Vasili Karagiannopoulos at his newest Santa Cruz restaurant, The Greek. Photo by Chip Scheuer.
Over a cup of coffee and his morning cigarette, Vasili Karagiannopoulos talked to us about his life of food as he prepared to open his restaurant The Greek for the day.
While working on a cruise ship in Greece, Karagiannopoulos met the woman who would become his wife, Kathia, and moved to the United States. He opened Vasili’s on Bay and Mission in 1991, and sold it in 2003. He opened The Greek in 2008.
SCW: What are popular Greek spices?
VASILI KARAGIANNOPOULOS: The most popular is the Greek oregano. It is second to none on the planet. The climate and the ground there is different.
What do you think when you go past Vasili’s?
It’s like a dream. You have a nice dream after all those years.
What did you do after you sold it?
I moved to Vacaville, and I opened another restaurant. And then for five years, I was always coming to the Greek Festival.
What happened to the Vacaville place?
I sold that one. They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
What’s your favorite dish?
I like lamb shanks. I like everything. If I don’t eat it, I don’t cook it.
What’s a typical day like?
I come in at 8 o’clock at the latest, and I’m out of here at 10 or 11pm everyday, seven days a week.
What do you do before you open at 11am?
It depends. Every day I’m preparing—moussaka, pastitsio, cutting kebabs, the souvlaki. Every three days we rotate. I make fresh stuff. I don’t make nothing to last more than three days.
Where do you get your recipes?
Most of my recipes come from my mom. I’ve been working with mom, since I was little. But I worked for seven years on a cruise ship also, so I got a lot. I’ve been through a lot in my life.
What was it like putting on the Greek Festival?
A lot of people work—a lot of volunteers. Everybody does a little bit. It takes a lot of guts, especially in September. You see so many people, and you’re having fun at the same time.
Are you still married to Kathia?
Of course. Absolutely. Yesterday was our 40-year anniversary. 40 years went boom, just like this (snaps fingers). It seems like yesterday.
