George Kamaratos has left behind a peaceful retirement in Greece to get a local icon, The Acropole Restaurant, up and running again.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Kamaratos, now 84 years old, started the restaurant in 1958, introducing the people of Bathurst to Greek food and good coffee.
At the time he was running a restaurant in Sydney and travelling backwards and forwards to Bathurst.
He brought with him the recipe for the restaurant’s signature lemon meringue pie. He said it was the first time it had been served in Bathurst – although he added it now appears on many menus.
He also brought the first coffee machine to Bathurst. It remained the only one for the next 10 years.
“Bathurst people didn’t even know what coffee was then. I educated them in drinking coffee,” Mr Kamaratos said. “Now I am the one who is learning.”
The Acropole was Mr Kamaratos’ second venture in Bathurst. He had already opened the Red Rose Cafe in William Street in 1951.
Over the years The Acropole became a popular meeting spot for all ages.
“People think the world of this restaurant,” Mr Kamaratos said.
The Acropole has since passed through many hands.
However, when it closed last year Mr Kamaratos decided he had two options – sell the building to someone or step back in again and run it himself.
“Everyone was asking what is going to happen to the place,” he said. “We want you to come back, they said. It kind of pushed me into it.”
At the time he was back in Greece tending his beloved garden on Karpathos in the Dodecanese islands.
He returned to Australia with his daughter Vena and her husband Michael Zanakis to run the restaurant as a family business. Vena and Michael have four daughters, including triplets.
Vena, who was born in Bathurst and grew up here, said none of them wanted to see the restaurant locked up.
“It hurt my heart, and it hurt his heart,” she said. “It’s a landmark.”
Mr Kamaratos has refurbished the restaurant, giving it a new coat of paint in Greece’s national colours of blue and white.
He said people keep telling him they would like to see the restaurant the way it used to be.
“In those days we brought chefs from Sydney when other places had cooks,” he said. “It was a tremendous success. We offered them just a taste of Greek food. At that time people didn’t know much about Greek food or seafood. We also made our own drinks, sweets and cakes on site. We still do that.
“Australia has developed its cuisine over the past 15 or 20 years and now has some of the best food in the world. We will offer a similar experience to what people used to have here, but new.
“It’s important not to be too old-fashioned.”
