NEO magazine - December 2018

DEC

Maria Zoitas’

MADE WITH LOVE: The Ultimate Greek Cookbook from Lefkada to Manhattan

2018

$4.95

FROM THE EDITOR

:: magazine FOUNDED IN 2005 BY Demetrios Rhompotis Dimitri Michalakis Kyprianos Bazenikas Publishing Committee Chairman Demetrios Rhompotis (718) 554-0308 dondemetrio@neomagazine.com Director of Operations Kyprianos Bazenikas info@neomagazine.com Marketing & Advertising Director Tommy Harmantzis (347) 613-4163 th@radioneo.us ATHENS - GREECE Public Relations & Marketing Director Rita Despotidis rdespotis@gmail.com NEO Magazine is published monthly by Neocorp Media Inc. P.O. Box 560105 College Point, NY 11356 Phone: (718) 554-0308 e-Fax: (718) 878-4448 info@neomagazine.com Check our website neomagazine.com

Food for thought

Our cover story on food maven and cookbook author Mazia Zoitas highlights how food—any food—is more than just something you cook: there is a whole history behind it.

The cooked wheat berries that she features in her cookbook and is a bestseller at the family’s gourmet markets is the same sperina Maria’s family served back in Lefkada and that we all have had at church for the mnimosina with the layer of white sugar on top and the crosses outlined in silver candy beads. It represents the circle of death and rebirth and as a kid it was the favorite part of the mnimosina because you usually got a plastic cup of it to munch before you went home and had Sunday dinner.

Hippocrates recommended it, and when a winner was appointed at the ancient games he got a laurel wreath and a dressing (of his person) with olive oil. The word “messiah” in fact means the anointed one—with olive oil. A whole history of Greece in the humble olive.

I remember my grandmother making a formal dinner back in Chios and sending my grandfather and me on all sorts of errands: I would pluck the lettuce from the garden, crunching as I ripped it apart and washed it for Yiayia, and she would pluck some of the basil and other herbs she had growing just outside her bedroom window along with her yiasemi. To spice up the salad, Papou would be sent to tramp across the field to pick some tomatoes from his tomato patch (where the plug of the basin that collected the rainwater was one of his old shirts) and on his way back he might break off some lemons and limes from the grove of fruit trees that provided the shade for all the chickens foraging below. As for the poor chickens, one of them would be picked out on the spot, usually the one with the fattest thighs, to be the main course. One time my favorite white rooster was chosen as the main course and it nearly broke my heart to see him on a plate.

Unfortunate for him, but fortunate for us, he tasted delicious in my grandmother’s tomato sauce.

Breakfast back home in Greece might be nothing more than olives and bread. And what about the history of Greece and olives—could Greece ever have existed in history with all its spectacular achievements without the olive tree? Maria’s family—and practically every family in rural Greece--spent half the year collecting the olives and then going through the process of crushing them and turning them into the oil that sustained the family and was used in all their food: what Greek food doesn’t have olive oil in it. And Happy Holidays. although the ancients thought eating olive oil was unseemly, they used it for everything else, DIMITRI C. MICHALAKIS including ointments for health and beauty,

Cover photo by Bill Milne

:: magazine PUBLISHED MONTHLY IN NEW YORK Editor in Chief: Dimitri C. Michalakis info@neomagazine.com Western Region Desk - Los Angeles Alexander Mizan director@americanhellenic.org West Palm Beach, Florida Desk Vassilios Kukorinis skopelitis@hotmail.com Baltimore Desk Georgia Vavas gvavas@comcast.net Photo/Fashion New York: ETA Press fpapagermanos@yahoo.com Los Angeles: Nick Dimitrokalis (951) 764-5737 photobynikos@hotmail.com Graphic Design NEOgraphix.us Adrian Salescu Athens Desk Konstantinos Rhompotis (01130) 210 51 42 446 (01130) 6937 02 39 94 k.rhompotis@neomagazine.com

strategy στρατηγική γνῶθι σεαυτόν: A Debate Over the Future of Hellenism is Long Overdue

Endy Zemenides is the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), a national advocacy organization for the Greek American community.

To learn more about HALC, visit www.hellenicleaders.com

The National Hellenic Museum in the heart of Chicago's Greek Town Photo by Eric Allix Rogers

By Endy Zemenides

As the news about Amazon picking Long Island City as one of its two new headquarters locations came through, opposition on social media flashed photos of restaurants closing in Astoria and Greek restaurants being replaced with national chains. People started raising the prospect of ethnic enclaves in Astoria being wiped out.

At the same time, Crain’s Chicago Business published a piece entitled “Can Greektown Survive?” by journalist Ari Bendersky (the piece is available online). Chicago’s Greektown is located in the hottest part of the city’s real estate market – over the past few years the headquarters of McDonald’s and the Midwest headquarters for Google have relocated to the West Loop. If one walks east from Greektown, what was once a relative deadzone along the Chicago River between the central business district and Greektown now hosts a bevy of corporate headquarters buildings – including a new Facebook office, Boeing’s corporate headquarters, and law firms and corporate giants like CNA Insurance that relocated west from along the lakefront. The decline of Chicago’s Greektown may presage the fate of Astoria.

– with the fate of the Archdioces

e seemingly tied to it – is not a subject that fills anyone with confidence; the historic parish of Holy Trinity in Chicago faces an imminent foreclosure and perhaps extinction; Greek schools are closing around the country; at least one Modern Greek studies program has been eliminated. I could go on and on.

The maxim that failure is the best teacher has become a common theme in stories of corporate, educational and sports success. TED Talks and various books talk about the value of learning from failure. So it is long past due that we start studying our failures if we are to grow as a community. In fact, it is necessary to do so if we are even to survive. And thus I refer you all to one of the inscriptions that was above the Temple of Apollo at Delphi - γνῶθι σεαυτόν or “know thyself ”. This month we’ll discuss the fate of our traditional ethnic enclaves and whether that fate teaches us anything of use Yet I am not writing to analyze real estate for our other trends, the effects of gentrification or whether institutions.

