Alexandria, VA – In his comedy Twelfth Night, Shakespeare wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.” Connecting pleasurable elements of life has always inspired humans to follow their dreams and passions wherever they may lead.
If the Kolas family in Alexandria were writing this, it would have a decidedly culinary twist: “If the inspiration for love is food, cook on.” In fact, the Kolases have followed that mantra for decades. Food, family, and the pursuit of success via hard work and endless hours have sustained several generations of this tight-knit Greek family, bringing growth and prosperity here in Alexandria and beyond.
At the heart of this story are several popular Alexandria restaurants whose founders came to Alexandria as siblings of the Kolas Family. Headed by mother Athena and father Stavros who operated Athenian Plaka, the family’s children learned how to wash dishes, to wait tables, to cook the family’s heritage recipes, and to help manage the family’s founding restaurant located on Richmond Highway. From that group, the siblings and their spouses expanded to found restaurants of their own—including Taverna Cretekou run by Christos and Denise (Kostas) Papaloizou—that recently celebrated more than half a century of authentically Greek cuisine at 818 King Street!…