Team Effort

Continuing with our Home Chef spotlights is John and Connie Georgacopoulos. The dynamic duo that combined have over 100 years in the restaurant business. From staff to owners. That is a storied career in that industry, and to be successful is even more impressive. Let's hear from them and find out how they accomplished this feat.

AA; Thanks you two for visiting with us and letting us get some inside and personal info on your long lasting career's.
JC; Thank you for having us.

AA; What was the name of the restaurant, the location and what type of food was it
JC; We owned multiple restaurants ranging from Swedish Tea Rooms in the 70’s, to an Americana Saloon and Bar purchased in the 80’s and operated through February 4th, 2006 when we went into retirement.

AA; Where are you from
JC; John is from Chicago and Connie was originally from Kalamata, Greece.

AA; Where did you go to school
JC; John went to grammar school in Chicago. For high school, he attended Northwestern Military Academy in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. John then went on to enroll into Knox College in Galesburg, IL, after which, he completed his accreditation for mortuary school until he enlisted in the Army as an officer. Connie went to grammar school and high school in Chicago, IL.

AA; When did you two meet and how long have you been married
JC; We met in 1967 during a blizzard in Chicago. We have been married for 50 years.

JC; How many children and grand children do you have
We have 2 children and 5 grandchildren.

JC; How long have you lived in Prescott
We moved to Prescott in 2010.

AA; What got you started in cooking
JC; For Connie, cooking was always a family event, a time where everyone came together to share a meal and conversation. Food was associated with warmth and family. Cooking became a part of who I was through the experience it provided.
John grew up in the restaurant business. His father owned and operated one of the first car hops in Chicago. When John’s dad passed away, although John had always intended on making a career in the military, his mother requested him to come home and run the business as well as take care of his other siblings. Although this was not the career John had initially chosen, he embraced it and running the restaurant along with cooking just became a part of him.

AA; What was your first job in the food industry
JC; Connie’s first job was working as a hostess/waitress and John’s first job was as a Soda Jerk and dishwasher at his father’s restaurant.

AA; When did you decide to open your own restaurant
JC; John bought his own restaurant in 1966. It was a Swedish Tea Room. All food was cooked fresh daily. He then remodeled his parent’s restaurant about a year later, he and Connie’s brother became partners. Connie and John opened their first restaurant together in 1980 and had a restaurant/bar that they operated until 2006.

AA; What kind of restaurant was it and is it still there
JC; John’s family restaurant is still in operation today. The restaurant itself has changed ownership, but parts of the original building itself are still there today. Connie & John’s restaurant was a bar and grill with American type cooking. The restaurant is no longer there as the land was bought due to the location. We took this opportunity to enter into a much needed retirement.

AA; How many years were you there
JC; John was in the restaurant business from the 50’s through 2006 and Connie was in the business from 1968 through 2006.

AA; How would you sum up your experience running your own restaurant
JC; Running your own restaurant is a 24 hour job. Even when you are not there, you are thinking about everything you need to do when you get there and what you will do and need to complete upon your arrival. The experience of running our own restaurant was a labor of love. Although it took a lot of blood, sweat and tears, we would not change a minute of it. The lives that we were able to touch and the lives that touched us was immeasurable.

AA; What was your most requested dish
JC; Our most requested dish was our low and slow cooked ribs with our own homemade sauce.

AA; What advice would you give someone starting their own restaurant
JC; If insanity runs in your family, you will do well. Be ready to make your restaurant your first love. It will take every minute of every day, anything less will not allow your business to flourish.

AA; Who cooked in your homes growing up
JC; John’s mother did all the cooking at home. Connie’s parents took turns making meals for the family. As Connie and her sisters got older, they took over the role of cooking when their mother was working.

AA; What was your favorite food growing up
JC; John’s favorite food growing up was White Castle, their burgers were .12 cents each and he would order his burgers with extra onions.
Connie’s favorite food growing up were tamales from Skips.

AA; Who cooks in your home now
JC; Connie does most of the daily indoor cooking and John will cook meat on the grill outside.

AA; What is your favorite food to cook
JC; John likes to cook cuts of meat that require little to no work or prep. His favorite things to cook are prime rib or steak.
Connie’s favorite thing to cook is anything that makes others happy.

AA; What is your favorite meal
JC; John and Connie’s favorite dish is a traditional Greek meal made with lamb and artichokes in an egg lemon sauce.

AA; Do you have a favorite food memory
JC; Connie’s favorite food memory was when lamb was cooked and prepared for guests on the rotisserie.
John’s favorite food memory was eating a traditional Greek dish made with the internal organs of the lamb.

AA; Do you have a favorite restaurant
JC; Connie and John both agree their favorite restaurant is The Greek Islands in Lombard, Illinois.

AA; What would be your last meal
JC; John’s last meal would be whole fresh grouper with rice pilaf and eggplant in tomato sauce.
If Connie had to choose a last meal it would be lamb shanks made with artichokes in an egg lemon sauce.

AA; Living or not who would you invite to an 8 person dinner party
JC; Connie and John would invite a lifelong friend and college roommate who became part of the family (since passed) along with his wife and mutual friends whose kids grew up with theirs throughout the years. Patty Kosters would most definitely make an appearance (many of you remember our friend and neighbor who has also since passed) with her husband Ron. Rounding out the table would be Connie and John themselves. That would be considered an A list crowd.

AA; Do you have a recipe you would like to share

JC; Easy Avgolemono (Egg Lemon) Soup •

2 (46 oz) Chicken Broth •
¾ c rice •
5 eggs, separated •
Juice of 2 Lemons •
2 T cornstarch

Cook broth and rice at low heat for roughly 25 minutes, until rice is tender.
When rice is ready beat egg whites until they hold peaks.
Add egg yolks,mix well.
Lower speed of Mixmaster then add lemon juice, then cornstarch. When mixture is blended, add some of the broth to warm mixture. When you have added enough of the broth, fold the mixture into the remaining broth and rice.

Again, thank you for taking the time with us to get to know you better and hear about your restaurant ventures. You can find the recipe in the recipe/soup section of the site. Check back here often to see who we will showcase next in our Home Chef series. Know a great home chef? Send us the info and we will contact them to get their story. Keep the home fires burning.