William, Elyce, Peter Mouskondis, and his wife, Nicole with Christopher Zunis
Aristo’s Aristo Boutsikakis The elder Chris Tsoutsounakis explains that sharing food, community support and hospitality is all based on the Greek principle of philotimo, which the owners of Utah-based food distribution corporation Nicholas & Co. translate as “the love of honor.” Nicholas Mouskondis came to Salt Lake City from Crete in 1907 and in the 1920s had a bread route and began selling cans of food that he’d collected and relabeled after they’d fallen from train cars. Over the next decade, Mouskondis grew the business substantially, officially incorporating in 1939 and building the first of many warehouses in 1940. By 1963, Nicholas & Co. trucked goods to five Mountain West states from their base in Salt Lake City. According to their corporate history, “Our Greek heritage runs deep within our company and is a driving force with how we view and operate our business.” Passionate about food, family and community, the Mouskondises say that philotimo always remains the heart of their corporate ethos, which they describe as, “A sense of love for family, community and country. A joyful hospitality and sense of nobility enshrined in Greek culture. The notion that we have an obligation to one another to make things better. The sense of right and wrong and the duty to do 1947—Johnny Pappas returns from WWII and buys the Scenic Inn on Route 89 near Bountiful in south Davis County with his wife, Kitty. He renames the restaurant Johnny Pappas Steak House. 1963-Johnny dies at age 49, Kitty Pappas takes over managing the restaurant in addition to raising three children (in a house attached to the restaurant). 1981—The name is changed to Kitty Pappas Steakhouse.
38 Devour Utah • October 2016
what’s right.” This service to community has created a stalwart reciprocal loyalty with customers of all cultural backgrounds at Greek-run restaurants all over Utah. Tony and Maria Kefalopoulos (along with their children Kosta and Georgia) have run the The Olympian Restaurant since 1984 at its original location on 700 East near 2100 South and say that many of their customers have been coming since they opened. “Ninety-nine percent of our customers have become our friends,” Maria says in between trips circulating with a steaming coffee pot around the diner. “The two sisters who taught our American citizenship classes still come here” regularly, now 30-some years later. Going to Manoli’s on 9th for Sunday brunch is a bit like falling through the screen into a scene from the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding—although, let’s face it, Manoli’s very sleek, modern venue bears absolutely no resemblance to the film set—where hugs, kisses and shouts of “ya sou,” “ya sas” and “stin iyá mas!” (“cheers, all y’all;” that’s my translation) abound. I sheepishly asked Katrina Cutrubus if it was offensive or reductive to be compared to the nowfamous movie and she replied with a laugh, “No, there’s actually a lot truth in it.” It would be hard to imagine
Manoli’s without giving a nod to Aristo Boutsikakis, who introduced so many Utah diners to authentic, modern Greek cuisine at his Aristo’s restaurant. The kafenio culture has survived in Salt Lake at modern iterations of traditional coffee houses like the Kafenio Coffeehouse (slogan: “Coffee Made to Please the Gods”) on 3300 South where yoga, standup comedy and live lute sessions are served up with a side of decorative latte foam. At Greek-owned burger restaurants like the Astro Burgers shop on 3900 South, Chris Tsoutsounakis says Greeks have been gathering for three decades: “They’re there at 9:30 every morning, still. Back in the day, they smoked and played cards. Now they drink coffee and will talk your ear off gladly if you let them. They’ll tell you all about Greek food ... and everything else.” Like a feast with a big extended Greek family, Utahn’s can have it all, from pastrami burgers with fry sauce, to some of the best souvlaki in the country, to innovative Greek fine dining embracing the best concepts and techniques from European cosmopolitan influences and made with local ingredients. And, it’s all wrapped up in a warm embrace and a generous shot of ouzo. Opa! ❖
1960s-1990s—Jim, George and Mary (née Kladis) Maroudas operate Grecian Gardens in Murray for 31 years, a staple for GreekAmerican food, live music and belly dancers.