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Hernando Today

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: October 13, 2008

SPRING HILL - It is hard work getting Georgios Stavropoulus out of the kitchen.

He is prepping, heating, seasoning and baking nonstop from open to close.

The Greece-born chef learned his trade in Chicago. He found a comfortable place to hone it.

He was putting the finishing touches on some spinach and feta quiche at which time someone in the kitchen said was the best anywhere.

"They love it here," he said of his famous dish.

What sets it apart from the rest, he was asked.

Stavropoulus threw up his hands and said, "It's Greek."

His wife, Anastasia, will answer general questions about the menu, but when it gets specific, she always will defer to her husband.

"It's all in the artist's hands," she said. It isn't uncommon to hear her coo about her husband and his cooking.

The couple owns the Olympic Grill off Deltona Boulevard. Its third-year anniversary was Friday.

The Stavropoulus' love affair began while they were teenagers in Chicago. He was 17. She was 14.

They moved apart, but one never stopped thinking of the other. After 25 years, Anastasia Stavropoulus prayed about finding her lost love again.

She was attending the Greek Village Restaurant in St. Petersburg when he appeared. He had just moved to Florida and called her cousin to find out where he could find her. That was in 1988.

The couple soon married. They have two sons, Andreas, 20, and Yanni, 17.

"He's my Olympian," Stavropoulus said of her husband. "He dishes out some mean dishes."

Overhearing some of the conversation, Jamie Himes, one of the restaurant's original servers, made sure to speak complimentary on Stavropoulus' behalf.

It was she who designed the dining room, which comes complete with pillars, fancy window treatments and wall art reminiscent of the owners' homeland.

"You did everything," Himes said to her boss. "It was an empty room when you got it."

The restaurant is not the only Greek restaurant in Hernando County. There is demand for the cuisine because of the health benefits, said Stavropoulus. The entrees often include olive oil and garlic, not to mention the large helpings of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Perhaps without realizing it, Stavropoulus referred to her customers as "fans" a few times.

If the barometer for fanaticism is a high volume of repeat and regular customers, she ought to feel comfortable using the word.

"I love this place," said Olga Melkumova, who stopped by the restaurant Friday for a carry-out order. "The (Greek) places in Tarpon Springs don't compare ... Every time I come in I try something different. The shrimp sadanoki? Ah, that was great."

The appetizers include a feta, olive and peppers sampler platter, tzatski sauce and pita bread and skordalia - which are whipped potatoes in olive oil and garlic.

The restaurant serves a variety of sandwiches, including hand-carved gyros, salmon or veggie pitas and a variety of souvlakis.

The house specialties range from lamb loin chops to mousaka - a roasted eggplant dish with spiced ground beef and bechamel sauce.

Restaurants across the region have shut down due to the slowed economy, but the Olympic Grill has continued to thrive, mainly because of its unique menu and repeat business.

Stavropoulus, who also works as a hair-stylist, thinks good service and the "traditional Greek hospitality" have helped the restaurant endure.

"You have to have a servant's heart," she said. "That's our calling and I try to (put) that into our employees ... (I) thank the community for coming out and supporting us because we couldn't do it without them."

Biz at a glance:

Name of biz - Olympic Grill

Biz owners - Georgios and Anastasia Stavropoulus

What it is - "Authentic" Greek restaurant
Where it is - 3429 Deltona Blvd.

Hours of operation - 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday

Get in touch - 352-684-0905

On the Web - theolympicgrill.com

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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