It all started with a simple, creamy custard slice … add to that the business acumen, creativity and entrepreneurial skills of three women in the same food-passionate family, and you have a recipe for sweet success!

“It is crazy how famous these custard slices are,” says Dear Custard co-founder, Alexia Beretta. “People come from near and far to eat them, and if you go anywhere with my aunt, someone almost always stops to tell her how much they love her custard slices,” she laughs.
Dear Custard is a pastry bar inside the well-known Zaras Cafe at the Ballito Lifestyle Centre that serves up delectable desserts and pastries, all with custard as the star ingredient.  

The idea was born when Alexia, who owns a Zaras branch in Johannesburg together with her brother Silvio (and is the niece of Zaras founder Maro Zaroudoukas), was analysing the menu.

“We were amazed to see that (apart from the bacon and egg breakfast) the best-selling item on the menu was the custard slice! We started brainstorming about how we could do more with it.”

Together, Alexia, Silvio, Maro and Maro’s daughter, Natalie, came up with the pastry counter concept and, because there was certainly no lack of culinary or business experience between them, Dear Custard was an almost overnight success.

A foodie, creative and self-confessed ‘Jozi girl,’ Alexia stepped away from the corporate world to open Zaras in Joburg five years ago. “I had an exciting marketing career working for L’Oreal (even based in Paris for three years), but something pulled me to follow my food passion.”
With her strong Cypriot and Italian cultural backgrounds, food has always been at the centre of Alexia’s life. And, she says, she has always been surrounded by formidable female role models.

“My mother and Maro are twin sisters who both lost their husbands after 20 years of marriage. They are the epitome of strong, heroic women who never give up. Maro was a stay-at-home mom and opened her first cafe in Umhlanga to support herself and her daughter.”

Although she grew up in Johannesburg, Alexia says she has lived somewhat of a ‘dual life’, spending a lot of time working with Maro. “My cousin and I worked in the restaurant during our varsity holidays, and it played a big part in our upbringing. My aunt worked day-in-and-day-out to make it a success and we all got stuck in and helped. That’s what we do in our family – no one is scared of hard work, and we all have a strong work ethic.”

Maro passed her natural skill with food on to Alexia, who loves coming up with new and exciting dishes. With her aunt’s guidance and mentorship, she also learned to understand her customer’s needs.

Alexia’s cousin Natalie and Silvio are also both co-founders of Dear Custard and everyone brings a different skill set to the business. “Natalie is a qualified CA and the financial guru, I am the foodie, marketing and creative brain, and my brother is the master of all things operational!”
After loads of experimenting, the menu was designed and the doors to Dear Custard officially opened in July 2023. “We sold out by 11am every day for the first week – it was ridiculous,” laughs Alexia.

In the past year, Dear Custard has evolved and grown to suit the demands and needs of its clientele. The whole family worked together, strategically, to ensure the brand was conceptualized and executed properly from the beginning.

Dear Custard’s core menu includes a variety of custard slices and other unique creations, and the team has loads of fun coming up with seasonal creations and limited editions regularly. They also offer customised custard creations for special occasions.

So, what’s next for Dear Custard? “We hope to open a branch in Johannesburg soon, and then hopefully go global one day! I’m so proud of what we have created, all from my aunt’s humble custard slice, and I honestly couldn’t ask for a better team to do this with.”