Bertalli’s Bakery in Benalla has one of the best vanilla slice in the nation, taking out third place at the Baking Association of Australia awards for 2023.
Baker Andrew Bertalli said the recipe came from his grandfather and he’s been selling these ever-popular slices for more than 25 years.
“We entered, and took our products over to Bendigo where the awards were held this year,” Mr Bertalli said.
"We were up against 134 entries. We don’t go in with any expectations, it’s just what we do, there’s no special recipe, no special techniques it’s what we sell in the shop.
“So to get third place without doing anything extra is pretty good.”
Mr Bertalli said the same vanilla slice took out first place in 2014, and he hoped it would continue to win accolades for years to come.
“It’s one of our most popular items,” he said.
“We make them fresh every morning, and they move pretty well most days.”
Mr Bertalli also won a couple of accolades for his bread at the awards.
“We got third in two categories, including for our Sour Rye which we’re very proud of,’’ he said.
Bertallis is open seven days a week and offers hot and cold sweet and savoury baked goods.
“We also have great coffee. We’ve got the Rolls Royce of coffee machines,” he said.
“And we use locally roasted coffee, Al Fresco from Shepparton.”
Bertallis is located on Bridge St East, Benalla, and is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 5.30pm; Saturday from 7am to 2pm; and Sunday from 8am to 2pm.