Grounded in Greek

Thanasi Papoulias is the founder of the popular Greek meme Instagram account, “Excuse Me, Are You Greek?” and the apparel line, “Definitely Greek.” He talks about growing up with a mom who instilled the importance of Hellenic culture into him, down to prioritizing Greek dance over soccer. He shares why he started the account, what meme riled up some of his 84K followers, and which posts have made him proud.

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• Social Media: www.instagram.com/grounded.in.greek/

• Contact: [email protected]

Johnny Livanos is the founder of Stray Dog Wild Gin. As a half-Greek, half-Italian, he knows Americans are familiar with Italian food and wines but wants to help make the Greek culture and its food and drinks even more alive and well-known in America. He describes his Greek-sourced gin ingredients, the story behind the gin’s name, why gin, and the experience that guided him to this path. Learn where to find this San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold Winner 2021 gin at straydoggin.com or @straydoggin on Instagram. Cheers!

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• Social Media: www.instagram.com/grounded.in.greek/

• Contact: [email protected]

Three guests share their part in a journey that involves reuniting with family in Greece.

Gonda Van Steen is a researcher, author, and the Koraes Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language, and Literature at King’s College in London. In this episode she explains a piece of Greece’s history that is not super well-known. For the past ten years she has been researching the adoptions of thousands of Greek-born children sent to the United States and to the Netherlands in the 1950s and 1960s. She has also helped several of those Greek-born adoptees learn about their roots and connect with their families. Today, she continues to work on encouraging Greece to acknowledge these individuals as citizens of Greece. A mother and daughter she’s helped are Maria Papadopoulou and Alexis Zeluff. They share their struggles with the paperwork, how they're embracing their heritage, and the emotions and joys of uncovering the truth of Maria’s adoption and reuniting with their family in Greece, specifically with Maria’s birth mother.

Learn More: 

• Book: Adoption, Memory, and Cold War Greece: Kid pro quo? By Gonda Van Steen (Ekdoseis Potamos published the Greek translation in November 2021)
• Article: “Opinion: Bring Them Back!” By Mary Cardaras and Gonda Van Steen 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Gonda+Van+Steen
• Email: [email protected] 

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• Social Media: www.instagram.com/grounded.in.greek/

• Contact: [email protected]

Maria Zira, the host’s cousin from Greece, shares the effort and emotions that went into starting her own accounting firm, Sigma Accounting, in Arta, Greece. She talks about what inspired her to go into accounting and her goals for the company. Brigette and her also reminisce on the first time they met in-person.

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• Social Media: www.instagram.com/grounded.in.greek/

• Contact: [email protected]

Ancient Greek high school teacher, Elodie Kabarakis shares her passion for the culture and why she created a non-profit, Apostrophos (www.apostrophos.org), all about educating people around Ancient Greek history. She excitedly talks mythology, language, and important individuals and works in history, including how she likes to make those topics digestible for students and adults in classrooms, conferences, and Zoom sessions. Her love for all things Ancient Greek is palpable.

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• Social Media: www.instagram.com/grounded.in.greek/

• Contact: [email protected]

Opera singer (Soprano) and Doctor of Musical Arts, Michele Patzakis talks about how she discovered her musical soul at a young age and blended her experience and passion for music with research in Vocal Arts Medicine. She discusses where technology is today in understanding vocal folds and how opera differs from other genres of music. Her successful training and career led to her performing at places like the New York City Opera and she continues to perform, educate, produce, direct, and judge. She ends describing how the Greek term, Philotimo, and the support of the Greek community have grounded her.

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• Podcast Shop: www.grounded-in-greek-podcast.myshopify.com

• Social Media: www.instagram.com/grounded.in.greek/

• Contact: [email protected]

Executive chef, Christos Bisiotis is passionate about bringing Greeks back to their roots. He talks about what’s been lost over the years, the stress of the kitchen, key ingredients from Greece and his plans for opening a restaurant to honor his grandmother. His culinary background is full of noteworthy experiences including cooking at and launching high-end restaurants, receiving an invitation to be the first Greek American chef to cook at the White House, and being nominated for a Michelin Star. 

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• Social Media: www.instagram.com/grounded.in.greek/

• Contact: [email protected]

George Scobas and Georgia Kandris, the host's dad and aunt, are siblings with different upbringings but a shared love of family. And yes, they talk about their similar names and how important names are in the Greek culture. This brother and sister also discuss their strict and religious childhoods, with immigrant parents who prioritized a hard work ethic, an education, and a respect for others, all of which grounded them in who they are today.

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• Social Media: www.instagram.com/grounded.in.greek/

• Contact: [email protected]

Luxury jewelry designer Katerina Marmagioli shares her path from law and international trade consulting to luxury jewelry design. She talks about the modern jewelry production process, unique components she incorporates into her jewelry and asymmetrical shapes in nature that inspire her designs and make her stand out. You can find her pieces at katerinamarmagioli.com.

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• Podcast Shop: www.grounded-in-greek-podcast.myshopify.com

• Social Media: www.instagram.com/grounded.in.greek/

• Contact: [email protected]

Peter Poulos reminisces on the lessons he took from his dad, a Greek immigrant, who founded New York City's famous Papaya King takeout restaurant. Peter laughs about his dad being a sticker, talks about their customer-centered mindsets and shares all the little things he learned from his dad that helped make the  juices and Frankfurters business a success.

Catch even more of Grounded in Greek

• Podcast Shop: www.grounded-in-greek-podcast.myshopify.com

• Social Media: www.instagram.com/grounded.in.greek/

• Contact: [email protected]