How sweet it is

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This article was published 03/02/2022 (1369 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A staple eatery on the outskirts of northwest Winnipeg is dialing up the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit this Valentine’s Day.

The Stamatis family, longtime owners and operators of Oak Point Restaurant (533 Oak Point Hwy.), is gearing up to bake, decorate and deliver roughly 100 cupcakes to children spending the holiday in hospital.

“Just so the kids know they’re thought of and that they have a lovely Valentine’s Day,” Joanna Stamatis said.

For every box of desserts Oak Point Restaurant sells from now until February 12, it will donate six cupcakes — chocolate and vanilla with homemade pink buttercream icing — to the Children’s Hospital.

All of the baked goods are made from scratch in-house.

“I’m very excited,” Marina Stamatis said. “I’m looking forward to baking up a storm.”

The dessert boxes come in three sizes, ranging from $25 to $55. The small order features 11 pieces, and the medium has 18. The ‘Lovers Supreme’ package comes with a mix of over three dozen tarts, Greek desserts, no-bake cheesecakes, hot chocolate bombs, brownies, and rocky road squares.

“This one is the best bang for your buck,” Joanna said.

The hot chocolate bombs are chocolate shells filled with cocoa drink powder. They can be dropped and stirred into hot milk or water to make a sweet beverage.

The box’s Greek desserts — flavours of the Stamatis family’s Mediterranean roots — include kourabiedes, an almond shortbread, and melomakarona, a spice cookie dipped in honey.

Last year Oak Point Restaurant ran a similar initiative called Share the Love, Not COVID. The restaurant invited customers to send a box of its homemade baked goods to a loved one as a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day safely.

The Stamatises have owned and operated Oak Point Restaurant for over 40 years. These days, sisters Joanna and Marina Stamatis power the eatery with their mother, Poppy Stamatis. Joanna manages the restaurant, Marina owns the spot and keeps the books, and Poppy runs the kitchen.

Just as each member of the Charleswood-based family has a niche in the restaurant, they all have a specialty when it comes to baking. Joanna focuses on cookies, her sister creates the cupcakes and cheesecakes, and their mother concentrates on traditional fare.

Oak Point Restaurant’s casual, welcoming aura, mixed with its proximity to a major trucking route, means that scores of drivers pass through in a year. And truckers are known to enjoy a slice of pie, Joanna said.

But when the pandemic began to chip away at Oak Point Restaurant’s customer base, the Stamatises revitalised the dessert menu to draw customers back in.

“It got so busy, and it was so successful that we do so much baking every single day,” Joanna said.

Most of the restaurant’s desserts are made-to-order to ensure the treats are fresh, but it does offer a smaller selection of goods to try in-house Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Oak Point Restaurant’s Have a Heart Valentine’s Day dessert boxes can be ordered online at www.myvalentine.love Delivery costs $5 extra.