America’s great cities are becoming too expensive. There was a line from the Crain’s W h e n I piece that makes these developments worthy of practiced law, I discussion here. A real estate executive w o r k e d o n commented on the decline of Greektown by developments saying: “I don't know how Greek heritage in and around grows and expands due to the higher rents." I Greektown for found the observation thoroughly insulting, as over a decade. if our traditional dining scene is the key to For obvious Greek heritage. (Since most of the Crain’s piece reasons, I have is nonsensical – I’ll dive deeper below – the s t a y e d observation didn’t surprise me). Yet the fate of involved in the Greektown – and perhaps Astoria – seem to be a r e a . T h e part of a greater trend: the future of St. Nicholas Crain’s piece 16

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may be one of the worst analyses that I have read.

The author tries to overdramatize the present decline in Greektown by designating it a “oncethriving ethnic enclave”. By definition, Greektown hasn’t been an “ethnic enclave” for decades. Greeks haven’t lived there since the University of Illinois at Chicago was built over the famous “Delta” where Greeks settled.

Today, neither the owners of Greektown’s businesses nor their employees live in Greektown or its vicinity. Can’t blame zoning or rising rents for this.

At another point the article – all within a few sentences – classifies the closed restaurants as part of the “once vibrant dining options” and then calls the same restaurants “the equivalent of red-sauce Italian—that is, traditional and

Amazon is picking Long Island City as one of its two new headquarters

predictable.” So what is really behind the decline of Greektown restaurants – new residential and commercial developments or a deficient product?

I particularly love the complaint over parking – which has been stated in all kind of ways for three decades. “They put in the buildings and eliminated parking spaces, so nobody can park," protests one business owner in the piece. Parking in Greektown is better than the hot Randolph Market restaurant row, and it doesn’t seem to be hurting those restaurants. Furthermore, there are more residents, more businesses in and around Greektown (and thus more people that are within walking distance and certainly a wider potential lunch audience) than there were during the “golden age” of a “thriving”/now closed down restaurants. Never mind that Uber/Lyft have really decreased need for parking, a feature that may become even more obsolete once driveless cars come online.

Right after Thanksgiving, I was moved to witness a Greektown business owner offer somewhat of an apology to another Greektown land owner who is rarely in Chicago any more. He said “John, you were right about where Greektown was headed if we didn’t get our act together. We didn’t listen and now it is too late.” I offer that anecdote as an admonition: let’s focus on reality instead of personalities. No one person or development doomed Greektown. Demographics and change of tastes, and a complete and utter failure to adapt to these changes, is what doomed Greektown. The same conclusion can be reached regarding the fate of Holy Trinity in Chicago – despite the intellectually fraudulent and dishonest attempt by whoever is left at that parish to pin it on one individual. Neither demographics nor tastes (in cuisine, in worship, in travel, in education) are going to return to what was typical during the age of Greek immigrants. How are we going to change as a result?

Annual Oxi Courage Awards Inspire and Showcase the Best of Humanity

Oxi Courage Award recipient Vladimir Kara-Murza and presenter Michael Psaros

Earlier in the day, at the National World War II Memorial, the Oxi Day Foundation honored three remarkable WWII veterans - a Greek, a Greek-American and an American - alongside K o r e a n Wa r v e t e r a n Michael Johnson who received the prestigious 2018 Michael Jaharis Service Award, for his service in the war and continued service to the Greek-American community.

The WWII veterans honored were: 101 year old American veteran nominated by Senator Bob Dole (who previously received this award), Celestino Almeda; 97 year old Greek veteran who fought alongside US troops in the historic D-Day battle, Rear Admiral Theodoros Lymberakis; and (posthumously) Greek-American member of the remarkable OSS (the precursor to the CIA), Alexander Georgiades.

later was featured by the President of the United States in the State of the Union address •2016: Vice President Joe Biden and son Beau Biden (posthumously)

Jaharis Service Award recipient Michael Johnson with Jaharis Family Foundation Executive Director Peggy Sotirhos Nicholson

This past October, the Washington Oxi Day Foundation again featured #OXIcourage, past and present, before top US policymakers from the White House and State Department, and thought leaders from think tanks and the media. On October 25, at the US Institute of Peace, the Foundation honored modern day fighters for freedom and democracy who exhibit the David vs. Goliath courage of the Greeks in WWII. The prestigious Oxi Courage Award was presented to twice-poisoned Russian democracy activist Vladimir Kara-Murza and Chinese poet Liu Xia, the widow of China’s greatest dissident and Nobel laureate Liu Xaibo.

The Chairman of the national Holocaust Museum Board, Howard Lorber, received the Metropolitan Chrysostomos Award which highlights the courage of the Greeks during the Holocaust.

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Washington Oxi Day Foundation President and Founder Andy Manatos

Previous recipients of the Oxi Courage Award award include: •2017: North Korean defector and human rights activist Ji Seong-ho - who 3 months

Oxi Courage Award recipient Liu Xia and presenters Jim Chanos, Ted Bozonelis, Andy Manatos and Mike Manatos

Liu Xia appearing by video at the October 25 gala Laying a wreath at Arlington National Cemetary’s Tomb of the Unknowns in tribute to those who lost their lives in WWII

who exhibit the same courage as the Greeks did in continuing to fight to preserve and promote freedom and democracy around the world.

•2016: Escaped ISIS sex slave and 2018 Nobel Journalist James Foley, just weeks after Peace Prize recipient Nadia Murad (nominated becoming the first American executed by ISIS.

by Amal Clooney) (President Bill Clinton introduced Foley and Jim’s parents accepted the award).

