Father's Day

Father’s Day is coming up soon. The reservation book is now open and we will be opening at 8:00am Sunday June 19th to welcome you and your Dad, grandad, uncle etc etc. We wish a Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there and to all the men who have stepped up and been a father to someone. I’m pretty sure I won the big door prize when it comes to fathers. Let me share him with you.
I’ve been ‘my father’s daughter’ since the day I was born when he arrived at the hospital with a nosegay of flowers for me. He is a man meant to father a daughter. Proudly so, I’ve been his ‘little girl’ for all of my 62 years. Growing up in my house was a bit like ‘wait till your father gets home’, not to say my mother wasn’t a perfectly capable task master or disciplinarian but there was something about disappointing my father that was different. I always wanted him to be proud of me and my actions. Because of this I rarely broke rules and to this day that pretty much holds true.
Growing up my father always told my brother and me ‘blood is thicker than water’, meaning friends are fine, but we are family and family will always come first. Along with my mother, they have managed to instill that strong sense of familia in not just 1 but 3 generations of Kostopouli. My father would do anything for his family, both immediate and extended, and over the years I have been witness to this. And I am quite sure there is even more that I know nothing about. He has always led by example.
When I was 26 and working retail in Portland’s Old Port my father felt I lacked direction. My major in Women’s Studies hadn’t panned out into a career. He asked if I wanted to open a restaurant with him. He said, “I’ll make you a star” and in a way he did, we did. We have been partners for some 36 odd years, it hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been rewarding. He taught me perseverance, bravery and loyalty. In a time where there were few female restauranteurs in Maine, he made me fearless and gave me the tools to succeed. Never once has he made me feel being a ‘girl’ could or would stop me from achieving anything.
Over the years I have watched my father be a father figure to so many people. His ability to make someone feel loved, help solve life’s problems, make them feel safe and worthy seems boundless. My father thrives on being a father. I have happily shared him with the masses.
A man of honor, that is Anthony Kostopoulos. He is truth and honor to the umpteenth degree. His word is gold. Anthony Kostopoulos is a husband, father, papou and great papou. Each and every role he does better than any other man I know.
My father hung the moon. He has given me the stars, love, laughter, success, a good moral compass, passion, a childhood to brag about and bouquets and bouquets of flowers. This Father’s Day I am here to shout from the roof tops, thank you Dad. I adore you.