By George offers unique, eclectic fare

By Michele Gillis Photos courtesy of By George

When George Apodiakos was laid off from his union carpenter job after 23 years in 2008, he didn’t know what he would do. He knew he needed to support his family, and he loved to cook, so he decided to take a leap of faith.

He decided to start selling shish kebabs twice a week in the back parking lot of his wife Ronalyn’s scrapbook store.

“About three weeks later, the Monessen Fireman’s Club hired me to come cook for them cooking gyros,” said George. “It took off like wildfire. It evolved into more days during the week with specials including burgers, wings, pasta, fried fish, gyros and pizza.”

He stayed there for 13 years and eventually opened his own restaurant, By George, in September 2015.

Ronalyn said they pretty much outgrew their first location on Grand Boulevard the first day they opened. Their first location had 62 seats, but their current location has 125 seats. They moved to the new location in September 2019, right at the start of COVID, which was quite stressful.

“We just moved from this smaller space to a larger one, and the overhead was significantly different,” said Ronalyn. “When we were made to go under all the restrictions, it was petrifying in the beginning. But, I can honestly tell you, the people of Mon Valley and the surrounding areas came through, and if they didn’t order food that night, they purchased gift cards. Everyone was wonderful in that regard.”

The building they are in now used to be the Monessen Fireman’s Club, so George ended up where back he initially started. George bought the building in 2018 and renovated it for a catering facility. Since George has been a carpenter for most of his life, he was able to do most of the work himself with help from contractors.

But, after their catering business outgrew the space, they decided it would be a perfect place to move the restaurant. The restaurant has a nice mix of decor with a lot of natural wood and skylights, allowing in natural light and giving the restaurant a welcoming, warm feel.

“By George is more than a restaurant; it’s a place where love is savored with every bite, laughter resonates in its family at- mosphere and every visit feels like coming home,” said Michael Rozell. “With a menu that delights the taste buds, an ambiance that warms the heart, and a drink selection that’s sheer poetry, By George has become our beloved ‘go-to’ restaurant, where every meal is a celebration of flavors and togetherness.”

The food served at By George can be described as eclectic. “We have a mix of Greek, American and Italian cuisine,” said Ronalyn. “That’s what keeps us fresh and unique.”

An example of several signature items on their menu includes the gyro dip, chicken marsala, Berkshire pork chop, vanilla bean cheesecake and lobster bisque.

“By George has everything,” said Kaliope Kalamotousis. “There is such a variety of food. I tell everyone about it. It’s like a diamond in the rough, and it’s a blessing to me.”

They also have two to three daily food specials a day.

“Sometimes our specials are Greek, Chinese or Polish,” said George. “It all depends on who is on the line. We love to feature our specials because the public loves them. It’s always something different. They are made with the freshest ingredients.”

As the restaurant grew, so did their catering business. They are the exclusive caterers for St. Spyridon Hellenic Center. “Customers contact me, and we do anything from weddings, business meetings and funerals to school banquets,” said Ronalyn.

By George is a family-owned and operated business. Their children and extended family are also involved. George oversees the day-to-day operations. Ronalyn handles the front of the house.

Their children Markello, Niko and Dimitri are all servers at the restaurant and catering division. George’s sister, Despina Naylor, bakes all of the desserts for the restaurant. Though he is not blood-related, Jamie Kepich, the head chef, is just like family to them, and he is in charge of the line in the kitchen and the other chefs.

“If it is needed, George will jump on the line, but we are blessed to have a phenomenal staff, and we believe in consistency,” said Ronalyn. “Everyone had a specific area that they cook, such as the grill or sauteing. Our chefs and Jaime come up with the daily specials.”

As the restaurant grew, so did George’s responsibilities. So, moving out of the kitchen and into day-to-day operations was necessary, but sometimes, he will feel a pull back to the kitchen.

“Every now and then, I will get in there and do something,” said George. “I will come up with my special dish for the day and make multiple trays of it. It’s not too often, but I try to do it about once a month. It just depends on how busy I am.”

By George was recently featured on an episode of America’s Best Restaurants. The June episode is titled “It’s Not All Greek to Me! By George.” Search for the video on YouTube.

“Our customers were absolutely thrilled, especially the day they came and did the production of the video,” said Ronalyn. “So many people have watched it, and we still get approached by people who say they have seen the video and loved it. We were definitely grateful.”

Though neither of them had any experience running a restaurant, Ronalyn said that she thinks if you have enough determination, you can do anything you want. She also credits a lot of their success to their head chef, Kepich.

“Jaime plays a big role in the restaurant,” said George. “He does a good job for us.”

They feel their prices are reasonable and affordable, from their $12 burger to a $42 ribeye. Customers range from families to business people coming to the restaurant daily.

Visit bygeorgeonthemon.com, facebook.com/ByGeorgeOnTheMon or instagram.com/_bygeorge_/ for more information.

By George is located at 1 Monogahela St. in Monessen.