•Imprisoned Azerbaijani activist Leyla Yunus (nominated and introduced by Bono) - who Early in the morning of October 28th, 1940, the weeks later was freed from jail Greek Prime Minister was awoken to respond to a series of demands from a representative of the Axis Powers which would Metropolitan Chrysostomos Award recipient have allowed foreign troops free Howard Lorber with the Ambassador of Greece to the US Haris Lalacos reign in Greece. His response was simple, yet firm: “Oxi” — No. The Washington Oxi Day Foundation is a nonprofit, 501c3 organization dedicated to informing American policymakers and the public about the profound role Greece played in bringing about the outcome of World War II and celebrating modern day heroes

Greek Naval Attache (L) and Greek Defense Attached (R) with the Greatest Generation Award

Today’s heroes around the world who – in the spirit of Oxi Day – courageously battle Goliaths for freedom and democracy are nominated by America’s policymakers and opinion leaders to be honored before international and national leaders convening in Washington, D.C. each October for the Annual Washington Oxi Day Celebration which spans two days and attracts over 400 participants.

WWII Veterans George Possas and Celestino Almeda at the National WWII Memorial ceremony

Photini Tomai and Peter Georgiades, son of the Greatest Generation Award recipient, Alexander Georgiades

NEWS & NOTES

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Maria Zoitas’ MADE WITH LOVE: The Ultimate Greek Cookbook from Lefkada to Manhattan

macaropita, I told him. I do all the cooking.”

From those humble beginnings, the family grocery store grew into a chain of gourmet markets called Westside Markets that have served Manhattan for years and also New Jersey.

by Dimitri C. Michalakis

And Maria’s cooking has gone from the meals she made at home to a line of Maria’s Homemade cooking featured in every Westside Besides the lifetime of recipes from her own life Market and now compiled into a coffee-table and the millennia of Greek cooking, the book is cookbook that might be the definite guide to a loving tribute to her native Lefkada, named Greek cooking called MADE WITH LOVE: From the White Island for its cliffs, which Byron the Greek Island of Lefkada to Manhattan’s Westside Markets.

Maria & John Zoitas, George Zoitas,

“These recipes are my own inheritance as a little girl from my mother and grandmother and the generations of women in Greece who learned how to cook from the land,” she writes in her introduction. “They are the inheritance I want to leave for my own children and grandchildren—but also now to share “And I never saw him,” she says. “Except around with you.” the dinner table with his family because we lived with them. And I told him let’s go live by The list of the recipes is as exhaustive as ourselves. And he said, you don’t even know the photographs are spectacular in what how to cook fasolada. And I said who does the may become the ultimate Bible of Greek cooking now? My mother does the cooking, he cooking. said. Your mother only knows how to cook Maria Zoitas was a young bride when she first came to America and her husband John (who took her on romantic carriage rides during their honeymoon back in Greece) now plunged back to work at the grocery store he ran in Morningside Heights in Manhattan where he kept a Doberman for protection.

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“I pride myself that I never stopped growing as a cook,” says Maria. “So you’ll see recipes that I learned along the way in a whole lifetime of cooking, and also that I know my thousands of customers have liked: my customers are my extended family. Seeing people enjoy my food brings me great joy. And they always asked me, when are you going to write a cookbook? So here it is.”

Ermione & Demetri Belesis, Anna Zoitas and grandson John

PHOTOS: BILL MILNE

recorded and Homer mentioned as the home of Odysseus. The island is also where Greece’s most flamboyant modern poet, Angelos Sikelianos, was born and where he tried to revive the ancient Delphic festivals, where the archaeologist of Troy Wilhelm Dorpfeld is buried in the midst of digging for royal tombs on the island, and where some churches are nearly a thousand years old and St. Paul preached.

It also has a Folklore Museum housing maps dating back to the 1600s, a Phonograph Museum with perhaps the most extensive and unique collection in the world, a Municipal Art Gallery with 28,000 titles mentioning Lefkada, and a marching band with a history of playing at the first modern Olympics, not to mention the island’s tradition of embroidery, which has been displayed all over the world.

and every meal was an occasion.

Nobody ate until everybody was there to eat together, all eight of us: my father Angelo who loved food more than money, my mother Efrosini who gave the choicest portions to her kids (my sisters Effie and Hara and my brother Niko, who was the baby and the boy so he got the chicken liver and first choice of the loukoumi treat), and also my grandparents — including my grandfather Nicholas, who was a cop and generous with everything, including our food.”

It was a life without movies, without television, and no electricity, until 1972 (a car battery provided power when needed) and cooking and eating was the found again - a Greek cookbook circa 1961 called Cooking and Pastry “Asteros” - with my highlight of the day. handwritten notes still attached for recipes like “I also wanted to show Lefkada,” says Maria. “It has some of the purest waters in the world and “And what we cooked was everything that grew apples in syrup with walnuts,” she says. “And every year thousands of sports lovers go there around us,” she says. “Nothing was wasted: the that’s when I also started making the so-called to surf and sail: in fact, it is among the top three must from the grape juice we used to make spoon sweets using seasonal fruit like figs, p e t i m e z i , a g r a p e grapes and cherries soaked in syrup and usually From right: Maria's son-in-law Demetri Belesis, who is a foundation molasses, and a grape served formally to guests—along with a glass of of the business along with daughter Ermione; son George who works pudding often sprinkled water to dunk your spoon and wash down the closely with his father as his right hand man; and the trusted store with crushed nuts we sweetness.” and department managers “Big” Jorge Arias, Nicko Glenis, Ian Joskowitz, John’s nephew Panagiotis Zoitas, Maria's nephew call moustalevria (I still Kostas Kavvadias, and Omesh Rangila use petimezi in my But mostly she made the family’s everyday meals and they were strictly regimented. recipes).”

windsurfing destination in the world.”

But the book is most of all a tribute to the Greek woman who did most of the cooking in Greek life, foremost among them Maria’s mother and grandmother, Efrosini and Efthimia Katopodis.

The family also cultivated lemon trees and orange trees and lime trees, sowed wheat (by tossing it endlessly into the air to separate), grew lentils, but mostly they harvested olives to make olive oil—more than 100 barrels a year.

