Boston Greeks Podcast

We welcome Panayiota Asimacos to the podcast! Read her bio below:

Growing up as a Greek American was by far the most rewarding experience. At a young age, I realized that my parents were providing my sister and I with the best of both worlds. Being raised in Belmont, Massachusetts and attending the Public School System, while simultaneously going to Greek School and Sunday School at the Taxiarchae Church in Watertown, Massachusetts was magical.

I must admit that I had always sensed a stronger connection with my Greek heritage. I attribute this to the powerful bond my family had with Greece and our Orthodox Faith. Although I was baptized at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Boston (where my father served as a board member), I was raised in the Taxiarchae Church under the loving guidance of the beloved Father Metaxas.

Father Metaxas was unequivocally one of the most prominent figures in my life. I viewed this great man not only as my spiritual Father, but also as my adopted father, when my own suddenly passed during my sophomore year at Boston College. Father Metaxas supported my family and I during our darkest hours and brought us solace through our Faith. His empathy and love for my family was like no other.

Upon my graduation from Boston College, the plan was to attend BC Law School. However, I chose to work at a firm prior to attending law school, in order to confirm my career choice. Law was of interest to me; however, it brought no joy to me. It was during this time period that I discovered my true calling was to be an educator.

My love for children began at the Taxiarchae Church, under the guidance of Father Metaxas. I served as a Sunday School teacher with a true love for educating young children. It was a memorable time for my sister and I as we co-taught our Faith to little angels on Earth, and I am grateful for having had the opportunity.

Soon after my epiphany, I attended Boston University. I was fortunate to graduate with honors, while obtaining a master’s degree in education. Since then, I have been teaching English as a Second Language. I have had the honor of working with children both in Greece as well as the United States, specifically Peabody High School.

To date, my bond with Orthodoxy and the Taxiarchae Church is priceless. I am truly blessed to have my son share this connection, as he serves God in the Altar of our church. I realize that my faith in God and His ways have lightened every path for me thus far in life, and I will surely continue to have blind faith in God.

Visit the HBBU site: https://www.hbbu.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hbbu.boston/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellenic.boston.businesses.unite

Nik Tsoukales founded REALTOP after spending more than 15 years growing multiple sales teams, call centers, and businesses using digital marketing. In his career, he’s been awarded multiple INC. 5000 Awards for fastest-growing private companies in the United States, been responsible for multiple business turnarounds in the financial space resulting in millions of dollars in revenue recovered as well as organically growing multiple companies online dominating organic SEO, Google PPC, and Social Media. Nik and his team of digital marketing experts are responsible for more than 89k actual clients acquired using online marketing and counting with a diverse range of business types including financial services, dental, medical, legal, real estate, and more.

Check out his company: https://www.realtop.com/

See more on Boston Greeks: https://bostongreeks.com/

See more on GreekAFRadio: https://www.greekradio.app/

We would like to welcome beverage director extraordinaire - Lou Charbonneau to the podcast!

As a teenager, Lou encountered an alien intelligence one night in the woods. He cannot recall their exact conversation, but there was one bit about the possible end of the world and how cocktails could save it. Not having a pen on him at the time, the exact details and wording are now a bit hazy, but he is reasonably confident that it had something to do with getting a job as a bartender to save humanity. After that point, he set out to make his way in hospitality. He dove in headfirst, leaving Worcester to work on Nantucket, where he attended the adult summer camp landing his first bartending gig. He eventually made his home in Boston 12 years ago to continue his cosmic errand and… go to school. He has studied in the fields of metalwork and anthropology over the years. He created and ran bar programs in Bangkok, Boston, and his hometown, pronounced ‘Wistah’ in the local dialect. He has gotten many humans to drink cocktails in the last decade while preparing the new generations of aspiring barkeeps on how to make them and be passionate about the craft.

Go visit Lou at Hecate and Xenia Greek Hospitality's other amazing concepts. https://xeniagreekhospitality.com/

Download the free Boston Greeks app!

Join us for a wonderful chat with the amazing Maria Behrakis. Maria is a first generation Greek American community activist focused on education and Greek-American philanthropy. A mother of three children, Maria, along with her husband, Drake, is active with the National Hellenic Society which is dedicated to perpetuating, celebrating and passing on our Hellenic heritage. She is also a member of Leadership 100, a Greek-American service organization committed to preserving Hellenism and Orthodoxy in America. Maria and Drake are active supporters of the Behrakis Family Endowment at Boston College which was founded in 2001 for the advancement of Hellenic Studies and the promotion of travel abroad to Greece.

Maria has served on the Board of Trustees of Anatolia College in Thessaloniki Greece since 2012. She is passionate about mental wellness efforts in school communities and instilling a focus on the whole student… mind, body and soul, and is actively involved in developing such a comprehensive program for the Anatolia community at all school levels.

In her previous professional career, she was with Putnam Investments and Fidelity Investments (1990- 1997). Maria received a B.A in Economics with a minor in Computer Science from Brandeis University (1990). Maria enjoys playing tennis, spending time with friends and family, and traveling, especially to Greece!

