from complications of her congenital heart disease, at age 22. Our world was shattered. Elektra was a happy, successful, inspiring young woman who did not let her health challenges deter her. She taught us that being physically challenged does not mean you are disabled. She taught us to experience and be grateful for every moment. While in high school, Elektra started her own business, Elektra’s Dog Treats, making all-natural, crunchy treats for dogs. At university she was on course to earn her degree in Global Public Health, always wanting to help others which she exemplified by making and donating fleece blankets to the hospital she spent too much time at. Elektra had spunk, she was sassy, she was stubborn, and she was a spitfire. She is our shining star. She is our superhero. She will live forever in our hearts.
Today our bakery business has grown beyond just our family, and my sons have grown beyond the business, each on their own career path but always available to help out during busy times, especially the holidays and Easter. And always available to conduct taste tests!
Greek culture is rich with culinary symbolism. Are there any traditional Greek desserts you feel are misunderstood or underappreciated here in the U.S.?
Baklava is by far the most well-known Greek dessert, and I feel it overshadows other traditional desserts like the syrup cakes and numerous vegan cookies. Syrup cakes, like ravani (farina cake) and portokalopita (orange cake) are served in many Greek households and are absolutely delightful. Syrup is poured over these cakes when they come out of the oven and absorbed into each tasty piece, producing a moist, long-lasting delicacy.
In the Greek Orthodox church, there are over 180 fasting days each year. That means for some people no meat, dairy, fish or eggs during those days. So, cookies and breads were developed to fill those fasting days and those turn out to be vegan. Like our Carob and Sesame Cookies, our Koulouria ring breads and Lagana flat breads available during the Lenten period before Easter.
As a guardian of Greek culinary heritage, what advice would you give to young bakers who want to preserve their family traditions while still building a business?
My advice to young bakers wanting to preserve their cultural and family traditions while building a business is to stay true to the traditions. Don’t think that by adding a trendy ingredient to a traditional item that it will make that item “better.” I believe this will actually detract from the appeal of that item. People respect tradition and all things based on tradition. Traditions should be cherished.
To read more about Glyka-Sweets, please visit https://www.glykasweets.com/