The Greek tavern “Lakis Greek Kitchen” opened by the Greek Cypriot Panikos Panagiotou has become a favorite haunt. As he explains, he did it to honor his father, Laki, who passed away and did not complete his dream while also raising money for local charities.
The tavern cost him £17,000 to build and can cater for up to 200 people a night. With the help of his wife, Michelle, as well as volunteers, Panikos serves traditional Greek food from his restaurant and donates all the money to charity, as Daily Mail points out. Their signature dish is the stealthy, marinated lamb and potatoes that have been slow-cooked in a clay oven for 8 to 12 hours. Desserts include a range of homemade traditional sweets such as baklava, coconut cake and a chocolate cake called ‘Duchess’.
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On the store’s official website, they describe it as a “charity that uses food as a vehicle to help those in need. Founded in 2014, we have since grown into an established organization running a range of projects and fundraisers to help people suffering from serious chronic and life-threatening conditions.’
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As Panikos, who is a father of three children, points out, Lakis Greek Kitchen has attracted the interest of visitors even from distant countries, such as the USA, while it also accepts reservations several weeks in advance. “We have a waiting list. I have told people from Scotland and America to come and visit old Walsall, it really is incredible. Luckily the neighbors aren’t bothered, they’re fantastic.
As for how the idea that became reality began, Panikos decided to build the restaurant to honor the memory of his father, Lakis, who died of lung cancer in 2012. Lakis, who owned the shop, had started to build his own tavern in his home in his village in Cyprus, but he died before it was completed. Panikos said he wanted to pay tribute to his father’s memory by finishing the job he didn’t get to while also raising money for a good cause.
The pub took two months to build and since 2014, has raised £64,000 for local charities. “I built it in memory of my father who died of cancer. He tried to start it, built a restaurant in his garden, but died before finishing. What we say, our tradition, is to keep the relationships with our loved ones, and after they die, therefore do good deeds in their memory. And that’s what we do here every year, that’s for him. My father always wanted to run a traditional Greek tavern from his home, so this is a way to keep his memory alive and raise much needed money for charity.”
He added: “I have a fantastic wife who is the powerhouse of the business, she does all the prep and the desserts. In the beginning my mother was also the driving force. He showed us all the recipes and made sure the food was just right. It is completely traditional. I am a second generation Greek Cypriot and my mother immigrated here in 1974 with my father. They lost their home to the Turks. My parents have passed on to us the power to give back. I do it for six weeks every year. It’s all in the house. Now that my mom can’t help, it’s mostly me and my wife who do the prep. We have an award winning chef coming in the evening. We are an active food bank that feeds people every week.”
This year, the team raised £16,500 to help a three-year-old boy with a brain tumour, with the money also going towards other charities. “Since we started as a pop up we have grown and run a number of projects and fundraisers. We have a fund for the hard days. When a family needs something, like a roof repair or a microwave, or can’t afford it, they can apply to us. We are an emergency fund,” he added.
“When we started, we didn’t expect to do it this long. I want to make it to 20 years and if we can help a lot of people along the way. We believe in the power of food and heritage to bring people together and create positive change. That’s why we’re building a local and international support program that uses these tools to help those in need, while at the same time celebrating the traditions that make us who we are,” he concluded, pointing out that their mission is simple: “We want to help young people and our community by addressing important issues such as health, food access and social relationships. We also work to capture, preserve and share the unique stories of our community members.”
With information from www.protothema.gr
Source: enallaktikidrasi.com