“Our lunch was the most elaborate meal of the day and could be as sumptuous as my braised chicken, or stuffed tomatoes, or peppers, or eggplant with potatoes, or even rabbit stew,” she says. “And in my family everybody had seconds—usually more.”

Dinner was the lightest meal of the day, and in the summer it might be no more than some Kokkini soupa (tomato soup), or greens, or a slice of cheese pie, or a bread grilled in olive oil “Collecting olives was our livelihood, but it was we called pyromada and then dipped in olive a job I hated—you had to work in the cold, you oil or wine for a treat called zoupa. had to scrounge in the gravel to collect the fallen olives, and it chapped my hands and chipped my nails and I hated it,” says Maria.

“Who were both phenomenal cooks and who always inspired me to enjoy and love the art of cooking by preparing the most exceptional and Fortunately, her delicious meals for our family,” she says. “I love mother took pity them and still miss them both very much.” on her and let her cook instead to And it all began back in Dragano. feed the family and the men who Dragano is the mountain village on Lefkada worked for them. where Maria was born. Her husband was born on the other side of the mountain in the “The first ‘real’ neighboring village of Roupakia, where her meal I made was grandmother comes from. braised chicken, until I got my first “Before I got married,” she says, “I was the real cookbook at oldest daughter in a family where food was king 11, which I recently

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cookies or koulouria made with a dash of vanilla and brushed with egg yolk to give them a nice glaze.

“Our family had some means (I wore leather shoes, a real luxury, when John had no shoes at all), so we might eat fish and meat several times a week from our own livestock, including rabbits, but otherwise it was a classic Mediterranean diet,” she says. “Everything cooked or prepared with olive oil, seasoned with herbs, and usually including a serving of vegetables cooked with the meal or as a side dish or as the meal itself. The ultimate vegetable

him), then at a grocery store he liked better; until he bought his own store with the little money he had, and then another (working with his brothers), which he slept in to guard it and where supposedly the bodies fell from windows because the neighborhood was so “To break the fast on rough and he kept two Dobermans to protect holidays and also to him. offer when visiting on birthdays and “That’s when he came to Greece to find a bride n a m e d a y s ( a n d to share his ‘life,’” says Maria with a rueful smile t r a d i t i o n a l l y t o about her arrival in America. “Because I was m o u r n e r s a t suddenly very alone here: we lived with John’s memorial services), extended family (nine people brought over by w e w o u l d m a k e their bachelor uncle Andreas) and we lived with hesperina, or as the all the other Greeks in Astoria, but I missed my locals call it sperna,” own family, and John was never home.” she says. “We would boil dried wheat To keep herself busy she kept up with her berries and then add cooking. ever ything from raisins to pomegranates to blanched almonds “I cooked for the whole family and waited for and walnuts (for memorial services also them to come home,” she says. “That’s when I topping it off with a coating of sugar and a learned how to roast turkey and make stuffing pattern of Jordan almonds) and then bring it to from my father-in-law who learned it from church for evening services (why it’s Andreas who was a chef all his life in diners. The called—hesperina—for evening vespers).” first Thanksgiving with the turkey and the stuffing made a big impression on me. (I also Life could be sweet growing up on the island, learned the mysteries of adding egg to my filo so watching the sun rise and fall from the sea, but it wouldn’t stick.)” it could also be hard for women.

After about a year of staying home, she went to “Even though I was a top student the store to help her husband, only she couldn’t (I loved math and wanted to be a speak English, except for a few choice words. doctor) I had to drop out of school because I was the eldest “I worked the register and when the customers daughter and had to learn how to got rough I would tell them, ‘Aw, shut up, be a homemaker,” says Maria. stupid,’” she laughs.

‘Who’s going to marry you if you don’t know how to spread your filo?’ my mother would tell me. ( Who’s going to marry you if you go to high school and all the boys look at you! my father would tell me.)”

And then John came into her life. dish was briami: a mélange of potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, onion, tomato and sometimes okra and bell peppers cooked in His life was an odyssey unto itself. olive oil.”

His father wanted to make him a Holidays, of course, were special and a priest, not for the meager salary but Christmas meal might start with avgolemono for the tips he would collect at soup, yaprakia, also called lahanodolmades, weddings and funerals. Then he (meat wrapped in cabbage leaves and baked) as wanted to make him a cop, but John a side dish or appetizer, lemon pork cooked was too short and he had already with celery as a main course, and, of course, a served in the Army. So since the family table full of pastry and cookies: baklava, was very poor, John was still a boy m e l o m a k o r o n a ( h o n e y c o o k i e s ) , when he had to leave home to find kourambiedes (shortbread cookies topped work, and then only a teen where he with confectionary sugar), karidopita (walnut traveled from Germany to Australia cake with honey or syrup), ravani or and then America, where he worked pandespani (sponge cake made with mixed first at a coffee shop in New York City semolina flour and topped with honey) and the (Hey, young man, he says they called 24

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She made their lunch an elaborate affair: lemon chicken, chicken with peppers, macaroni with meat sauce, fried eggplant in tomato sauce—hearty meals, which John quickly got used to—and which his partner at the store, Christos, would eat by the bowl.

But then she got pregnant and stayed home to raise her kids, until her kids went to school, and she decided that what the stores really needed was cheesecake—home-made cheesecake.

“It was a classic American dessert and everybody loved it,” she says.

But John was an old produce man.

“I’d rather sell a box of bananas,” he told her.

