Our Story

As far back as I can remember, food has been an expression of love — my grandmother’s avgolemono soup when I was sick in bed with a cold; my aunt’s souvla at every family barbecue; my mother’s moussaka lasagna (without reason or occasion), simply because it was one of my favourite dishes.

It’s no coincidence that when my mother and father, grandmother and grandfather, aunt and uncle arrived in Canada in the 1970s, they all opened restaurants. Cooking for others was their way of not only earning a living, but finding and nurturing a community far away from the only community they had ever known. Not yet fluent in English, cooking was their way of communicating love without language, and an opportunity, again and again, to connect with the locals whom, over 50 years, have become their dearest and most loyal friends.

After working shoulder to shoulder in our family-run restaurant (and feeding a family of five and growing) for nearly two decades, I can’t express to you what it means to me to open a restaurant of my own. The Olive Eatery honours my cultural roots, combining the flavours of Mediterranean and Canadian cuisine. It’s a restaurant that takes inspiration from the recipes in my grandmother’s kitchen, and exemplifies the hospitality shown to a friend or loved one coming over for dinner. It’s a labour of love and the continuation of a family legacy that, for generations, has welcomed the local community to eat at our table — and it is my privilege to set this table for you.