New Greek restaurant full of familiar faces

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This article was published 09/05/2016 (3412 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was always Monika Panos’ dream to own a restaurant.

“It was a dream that was put on hold for a while, though,” she says.

For many years, Panos worked as a server and hostess at the former Park Tower restaurant, owned by Kathy and Bill Makris.

“I worked there since I was 18. I loved it,” says Panos, who lives in Charleswood with her husband and two daughters, aged nine and 14.

However, when Kathy Makris began to get ready to retire, “one conversation led to another, and I decided to open my own restaurant. It features Kathy’s menu and Kathy’s cooking.”

In a role reversal of sorts, Kathy and Bill are also now working for Panos, including helping her out in the kitchen.

“Kathy and Bill are close family friends,” she says.

Taverna Rodos (Taverna is the Greek word for a small café and Rodos is the name of a small Greek island) originally opened in October 2015 at a location further down Roblin.

That location flooded shortly after opening and the new restaurant just recently reopened at 5114 Roblin Blvd. in the second week of April.

Although Panos says she loved working as a server at the Park Tower restaurant, owning her own restaurant is a completely different ball game.

The biggest surprise, and one of the challenges, she says, has been learning how to do everything in the kitchen — learning from Kathy and Bill how to cook all the dishes on the menu.

“Before, although I was in the kitchen sometimes, I was usually up front, greeting customers. I’ve been learning to cut things, and how to make things from scratch.”

It’s the community aspect of being a restaurant owner that Panos says brings her the most fulfillment.

“When people come into the restaurant, I’m welcoming them into my restaurant. It’s exciting and humbling to be doing that.

“Twenty years ago, you could go into a neighbourhood restaurant, and know the cooks and know the staff. I want to create that kind of atmosphere at my place.”

Amanda Thorsteinsson is a community correspondent for Charleswood.