So she got her brother Nick, also working at the store now, to bring her cheesecake to the store, only when she went down to the store one day herself she saw all her cheesecakes stacked up in the fridge. but now their kids oversee the stores: her son George with her son-in-law Dimitri Beleses “I’d still rather sell a box of bananas,” her (who both went to business school), her husband insisted. daughter Anna who also went to business school and worked at the store (and sold her But she got him to display it, and it sold, and own brand of olive oil), and their daughter then she tried spanakopita and falafel and Ermione, who later became a teacher. ready-to-eat hot meals, and when they sold, John, the smart businessman, finally relented “We’re a family and our employees are family, “and gave us some space in the basement to too,” says Maria. cook—not much space, enough for a mixer and a hot plate, and together with Mike Katopodis And so are her customers, who had been (also from Lefkada) we got started on Maria’s clamoring for her cookbook for years. So after a Homemade.” two-year effort, which involved not only compiling and testing her recipes to make them “We were so successful with Maria’s Homemade accessible to everyone, but also visiting Lefkada that John gave us more and more space for our prepared and hot foods, until our kitchen soon ran practically the length of each of our stores and our staff grew from just Mike and me and our mixer and hot plate to literally dozens of people and then the hundreds we now employ working in shifts round-the-clock.”

to do even more research and take the breathtaking photographs, MADE WITH LOVE was finally published this Fall and is now available on Amazon and other outlets and always at the stores.

“This is my legacy,” says Maria. “The legacy to my family to show them my life and work, but also to show them where I came from and what life was like on an island like Lefkada, which is still beautiful, always beautiful, and which is still my second home.”

The book makes a spectacular holiday gift and all proceeds will go to charity.

Today the stores make over 600 fresh items every day, ranging from 20 kinds of couscous, 30 kinds of soup, an endless variety of salads you can buy packaged or make yourself, over 450 types of cheese to choose from, and a complete menu of hot meals from rotisserie chicken with assorted seasonings (hundreds sold every day) to wild poached Atlantic salmon with lemon dill sauce.

“And I’m a stickler for using only the freshest ingredients,” she says. “Just like the herbs I picked back in the mountains of Dragano and I still use in my own home cooking today. Only now I cook for most of Manhattan, too.”

Maria still supervises her kitchens, and John still designs the displays with paper and pencil, PHOTOS: BILL MILNE

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David Fein. Rachel Fein, Diane Mazza, Joe Mazza, Susie Fein, Roger Fein

Susanna Homan, Monica Canellis, Azzeza Khan

Gala Chairs Danielle & Alex Samoylovich with Eleni Bousis, chair of the Founding Board for the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation

Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation Gala Raises $3.5 Million for the Lurie Cancer Center This past November, the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation (HCRF) raised more than $3.5 million to benefit high-impact translational research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. “I Will Survive” was the theme of HCRF’s third annual gala, The Wings to Cure, attended by more than 600 guests at the Aon Grand Ballroom at Chicago’s Navy Pier.

A video highlighting the ground-breaking research of Lurie Cancer Center’s talented physicians and scientists was followed by remarks from director, Leonidas Platanias, MD, PhD. “Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being here today. We have built a very strong group, all working to fight cancer LeeAnn Trotter, entertainment reporter for together, through research and clinical care.

NBC 5, and Lou Canellis, sports anchor at I’m confident, with your support, we will make WFLD-TV, were the evening’s emcees. The a big difference.” black-tie event began with an elegant cocktail Gala co-chairs, Alex and Danielle Samoylovich, reception. Matt Lewis and The Union Band set Nearly half of all men and one-third of women welcomed guests and shared how losing their the tone for dinner and dancing. in the United States will develop cancer during 26

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close friend and business partner, Jay Michael fueled their desire to find cures. Together with HCRF’s founding chair, Eleni Bousis, they thanked friends and supporters for raising funds to “create hope and a bright future for those affected by cancer.”

Ben Fields, Steven Galanis, Themis Galanis, Teddi Galanis, Jonathan Galanis, Lauren Elliott, Ben Bates

Evangelo Bousis, Peter Dundas, George Bousis, Eleni Bousis, Peter Rahal, Rishi Shah, Sam Jaradeh

Eleni Bousis, Susana Alberti de Berdakin, Nicole and Eli Boufis

Evangelo, Eleni, Jimmy, Victoria and George Bousis Gala Chairman Alex Samoylovich with Dr. Leonidas Platanias, director of the Lurie Cancer Center

Rishi Shah, Peter Rahal, Jimmy Bousis, John Manos, George Bousis, Dimitri Bousis Jr.

Evangelo Bousis, Emi Livaniou, Eleni Bousis, Katerina Panagopoulos, Yiannis Hadjiloizou, Peter Dundas

their lifetime. The mission of the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation is to discover, develop and implement effective new treatments for patients with cancer by advancing groundbreaking research. Their goal — to eliminate cancer and save lives — is ambitious but achievable.

The Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation's diverse network of donors provides the philanthropic support to fund interdisciplinary research teams at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of

LeeAnn Trotter, Lou Canellis, Eleni Bousis, Alexandra Marousis, Dean Marousis, Leonidas Platanias, MD, PhD

Northwestern University, empowering their world-class investigators to join forces and address the most urgent questions in the fields of cancer biology and oncology in daring and innovative ways. By investing in "out of the box" research, with an emphasis on translational cancer research, the HCRF will accelerate and heighten the impact of scientific discoveries.

Often referred to as the "father of medicine" for his lasting contributions to the field, Hippocrates was revered as the ideal physician and admired as a teacher. The Hippocratic Oath

is considered a rite of passage for doctors to this day, setting the highest ethical standards for compassionate care, respect for patient privacy and sharing scientific knowledge for the benefit of future generations. Hippocrates' approach to scientific discovery and empathetic care has inspired the establishment of the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation (HCRF).

