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Highlands Today

Mediterranean restaurants are popping up like mushrooms

Jasmina Meyer, Highlands Today

Michael Kokkoris, owner, offers a wide variety on his menu including many Greek specialties at the Lakeview Restaurant and Lounge on Kenilworth Boulevard in Sebring.

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By GARY PINNELL

Highlands Today

Published: November 8, 2009

SEBRING - There's Gyro Plus, Olympic and Yianni's steakhouse. Obviously, they're Greek restaurants.

But there's also Caddyshack, Lakeview and Sunrise, which are owned by Greeks. Zeno's is Italian, but it's owned by Basil Makris, a Greek.

And now there's Jimmy's Greek American Grill, a new entry on Lakeview Drive.

So why are so many Highlands County restaurants owned by Greeks?

John Agelopoulos and his father, Theo, own Gyro Plus in north Sebring.

"It's something we laugh about," John smiled. "When we meet, we ask each other, 'So, which restaurant does your dad own?'"

He laughed, then admitted, "It's also a way to establish family ties. But we all know each other."

And they often partner on restaurants, before going out on their own.

Zeno's
One of the first Greeks in Highlands County was Basil Makris, who came from Clearwater. He owned the original Zenos, in the Fountain Plaza where Sunrise is located. Sunrise is owned by another Greek family.

"It was the original Zeno's," said Makris, who got involved with Greek partners in Caddyshack, and is once again the owner of Zeno's, with shops in Sun n' Lake and south Sebring. Zeno's serves a mix of Italian pizza and ziti, American burgers, and Greek items like spinach pie.

"There are a lot of new ones lately," Makris said. "When I came here in 1982, "there was only the Olympic in Avon Park, and eventually Yianni's.

Jimmy's
Jimmy Lilopoulos was at Lakeview Restaurant and Lounge before he moved across Kenilworth Avenue a few months to open his own place on Lakeview Drive, which was successful enough on Wednesday to have cars parking in an overflow lot. At noon, both the interior dining room and the patio were full.

And the Agelopouloses ¯ who own Gyro Plus ¯ are still partners with Michael Kokkoris at Lakeview.

But back to the original question: why do so many Greeks own restaurants?

This time, it's Theo who answers, but he lapses into his native language. He was born in Tripoli ¯ not the Libyan city, the Greek island city between the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea.

"Because Greeks work so hard," he brags with a grin. Well, the fact behind that boast ¯ as anyone who has ever been in the food business knows – is that cafes look charming and romantic, but they require morning-to-midnight toil, drudgery, sweat and dedication.

And Greeks, Makris said, have a natural sense of hospitality. "We like to entertain."

He tells his waiters and waitresses, "this is your living room."

Greek history
Many of the earliest Greeks in Florida migrated to the Tarpon Springs area, Theo Agelopoulos said. The greatest number came after World War II and the Greek Civil War, and some famously became sponge divers. Even more founded diners, especially in New York.

Michael Kokkoris is at Lakeview now, but he was born in Sparta. His first name is really Mihalis, which translates to Michael.

"Greeks as a whole, when we come to this country, we know we are going to be in the restaurant business," Kokkoris said. "We bring our own cuisine, we combine it with American and Italian. I came here in 1964, to Brooklyn. I started washing dishes. We save our pennies."

At Lakeview, Kokkoris gets to work at 9 a.m., and leaves 12 hours later. He's not just the owner and the manager, he's the baker.

"Because to watch the business, you have to be on top of it," Kokkoris explained. "I have to make sure the food is fresh and cooked right."

"I do twice as much at supper," Kokkoris said. "I get a lot from the hotel next door. We have a large capacity in the place; I get 10 and 12 and 15, and if I need to, I can seat a party of 20."

How much is enough?
Most of the Greek places could be described as cafes, luncheonettes or diners; Lakeview and Yianni's are full-menu restaurants. Most of the local Greek restaurants are like the Olympic: American and other ethnic foods dominate the menu, but locals know there are Greek dishes because the owners are Greek.

There are so many Greek restaurants lately, even the Greeks are starting to wonder if there's enough.

"There are too many restaurants for the population," Makris thinks. "Sebring is still Sebring in the summertime."

Translation: when Highlands County's 20,000 snowbirds are still in the north, the permanent population of 100,000 isn't large enough to support the 127 restaurants listed in the Yellow Pages.

"I think now we're maxed out," Kokkoris agreed. "I don't think this town can hold another one."

What's good?
At Gyro Plus, the gyro is the obvious choice. Most gyros are usually made from lamb or a combination of beef and lamb. That creamy white sauce is tzatziki, a combination of whipped yogurt, cucumber and garlic. John Agelopoulos suggests the Greek salad with tangy feta cheese and grilled chicken.

At Zeno's, Basil Makris says call ahead to get a half-chicken, cooked in lemon butter and oregano sauce with a side of pasta.

Michael Kokkoris at Lakeview recommends the mousaka. It's layers and layers of fried eggplant embraced by meat sauce, potatoes, more meat sauce, long noodles, butter and a veil of creamy sauce.

Highlands Today reporter Gary Pinnell can be reached at 863-386-5828 or gpinnell@highlandstoday.com

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