Learn more about Anatolia College and the amazing programs it offers or contact Maria with any questions.

We talk all things mental health with our esteemed guest Dr. Christoforos Iraklis Giakoumatos in his capacity as private practice practitioner. He is an addiction psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is also the Medical Director at BrightView Massachusetts. Dr Giakoumatos also sees patients in his private practice either virtually or in person in one of his two offices in Boston MA or Hooksett NH. 

Dr. Giakoumatos completed his addiction psychiatry fellowship in the Mass General Brigham System (Massachusetts General, McLean, and Brigham & Women’s Hospitals) and his adult psychiatric training at the Harvard South Shore Psychiatry Residency Training Program (HSS). Prior to joining HSS, he attended the Medical School at the University of Athens, Greece. After graduating from medical school and before joining HSS, he conducted research at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the area of psychosis and brain imaging. Dr. Giakoumatos published peer-reviewed articles, has given oral presentations and presented posters in local, national and international meetings. He has also served as an assistant editor at the Harvard Review of Psychiatry. 

For more information about Dr. Giakoumatos’ private practice, click here.

You can also watch & listen on the free Boston Greeks app!

Evan Turner, sommelier and wine director at Krasi Meze and Wine in Boston’s Back Bay, leads the largest all Greek wine list in the country. He is now leading the way in introducing New England to Greek wine.

Evan has recently been published in outlets such as Vinepair, Wine Enthusiast, USA Today 10 Best, Wine & Spirits, and Estiator. And Krasi has recently been listed as: one of the top 50 restaurants in Boston from Boston magazine (#16), one of the best wine bars in the Boston area from Eater Boston, one of 25 of the best restaurants in Boston right now from Time Out Boston, one of the best restaurants in Boston from Thrillist and was Time Out Boston's 2021 Love Local award winner which was the fan favorite pick of the city. 

Evan describes himself as “just a guy who was very lucky to live around the world, thanks to my stepfather who teaches English as a second language. We lived in Greece for about seven years and the nation captivated me immediately. I remember the very first meal I had in Greece down to who sat where. I ‘took to Greece like a duck to water,’ as my mom used to say.”

Turner worked in the restaurant business for several years as a bartender before becoming a sommelier. In 2005, he moved to Houston and worked his way up the Court of Master Sommeliers “until about 2008,” he says, when he decided Greek wine was it. He conceived and opened the popular Helen Greek Food and Wine — a James Beard semi-finalist — in Houston in 2015 before being offered the opportunity to run the wine program at Krasi. “I could not resist, so here I am,” he says. 

Evan is the most Greek non-Greek in the hospitality industry, extolling the virtues of Greek history and wine with the city of Boston and beyond. His Symposium Wednesday wine series at Krasi are always sold out and he is now deemed the Dionysus of Boston’s Back Bay. He says, “Greece created nearly everything we take for granted when it comes to winemaking and wine culture. Shoot, my job exists because of the Greeks. So, to promote and drink their wines is to wrap yourself in history and a part of our culture that is as important as any we hold dear.”

krasiboston.com

You can also watch and listen on the Boston Greeks & GreekAFRadio apps!

Join us for a wonderful interview with a talented group of friends and business partners that are truly making waves in Boston. Demetri Tsolakis, Stefanos Oungrinis, and Brendan Pelley of Xenia Greek Hospitality sit with us to discuss how they came to be, where they are today, and what the future holds for this team that has created and is continually creating a fantastic Greek scene in Boston, and hopefully beyond!

Learn more: xeniagreekhospitality.com

You can also watch/listen on the free Boston Greeks app or GreekAFRadio!

We hang out with restauranteur extraordinaire Spiro Pappadopoulos. Spiro grew up in Andover working in his family's restaurant while attending Andover High School. After attending Boston College, Spiro moved to New York City and dove into the restaurant business for seven years before moving back to Massachusetts.

For the past ten years he has focused his energies on Essex Street in Andover where his restaurant Andolini's has operated for over twelve years, Sauce Burgers and Wings is approaching its 10th anniversary, and 15sx Cocktail bar has built a craft cocktail culture for the past 6 years. 

Spiro is now excited to bring Greek culinary flavors and tradition to life in Andover with a modern and creative flair that honors both Greek tradition and local New England seafood and produce with Daxi.

daxigreek.com

Join us in learning about the incredible journey of Theia Brands founders Peter & Despina Sarianides. Their goal is to set the bar for a healthier, cleaner lifestyle. Their products are made with fresh, natural ingredients and they believe that their customers deserve a product that they can enjoy and feel good about serving to their families.

http://theiayummyfoods.com/

Download the free Boston Greeks app!

We talk all things health and fitness with WBFF Pro competitor Stephania Tsimikas. We learn about her past, her life, her motivations, and how she became a pro athlete in the highly competitive world of strength training. Join us in getting to know Stephania!

instagram.com/stephaniatsimikas_wbffpro