PHOTOS: CHRIS BOUBRIS PHOTOGRAPHY

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AHEPA and Hellenic Bar Association of CT Host Hellenic Issues Lecture

Cyprus Federation Promotes “Cultural Diplomacy”

From left: Dr. Evangelos Hadjimichael, Chapter President, Chapter #98, Nick Larigakis, President, American Hellenic Institute and Gregory J. Stamos, Past Supreme Counselor, Order of AHEPA and President of the Hellenic Bar Association of Connecticut

New Haven Chapter #98 of the Order of AHEPA and the Hellenic Bar Association of Connecticut sponsored and hosted a timely presentation by Nick Larigakis, President of the American Hellenic Institute ("AHI" ), at the Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church Social and Educational Hall in Orange, Connecticut. Mr. Larigakis broadly discussed the United States' geopolitical relations with Greece and Cyprus and the future of Hellenism in America.

Mr. Larigakis provided an overview of the mission and accomplishments of AHI since its founding by Gene Rossides in 1974 as a response to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and how it has since evolved into a well-respected, scholarly "think tank" on issues relevant to the United States' geopolitical relations with Greece and Cyprus and as a proactive lobbyist to Congress on Hellenic causes.

Nick provided a summary of the current relevant issues, including the ongoing Cyprus reunification talks, the United States military presence at Suda Bay on the island of Crete, the impact of the possible name change of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and status on relations with Turkey and Israel and the geopolitical tensions in the Aegean Sea. Nick 's primary message was that all Hellenes and Phihellenes need to remain aware of and engaged with these issues of importance to the U.S.A., Greece and Cyprus. In order to properly set the relevancy of Greece in its international relations with the United States, Nick stressed the long-term ramifications of Greek 's heroic resistance to the Axis powers in early World War II, symbolically celebrated by "Oxi Day" on October 28th, and the great extent that Greece and Cyprus have been long-standing allies of the United States, serving, in addition to Israel, as the only stabilizing forces in the Eastern Mediterranean.

A rapt audience of AHEPANS and other Greek and Cypriot Americans peppered Nick with questions in a lively follow-up session.

The event organizers, Gregory J. Stamos, Past Supreme Counselor of AHEPA and President of the Hellenic Bar Association of Connecticut, and Dr. Evangelos Hadjimichael, Chapter #98 President, praised Nick for serving as a beacon for and font of information on relevant Hellenic issues; Stamos, on behalf of the Hellenic Bar Association of Connecticut, and Hadjimichael, on behalf of AHEPA, presented Nick with donations to the American Hellenic Institute.

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The Federation of Cypriot American Organizations (FCAO) and leaders of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Westchester/Fairfield attended a lunch hosted by the Consul General of Cyprus in New York, Mr. Alexis Phedonos.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2018, the President, Kyriacos Papastylianou and the Executive Vice President, Nicos Paphitis, along with the President of PSEKA, Philip Christopher and Secretary of the Cyprus-US Chamber of Commerce, Maria Pappas met with the AJC delegation led by the Chairperson of the Cyprus Relations Team, Mona Abramson.

The initiative aims to promote cultural cooperation among the two communities through various events and activities. “Cultural interaction, promoting and reinforcing the differences and the similarities between the two countries, is our way of diplomacy,” highlighted Mr. Papastylianou.

The cultivation of the cooperation among the two communities commenced a year ago with prospects to grow and expand. The first joint cultural event between the Cypriot American Community and the AJC will take place on Thursday, December 6th, 2018, at the Pancyprian Center in Astoria.

The goal is to mark the beginning of a long-lasting relationship.

hellenes without borders “Uncle Nick” of Greenville I met him through my son. We had just moved to Clemson, South Carolina and I searched for a local Greek community for spiritual and cultural anchorage. After the church service, I saw my son in an animated conversation with a smartly dressed older man with a full head of white hair.

Overhearing his conversation about tennis, Chicago, the Clemson Tigers, and school, I approached and met my son’s new friend.

Nick Theodore, who served as South Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor from 1986 to 1995, sounds like a politician and statesman should sound, with a sonorous voice full of both gravitas and levity. Though, at 90 years of age, he is the grand old man of the Greek community of Greenville,

Nick Theodore high fiving future voters

he is still the “kid brother” for his three older sisters, aged 101, 100, and 98. He quickly made us feel at home, introducing us around, inviting us to become more involved in what must rank as one of the more welcoming Greek communities we have encountered (and I have been to many, on three continents).

The son of Spartan parents, Nick was born in Greenville in 1928, the youngest of five children.

He credits the love of his siblings, particularly his late brother, with making his integration into American life easier than it was for them. When asked about what inspired him to go into politics, he credits the benefits of the American public school system with giving him the tools to realize the American Dream, and much of his efforts in government would go into respecting that legacy by doing his best to improve public education in the state.

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Alexander Billinis is a writer and lawyer in Chicago, Illinois. He and his family returned to the US after nearly a decade in Greece, the UK, and Serbia. He writes prolifically on Balkan topics. His books, The Eagle has Two Faces: Journeys through Byzantine Europe, and Hidden Mosaics: An Aegean Tale, are available from Amazon.com.

Nick’s Greek heritage, too, certainly played a many Greek Americans of his generation, I sense role in going into politics. A very specific one, in his pride in country and heritage, and a real fact. AHEPA was founded in nearby Atlanta, both a p p r e c i a t i o n f o r t h e s t r u g g l e s — a n d to help the Greek immigrants assimilate into American life while cherishing their Greek heritage, and, crucially, to counter the very real prejudice that Greek Americans faced in America, and more particularly in the Anglo-Celtic, Protestant South. Nick’s flair for politics was forged in the Sons of Pericles, the young men’s arm of AHEPA. He was elected District Governor and eventually Supreme President. “I guess that was my start in politics,” he said, grinning.

Then, of course, there were the Maids of Athena, and the AHEPA dances, he recalls with a twinkle in his eye, and through With President George Bush these dances he met his wife of 63 years, Emily, from Savannah, Georgia. Nick started in prejudice—our community endured in the past. the insurance business, but For Nick's generation, a strong work ethic, the call of politics and service family, heritage, and as he tirelessly points proved too much for him and out—strong public education—made all the he ran successfully for the difference.

