LIFEstyle | Chefs
and a country with a much harsher climate than Greece. It didn’t take long, though, before she knew that she and her husband had made the right choice of where to put down their roots. “I like it here,” she says, “I mean, Greece is beautiful because of the water and family and friends, but … [Canada] is the best country and it’s good for the kids. It’s a better life here.” While she enjoys going back to Greece on vacation, Tzigalanis loves to come home, although she does admit to occasionally missing the mild Peloponnese weather and the ability to simply step out into the garden and pick fresh vegetables virtually year-round. But her children – Louis, 22, and Mario, 21 – were born here and the Tzigalanises appreciate the opportunities available for them in Canada. “The kids, they can be whatever they want to be,” she says. When it comes to business, hard work is nothing new to Tzigalanis. Her family owned a restaurant in Greece, where she put in long 12 AirdrieLIFE | Spring 2010
hours as she was growing up and learned the ins and outs of running such a business. She pursued her education to ultimately become a nurse, a profession she practiced for 15 years, while at the same time helping out in the family business. Now firmly established halfway around the globe, she spends many, many hours at her own restaurant, only taking off Easter Day and Christmas Day each year. While a health condition keeps George from being able to physically assist at the family-run restaurant, his moral support is strong, and Louis and Mario are mainstays at Paros. “They help me a lot,” their mother says. Before opening the restaurant in Airdrie, Tzigalanis ran Paros on Fourth in Calgary. She had to move her place of business when the block in which it was located was taken down to make way for new highrises. Her decision to open a restaurant in Airdrie came as a result of pleas from loyal customers to bring her special brand of culinary magic to this community. While she was a bit worried when Paros on Main first opened, she soon found herself welcomed with open arms as she began to get to know the people of her new community. “They’re friendly, helpful. That’s why I’m still here,” she says. And when, working in conjunction with Community Links, she started her Christmas dinner event three years ago for families in need in Airdrie, the response was wonderful. “I open the door for the people, I give the food, we have a Christmas tree [and] Santa Claus for the kids,” she says. “Every year we have more families … and that makes me happy, because I can do something. It’s a beautiful day, I think. That’s the most beautiful day of the whole year.” The event is a good example of how well business and social services can work together in Airdrie. While Tzigalanis provides the venue, food and cooking expertise, Community Links volunteers organize, serve the food, clean the tables and help in the kitchen. “They’re very nice ladies,” Tzigalanis says. “The Community [Links] ladies … work hard for that day, it’s not just me.”
Tzigalanis’s generosity and concern for the welfare of her community stem from longheld family values: giving not because one has something extra, but because “whatever I have, I can give half from my plate,” she says. “You have to give. The families, they need it.” Even with that outlook on life, she still points to the community as inspiration. “I feel like the community, they support us. I think it’s good to start giving something for thanks,” she says.“They’re nice people, so I want to thank them. I’m happy because they care.” Paros on Main may be doing well, with its fine reputation spreading far and wide, but for Tzigalanis, success isn’t measured in dollars. Rather, it’s the positive response from her community – for her business, as well as her philanthropic pursuits – that gives her the most gratification. “The community is very supporting,” she says.“I love it here.” For now, the Tzigalanis family still lives in Calgary – the place where Louis and Mario were born and raised and think of as home. However, Tzigalanis says, she did grow up in a smaller town and she and George would love down the road to move to Airdrie and establish their roots in this community even more firmly. They will be more than welcome – a sign of just how much Tzigalanis means to this community is that her customers now call her “Mama.” “They come here, they bring flowers, they hug me, they come in the kitchen and say,‘Hi.’ They, I think, keep me going,” she says with a smile that lights up her face. “I love what I’m doing,” she adds. “People, they love the food and that makes me LIFE happy.”
MORE LIFE ONLINE
This Easter, why not try two traditional Greek recipes from the kitchen of Effrossini Tzigalanis? Arnaki Exohiko (Lamb Country-Style) and Tsoureki (Sweet Easter Bread): Find the recipes at airdrielife.com