Carolina Curious: Why are there so many Greek restaurants in Winston-Salem?

In Winston-Salem, Greek restaurants are almost as ubiquitous as fast food. But many of them don’t just sell Mediterranean dishes – Philly cheesesteaks and burgers can be found on their menus too. Listener Mallie Callaghan wrote: “I'm curious about how this style of restaurant came to be a Winston-Salem staple and the history of the Greek families in Winston-Salem.” WFDD’s April Laissle found the answer for this edition of Carolina Curious. 

The lunch rush has hit at Grecian Corner in downtown Winston-Salem, and owner Angelo Ballas is watching the grill. The mouth-watering smell of lemon juice, olive oil and oregano fills the air as the skewered chicken sizzles away. It’s a familiar fragrance to Ballas, who has spent much of his life in Greek kitchens. That’s the case for many other diner owners in Winston-Salem too, he says. 

“​​We're related to so many of the other restaurant owners, so if I need to borrow something that I'm out of, I'll call a cousin or a relative,” he says. “We are always bouncing ideas off each other. It's almost like a therapy session when we get together, because we tell our war stories.”

It’s the epitome of a family industry, Ballas says. He took over management of Grecian Corner from his uncle, who’d run it since 1970, making it one of the oldest continuously running Greek restaurants in Winston. But it’s far from the first. 

The story of the Greek restaurant scene in Winston-Salem actually begins more than 100 years ago, with a young immigrant named Alex Kiriakides. That’s according to Mike Wakeford, with MUSE Winston-Salem. 

“He was waiting tables in Roanoke, Virginia, around 1906 when a local business person from Winston-Salem got to know this young Greek waiter and encouraged him to come to Winston-Salem with the promise that he'd help him set up in business,” Wakeford says. 

He says that customer kept his word, helping Kiriakides open the Princess Cafe in the old Phoenix Hotel in 1906. Word got back to his village in Greece, and it motivated others to take the leap and move to Winston. 

“There is a sense that if you come to Winston-Salem, there will be work in the restaurants that Greeks have established,” he says. “But also that there will be a community large enough to have a church, and that there obviously will be a community in which the language barrier is not an issue.”

A big wave of Greek immigration took place after World War II, during the Greek Civil War. By the 1970s, 145 families called Winston-Salem home. One of them was the Ballases. 

“My daddy back in 1951, when he came he was working 12 hours a day seven days a week for $12,” says Gus Ballas, Angelo’s father. 

He has a designated booth at Grecian Corner – a coveted spot in the front where a scene from the movie “Mr. Destiny” was filmed. After decades in Winston-Salem’s restaurant industry, he’s earned the right to call dibs. 

He first came to the city at the age of 10, after his father found work in a Greek kitchen.

“Back in the day, that's all they knew how to do, the ones that came from there. I mean, no language. You couldn't go get another job out there,” he says. “So they had to work for another Greek.”

Gus followed in his footsteps, working at Sam’s Gourmet, a former Winston-Salem landmark known for its massive salad bar. The Ballases call the owner, Sam Pappas, the Coach K of Greek chefs in Winston — many in the community were trained by him, including Gus. He opened his first restaurant, Cloverdale Kitchen, in 1968. 

When he was in charge, he did what had been done by the generations before him — hired other Greeks. 

“I've had about six Greek guys that worked for me. Well, they learned the business,” he says chuckling. “All six of them are in the restaurant business today.” 

Gus brought his brother, cousins, and in-laws too. They tried to recreate their family meals, a cornerstone of Greek culture. His son says that’s why their menus have so much variety.

“I think the biggest reason is you want to be able to bring your whole family. The whole family may not want to eat Greek food tonight. Maybe someone wants pasta, maybe somebody wants a hot dog,” Angelo says. “So that was a way for us to get the entire family here to eat together, but not necessarily eat the same thing.”

The menu at Grecian Corner has stayed nearly the same as it was when Angelo’s uncle opened it. He says the restaurant has become a family tradition for others in the community too. 

“Every single day, people will come in and bring their grandkids and say, ‘I used to eat here when I was in high school, and then I would bring my kids here,”’ he says. “‘Now I'm bringing my grandkids here.’”

Some of those customers recognize Gus when they see him in his booth at the restaurant. He comes every morning to read the paper and drink coffee with his sons. He retired from the industry a few years ago. 

“I'm just very proud of everything that I accomplished and what I did,” he says. “I just look to be happy and I enjoy my family and my grandkids. It’s just been an amazing journey for me.”

Every year, the community comes together to celebrate their history and culture at the Greek Festival — this year it’s scheduled for May 16-18. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Ballas.