THE
‘ ODYSSEY ’
OF
ANTHOS
BY PAMELA PALONGUE
PHOTO BY DILIFF
How the taste of Greece found its way into Castle Shannon .
Brother and sister Tassos Fragkos and Jo Frangou met and married their soulmates , Ellie Kousouli and Devin Atchley , respectively . They pursued very different careers — Frangou was a TV executive in Athens and Fragkos was in finance . Atchley was a baker in New York , and Kousouli worked in fashion . But they all had one very important thing in common — a great passion for Greek food !
After 10 years of planning , they decided to fulfill their dream of opening a café that would have wonderful Greek dishes reflecting their families ’ recipes rooted in the Aegean Islands . Though they had lived in Athens , London and New York at various times , they decided to open their café in Pittsburgh .
Fragkos explains , “ Pittsburgh is a very welcoming and friendly city , so it just made sense . There was a budding food scene here , and prices were not as extravagant as in other big cities . It also
felt right for our families . The South Hills is a wonderful place to raise children , where they can visit world-class museums and have access to amazing educational opportunities .”
There was another more personal reason as well . His father-in-law , John , lived and worked in Pittsburgh in the ‘ 60s . He had returned to Greece in the ‘ 70s , but his stories about Pittsburgh were always a favorite topic among family and friends . Kousouli still has family in the area .
The four young entrepreneurs knew that their dream would require a lot of work and resilience to become a reality : the logistics of moving to the U . S ., finding housing , and navigating the myriad regulations for starting a food-based business . But what they didn ’ t count on was a pandemic . They planned to open in early 2020 , but instead at that time everything seemed to be closing . The group found themselves with a warehouse full of premium , imported foods on the shelves and nowhere to sell them .
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