Longtime Greek American restaurateur Andy Koutsoudakis died from the coronavirus last Friday at Richmond County Medical Center, The Tribeca Trib reports.
Koutsoudakis, 59, the owner of Tribeca’s Kitchen on Church Street, was well-known to many for his warm, welcoming and cheerful spirit.
He came to the U.S. from his native Crete at age 14. His parents brought him, but then returned home, leaving their son under the supervision of an uncle.
“From 14 years old, my dad was on his own and didn’t speak a word of English and didn’t have any money, didn’t have anything,” his son Andreas told The Tribeca Trib. “He quickly jumped into the diner world, full of energy. The same guy you know.”
In 1982, Koutsoudakis returned to Greece to marry his wife Vanna, the girl next door he had grown up with, and brought her back to New York City. A few years later, he and Panayilotou managed a diner in Chelsea called “Chelsea Gallery.” Then came “Gee Whiz.”
“You’re talking about somebody with no opportunity, ever,” Andreas told The Tribeca Trib, “and here he is the owner of a New York City restaurant.”
“Andy epitomized the American Dream,” Amy Sewell, who with her husband Charlie Sewell were dinner regulars every Monday evening at Tribeca’s Kitchen told The Tribeca Trib. “He was living it, always.”
Andreas, an attorney and his father’s advisor and close confidante, said there is “no way” he would close Tribeca’s Kitchen, and he may be looking to another family member to run it in the future.
“I hope people don’t think Tribeca’s Kitchen is just my dad. And without him, it’s not him. Because it is him. Everything he built in there is part of him,” he told the local newspaper.
Even as he lay in the hospital, Koutsoudakis’s generous spirit was present. “We brought the whole staff lunch and dinner every day,” Andreas said. “That’s what my dad would’ve wanted.”
Tribeca’s Kitchen was a favorite among New York City politicians, and several mourned Koutsoudakis’ loss on Twitter, including City Council speaker Corey Johnson.
We loved Andy – his smile, his spirit, his cheer and his community spirit.
Tribeca’s Kitchen and Ghee Whiz Diner won’t be the same without his warm presence and his welcomes.
Rest In Peace Andy. ❤️ https://t.co/B6tcYA2H1g
— Corey Johnson (@CoreyinNYC) March 30, 2020
Source: Tribeca Trib
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