South Carolina state legislature in 1962, which Nick’s continues to advocate for educational, was at the time an all- business, community, and church issues, he is (Southern) Democrat, all- an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and white, all-male body.

For over 30 years, until an unsuccessful bid for Governor in 1994, Nick Theodore served in various elected offices, dedicating his efforts towards making life better for his constituents through education and business promotion. Though he remained a Democrat even as the state turned Republican, he successfully “reached across the aisle” to work with his Republican colleagues. As Lieutenant Governor, he worked with a Republican governor to bring business to the state, including BMW ’s North American Headquarters. When I mentioned what a coup this was, he smiled quietly, “We were doing our job for the people of South Carolina.” In this coarse Twitter age, such quiet modesty is a nostalgic anachronism.

Our conversations often, inevitably, turn to the present day, “I hate the divisiveness, we always tried to have a relationship [with the opposing party],” he says, shaking his head. Of the current climate, “it bothers me a great deal.”

Nick Theodore today, at 90...

he continues to set an example to his fellow parishioners and fellow citizens. He remembers the institutions, the heritage, and the country that made him—and us—what we are today.

These are timeless lessons.

On Election Day, we were over at Nick’s house, picking up some pictures for this article, and in talking to my son, he said, “Times are changing, and we want them to change, but we want it done in a civil manner.” Wise words for all of us, At other times he talks about his Greek roots, and for our politicians. about not forgetting where we came from. Like

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by Kelly Fanarioti One day Anna Apostolidou left behind the world of gymnastics where she had been training since she was three; said goodbye to track and field where she had won acclaim in the Pan-Hellenic and Pan-European games; and finally abandoned her career as an artistic gymnastics coach on the National Team.

Anna Apostolidou during her coaching time

And she did a 180 and became an entrepreneur from Thessaloniki who since 2013 has produced high-quality line of Greek food products under the name EON-“eternal life”-and exported them to Europe and America. In 2016 she took part in the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink competition in London and won her first Great Taste Award.

Apostolidou is one of the many Greeks, who despite the financial crisis, have managed to create their own personal success story even while the country’s economy is struggling.

"Nutrition has always played a very important role in my life because I have been a champion and I have always had a concern about what is healthy,” she says during an exclusive interview with NEO. “Over the years, I managed to collect a wide range of information about the consumption of food. For two years before the company was founded, I traveled all over Greece to learn everything about olive oil, to see the difference between varieties and choose the right one. Similar research has been done on the honey we produce and thee vegetables with which we make the meals."

vegetables are raw and milled with peanuts and olive oil and have no preservatives, dyes and gluten.

The flagship of EON is the traditional handmade stuffed vine leaves that are produced with 100% extra virgin olive oil and fresh vine leaves.

Last, but not least, much in demand is the honey: a variety of pine with flower blossoms and mastic from Chios. And also pies, the most typical example of the popular Greek food tradition, that are prepared with 100% extra virgin olive oil and with traditional handrolled phyllo pastry.

As Apostolidou explains, the secret of the EON success is not only based on the quality of the products, but also on the professionalism of her and her husband. "Maybe it has to do with the fact that we come from the championship athletic field. Many of the elements you build through gymnastics follow you as a person throughout your life. Sports teach you to set goals and work hard: with passion, persistence, and especially with discipline so that you can, when you are struggling, manage victory or defeat equally. Both give you something. Victory gives you courage to continue and defeat is the one that if you manage it right, it improves you."

EON products are exported to many European countries and have long ago made their presence in the U.S market, as well. Apostolidou says, exports were a prime objective of her company from the beginning. "The reaction of customers is more than positive and what they are appreciating is not just the quality or perhaps the aesthetics of the products, but our own dedication to high standards. That is the difference and it's of utmost importance.”

Together with her husband, also an athlete, they founded their company in the spring of 2013 and since then have received orders from customers in Greece and abroad. The products that have excited foreigners the most are the EON brand of Greek virgin olive oil from the mountains of Sitia in Crete, However, the road to success was not and a collection of pate vegetables p a v e d w i t h r o s e p e t a l s , s i n c e based on the following innovation: the Apostolidou and her husband had to go 36

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through the Minotaur labyrinth of Greek bureaucracy to set up their business.

"Unfortunately, the Greek state is not on the side of the entrepreneurs. It's not even indifferent to them, it's clearly against them,� she says. "Greece is a blessed place for the production of unique traditional products; it gives many opportunities in this area. But when it is time for someone to materialize their plans and start something of their own, they must have some tools, and that is self-confidence, flexibility and adaptability, imagination, perseverance, and dedication to their goal."

The secret of business success to her is the passion for work which sooner or later will bear fruit. "If someone works passionately and does not just aim for profit, he will sooner or later be vindicated. Only with that aim, diligence, and devotion, can one achieve it. When you are consistent, disciplined, professional and gain the trust of the customer only success can be "A very serious management of the available expected." resources is needed because any mistake in Having succeeded in achieving a profitable Greece can erase a business from the business business in the midst of the economic crisis, I map,� she says. “All these small start-ups that are could not resist asking her about the advice she starting now in the country are on a stretched would give to people who want to start their rope all the time. There is absolutely no support behind them, no security for the business in Greece in 2018.

future, so every step must be well thought out."

EON products can be found at Sani Resort in Halkidiki, as well as in delicatessens in Mykonos, Santorini and Athens. For more information you can visit eonflavours.com.

More than a cookbook: an ambassador to Lefkada and Greece!

It is with great pleasure that we feature in this issue Maria Katopodis-Zoitas and the debut of her stunning new cookbook and personal history that is also a labor of love and which took nearly two years to produce: actually her entire lifetime, since Maria started cooking as a little girl for her family back in her native island and mine, Lefkada. I have known Maria since I came to New York some 30 years ago, and I can personally attest to her mouth-watering recipes, because I was often invited to her home for holidays and meals.

and her family offer at their stores. Despite this success, Maria remains a very warm and approachable person, ready to share her experience and food whenever the occasion arises.

