owner of Greek Kouzina
owner of Gus’s Hot Dogs
By Donna Cornelius
One of Birmingham’s most influential culinary communities will take center stage at this year’s edition of FOOD+Culture, set for Sept. 19-22.
The festival, a flavor-filled platform for Birmingham’s culinary scene and culture, is in its second year, and the FOOD+Heritage dinner is one of the most anticipated events. This year’s Heritage dinner honors the generations of Greek families who have become a vital and colorful part of the city’s food industry.
The evening starts with a welcome reception complete with passed bites, wine and a signature cocktail, followed by a seated, multi-course, family-style meal, paired wines and entertainment with a Greek flair. The dinner will be at Pepper Place on Sept. 20.
Those who have at least a nodding acquaintance with Birmingham’s culinary past are well aware of the Greek influence here. The first wave of Greeks arrived in Birmingham in the 1880s, when the city’s iron and steel industries were helping to make a thriving job market.
Since then, their contributions to the Birmingham area haven’t gone unnoticed. In 2004, the Southern Foodways Alliance – an Oxford, Mississippi-based organization that documents, studies and explores the diverse food cultures of the changing American South – collected oral histories of Greek restaurant owners in Birmingham and in 2017 updated the project.
Diners will see some familiar faces behind the food and drinks at the Greek event: Andreas Anastassakis of Bright Star; Andrew Collins, The Collins Bar and Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant; Fanoula Gulas, the Greek Kouzina; Timothy Hontzas, Johnny’s; Lee Pantazis, Gus’s Hot Dogs; Josh Schaff, Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant; Tasos and Beba Touloupis, Ted’s Restaurant; and Paul Yeck, Tasty Town.
Hospitality and History
For one of the participants, the dinner isn’t just about focusing on Birmingham’s Greek community.
“We’re not just spotlighting Greek food and culture – we’re celebrating it,” said Lee Pantazis, the owner of Gus’s Hot Dogs.
Pantazis comes from a large Greek family, and he’s well aware of the rich history his relatives and other Greeks share with Birmingham.
“Greeks assimilated into Birmingham culture,” he said. “We came here to be a part of it; Birmingham was where the jobs were. It’s beautiful that Birmingham took us in.”
Pantazis said Greeks and Southerners are very similar.
“We try to welcome everyone,” he said. “Greek and Southern culture go hand in hand. The Greek version of hospitality is the same as the South’s – we both believe in treating people right, helping people and trying to spread good.”
Pantazis’ grandfather, George Pantazis, owned the Hickory Hut and Coffee Cup, and his uncle also was a restaurateur. But quite a few members of his family chose another field and became lawyers.
At a young age, Lee Pantazis worked for his father, Birmingham attorney Dennis Pantazis, in data entry.
“Two weeks into the job, I thought, this is killing me,” Lee Pantazis said, laughing. “My father suggested a job in a restaurant since my grandfather had owned restaurants.”
Pantazis went to work for George Sarris, one of the city’s most well-known Greek restaurateurs.
“I was a literal liability,” Pantazis said. “But through George’s kindness and the kindness of the people that worked for him, I fell in love with the job and the hard-working, decent people. I worked at the original location of the Fish Market.”
Pantazis earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and then worked for Becky Satterfield at Satterfield’s restaurant.
“I went into the interview old school, with my resume in hand, and interviewed with the chef, Haller Magee,” he said. “He called me when I was on my way home and said one of their chefs had walked out, and I was hired. They took a chance on me.”
He also worked in Florida with the Bud & Alley’s group and for the Pihakis group at Little Donkey and the Fatback Pig Project.
In 2017, Pantazis and his dad were on their way to watch the Crimson Tide football team play for the national championship in Tampa, Florida. Although Alabama lost to Clemson that year, something positive came out of the trip. The two found out that the owner of Gus’s Hot Dogs at the time, George Nasiakos, wanted to sell the business, which opened in Birmingham in 1947.
“George was a close family friend, and my dad said to me, ‘You should look into this hot dog business,’” Pantazis said. “I wasn’t sure that was what I wanted to do, but my dad was very convincing – I guess that’s what lawyers do.”
The popular restaurant “was and is super important to Birmingham,” Pantazis said. “There was pressure to represent my family, people that I love, and Birmingham. But sometimes it’s a good thing to feel pressure to do well. I have a wonderful staff, and I’m happy that we are useful to our customers and our community. I love providing joy to people. I find value in that.”
Pantazis sees lots of positives from his decision to buy Gus’s.
“We survived COVID, and we just bought a food truck,” he said.
He’s looking forward to participating in FOOD+Culture. In addition to the Heritage event, Pantazis is doing a guest chef gig at The Kelly Birmingham with chef Jonathan Harris and is taking part in the FOOD+Fire event Sept. 21.
“We have a phenomenal group of chefs coming in for the festival,” Pantazis said. “It’s all about elevating Birmingham.”
Cooking With Love
Like Pantazis, Virginia native Fanoula Gulas grew up in a Greek household. She also married into one: Birmingham’s Gulas family.
“The Gulases have been in the food business for a long time,” she said.
Her husband’s grandfather had a hot dog stand, and her father-in-law, Aleck Gulas, had Dino’s Hot Dogs on 18th Street in Homewood.
“He also sold his mother-in-law’s baklava there, and I have her recipe,” Gulas said.
She first realized how much people enjoyed her own food when her son, who’s now 26, developed a blood disorder as a child. Friends and neighbors helped and supported the family, and to thank them, she presented them with her homemade baklava. The response was enthusiastic.
“I started realizing how much people love food and thought there was a need for more Greek food in Birmingham,” she said.
Gulas also was made aware of the city’s hunger for Greek dishes through helping with the annual Greek food festival hosted by Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral in downtown Birmingham. The 51st annual festival is set for Oct. 3-5.
Gulas said menu staples for the festival include pastichio, a Greek version of lasagna; souvlaki, which is small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer; and Greek chicken.
“The desserts are fantastic,” she said.
Gulas is the owner of the Greek Kouzina, selling her versions of Greek favorites. She started her business in 2015.
“I first went to Pepper Place to see if anyone liked my food,” Gulas said. “I enjoy these kinds of outlets; I love talking to people and making new friends.
“Now, caterers call me, I have customers through Pepper Place, and my friend Joy Smith at Sorelle in Homewood has been a mentor who has helped me a bunch. She sells my food there, or you can order it. My commercial kitchen is there.”
Gulas is happy not only with her business but with her life in general.
“I love Birmingham – I can’t say enough about it,” she said.
She also enjoys cooking for her family.
“They love to eat my food but not cook it,” she said.
Her husband and children particularly like her pastichio, souvlaki, spanakopita, Greek salad, and fish dishes with onions, tomatoes and feta cheese.
She’ll be sharing her love of all things Greek at the Heritage event.
“Greek culture is a rich culture,” she said. “It offers so much through history and food. People will say, I’ve never had Greek food before, and I’ll say, yes, you have! It’s all about the love you’re making the food with.”
In any culture, food is important – but maybe especially so for Greeks, Gulas believes.
“It’s a traditional thing for us to pass recipes along,” she said. “It’s a comfort, a way of showing that you care. If you invite someone to dinner, you’re starting a friendship.”
If you go:
The FOOD+Heritage event is Sept. 20. from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on 29th Street South at Pepper Place. Tickets are $150 and available at bhamfoodplus.com.
