Browsing Tag Michael Kaminer
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12 October 2025 at 17 : 19 PM
This “Grecian Corner” Is a Local Treasure
COVER STORY Angelo Ballas builds on a family legacy in Winston-Salem. By Michael Kaminer When a local public radio station decided to explore the history of Winston-Salem, North Carolina’s sizeable Greek population, its reporter chose to tell the story through the experience of Angelo Ballas. It was a smart choice. Ballas’ restaurant, ...
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10 September 2025 at 15 : 18 PM
A Greek “Titan” Returns to New York
Mega-store Titan Foods reopens in Astoria, bigger and better. By Michael Kaminer Two years ago, the sale of a building in Astoria, Queens led to the demise of its biggest tenant—Titan Foods, touted as “the largest retail Greek food and grocery store in North America.” After four decades in the same spot, the Mastoras family was forced to look for ...
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15 August 2025 at 19 : 47 PM
All Hail the Queen
COVER STORY Chopped alum Alexandra Velis Jones rules with Portland’s Souvlaki Queen. By Michael Kaminer Even before they see her tightly edited menu or taste the beautifully prepared food, customers sense something’s different at Souvlaki Queen, the compact shop that chef Alexandra Velis Jones opened in May in Portland, ...
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14 July 2025 at 14 : 41 PM
A “Standout” Captivates Rochester
Once a diner, Mike Karipidis’ El Greco by Mike is a buzzing hot spot.By Michael Kaminer For more than 13 years, Mike Karipidis ran a successful diner inside a building he owned in Rochester, New York. Sidelined by a bad back in 2006, Karipidis took a break, leasing the space to a succession of operators who kept flopping. “The place changed ...
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9 June 2025 at 14 : 48 PM
A Greek “Pirate” Shares His Success Story
After 50 years in restaurants, Theofanis Kakouras is on top of his game. By Michael Kaminer COVER STORY In the 1982 epic Fitzcarraldo, Klaus Kinski drags a steamship across the jungle, losing his mind in the process. Theofanis Kakouras also brought a big boat to an unlikely place, but his story turned out differently. Pirates Landing ...
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15 April 2025 at 22 : 16 PM
MBH Meat Purveyors BEEFS UP
COVER STORY George Chrissikos leads his family-owned business to national success. By Michael Kaminer Why do so many people want to have a beef with George Chrissikos? Maybe because the president and CEO of MBH Meat Purveyors offers only U.S.-raised Angus and Prime meats―along with pork, lamb, and chicken―from farmers he’s known more than ...
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15 April 2025 at 22 : 00 PM
Pita Greek Gives Up The Ghost (Kitchen)
Restaurateur Stavros Lambos (l) and son Nicholas Lambos, who launched Pita Greek as a ghost kitchen in his family's restaurant, AquaTerra Grille. After years as a virtual restaurant, Nicholas Lambos’ fast-casual brand opens a brick-and-mortar location. By Michael Kaminer For residents of New ...
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11 March 2025 at 18 : 42 PM
Going Greek in Greenpoint
COVER STORY General Manager Michael Kasimis, co-owner Christos Gourmos, Executive Chef Moshe Grundman and co-owner Spiro Menegatos. Going Greek in Greenpoint With Nerina, the cofounder of NYC’s acclaimed Nerai brings small plates and an all-Greek wine list to Brooklyn. By Michael Kaminer After the smash success of Nerai, his ...
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12 January 2025 at 11 : 49 AM
A Greek-American Success Story
COVER STORY The Karas Restaurant Group of Illinois builds a legacy. By Michael Kaminer If there’s a storybook Greek-American success story, it might look like the Karas Restaurant Group’s odyssey. What started with two brothers and one tavern in suburban Chicago 50 years ago has grown into a beloved local enterprise with hundreds of ...
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11 November 2024 at 16 : 48 PM
2025 Is Going to Be Wild
COVER STORY From “next-level spicy” to dirty sodas to revived childhood flavors, Estiator rounds up food forecasts for the coming year. By Michael Kaminer If the crystal balls are accurate, your customer in 2025 might soon request Greek bowls or spicy snacks loaded with extra protein and exotic mushrooms, all washed down with a ...
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