More than an introduction to Greek and Mediterranean foods (the two are not the same, as some food critics naively assume), Maria's cookbook is also a testament to her growing up on a Greek island in a time when life could be harsh and a struggle for survival. Which is why it offers a very valuable glimpse into a life that once was, and which did produce the kind of tenacious people who left to seek their fortune abroad and with nothing in their pockets, but then prospered beyond their wildest dreams through sheer hard work and their own ambition and have left an indelible mark on their adopted homes.

I also witnessed firsthand the development of the ready-to-eat foods that got started in a small kitchen at the family's Westside Markets and has blossomed into a full chain of gourmet markets serving perhaps the biggest number of dishes daily than any other food emporium in New York City and employing hundreds of people. I, too, was employed there during my student years and I know firsthand the work ethic and And of course, present in the book is today's the importance of quality in everything Maria Lefkada Island, with its unparalleled beauty,

which has made it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. In that regard, Maria's book is also an ambassador to the island and to Greece itself, because it is available in all the Westside Markets of Manhattan and Maywood, New Jersey (99% of the patrons are non-Greek) where thousands of customers not only sample the delicious hot food but now through the book also see the rich history of the recipes that produced that food. The book is also available at Amazon.

Having entered the Holiday Season, what better gift than Maria's luxurious book! It will make happy both those who give it and those who receive it. And as an extra perk, proceeds will go to charity.

Merry and Blessed Christmas to all!

P.S. Those of you who haven't placed your Holiday Greeting in this edition of NEO, you still have time, as the New Year's issue is coming up.

Celebrating the Season with AHEPA’s Gold Coast Chapter

by Athena Efter

Gold Coast Chapter 456 District 6 of the American Hellenic Education Progressive Association (AHEPA) is kicking off the season with its annual Christmas dinner and fundraiser. The gala will take place on Wednesday, December 12 at the North Hills Country Club in Manhasset, NY. Cocktails begin at 6:30pm, followed by dinner, raffles, and live Greek music by a sevenpiece band.

Ted & Christine Malgarinos, Leonard Zangas, Steve Michailidis AHEPA was founded in Atlanta, Sitting from left, Mary Vlock, Penny Zangas and a guest Georgia in 1922 to fight bigotry, hatred and discrimination and to help Greek immigrants assimilate into American society. It is a believes in the organization’s mission national organization that now has over 20 districts statement. in the United States (most with multiple chapters), W i t h A H E PA’ s v a r i o u s c h a p t e r s throughout the country, Gold Coast Chapter 456 is at the forefront of those “Golden Greek” chapters, performing its philanthropic service and duty to our Hellenic virtues, values and culture.

Located just over 20 miles from New York City, Chapter 456 is the largest on Long Island and the second largest in the state of New York. Chapter 456 typically meets the last Wednesday of the month at the Port Washington Yacht Club in Port Washington, NY. The philanthropic committee presents the initiatives to be funded to the Board.

Peter Mesologites is doing the raffle with These initiatives can be anything from raising money Evangelia Cyprus and Chapter President John Levas to support cancer patients, struggling families, and as well as in Canada, Greece, and Australia. AHEPA’s mission is to promote the ancient Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism. Program areas include athletics, veterans, education, housing, public

Peter & Cathy Mesologites

Dimitri Dellis, Mike Angeliades, Mrs. & Mr. Gus Bennetos

health, and public policy. The organization offers approximately $500,000 in college scholarships every year and past philanthropic deeds have included taking part in the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and sending care packages to troops overseas. Though most members are of Hellenic descent, membership is open to anyone who 58

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veterans to raising funds that get matched to build a gym in a church hall or a library in the community.

President John Levas has been involved with AHEPA for many years, from the days that his father was president of one of the chapter, to his own initiation as a member, and now as president of one of the most active chapters. They were the first chapter to raise funds for the fires in Rafina, Greece, this past summer, and organized other chapters to do the same.

outing with 38 golfers that brought in over $20,000. The holiday party on December 12 is expecting 100-150 people and promises to be a great time filled with great raffles, great food, and great music. For Mrs. Libby Angeliades John Levas, besides the causes the chapter supports “it’s about the camaraderie and friendships you form for life throughout the world. There’s also a lot of networking.” He insists “it was the Greeks who started the idea of networking. It’s not what you get out of it or put into it. It’s being part of it.”

Paul Macropoulos, Penny Makris, Marie Kratsios, John Gionis, Esq. Sitting from left are, Evangelia Dushas, Bibbijoe Macropoulos, Drs. Anna & Michael Georgas, Tom Dushas

John has friends in AHEPA for 40 years and what better way to form friendships and network through philanthropic camaraderie? There will be a lot of networking and friendship celebrating at the Christmas party this year. All the local chapters of AHEPA throughout New York State are invited to this fun-filled Christmas party, where fellow Hellenes and friends get together to celebrate their friendships and service to the community.

Board member Paul Macropoulos, who has been involved for 27 years, enthusiastically spoke about the members of the Gold Coast and their president, including all of the AHEPANS nationally and worldwide. For him, it also means “coming together as a community. We all to donate our time to serve, help and raise funds for the community causes that need it most.”

They even make treks into Manhattan to to volunteer at soup kitchens to feed the hungry. As president John Levas pointed out, “We aren’t limited to our scope of service. We meet and decide where it’s needed most. Every chapter does its own thing.”

That “thing” is to do the right thing in charitable service - to help the community and those who need it most. Board Member Paul Macropoulos shares this sentiment and gave out a special shout out to John Levas for doing a great job.

While it is the season to be giving, the chapter that keeps on giving has a lot of Holiday cheer and friendships throughout the years to celebrate this Christmas for their continued good work through networking and philanthropic camaraderie. All of us at NEO magazine wish them a Merry Christmas and One of their biggest fundraisers is an annual golf continued success in their great work.

P HOTO S: ETA P RESS