CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 19 e Greek connection Fayetteville families stay in touch with their roots exploring the history and culture of their homeland and reveling in treasured time with family. BY JAMI MCL AUGHLIN G reg and Effie Kalevas, who have been married for 30 years, count it a blessing that they have been able to travel for as long as they have. For their family, visiting Greece is more a way of life than a vacation. "We travel to visit relatives and friends. Our roots are there, and most of our family. It is more of a lifestyle than a vacation, and our children look forward to their summers in Greece," Effie Kalevas says. Effie, which is short for Ehimia, is from Karpenisi Evrytania, which is centrally located on the Greek mainland about 3 ½ hours north of Athens. It's in the mountains and just a few hours away from the ocean. "It is known for its beautiful skiing in the winter months," says Effie. Greg, who owns Chris' Steakhouse on Raeford Road, immigrated to the United States at age 14 with his parents and three brothers from Stenoma, which is close to where Effie's family immigrated from in 1955. "I was born in Newark, New Jersey, aer my father immigrated to America. We moved back to Greece in 1978 for three years, but in 1981 we moved back to the United States for a better life," says Effie. Effie met Greg, whose given name is Grigorios, at a Greek-themed convention in New Orleans in 1993. ey married shortly thereaer at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Winston-Salem. "I grew up in the restaurant business with my parents and married into the restaurant business," Effie says. e couple built a second home in Karpenisi in Greece on property given to them by Greg's father in 2007. ey traveled there every summer until the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, they have resumed those visits, especially in the summer. "Summer is our favorite time to travel with the family as it is easy to meet up with others with the beautiful weather. We typically stay in our village in Karpenisi but also pick a different island to visit for a vacation on vacation," Effie says. eir children — Petroula, 27; Vasili, 24; and Athanasia, 20 — were raised in Fayetteville but went to Greece every summer while growing up. "Each of my children loves going each summer as they get to visit cousins and friends they have made over the years. ey speak Greek fluently and love the opportunity to go back to their roots as it expands their perspective of the world. ey have an appreciation of their culture and the beautiful scenery," says Effie. eir life in Greece is simpler than it is in America. Left, the large shopping agora called Monastiraki is a few blocks away from the Parthenon and Acropolis in the neighborhood of Theseio, where the Kalogerinis family stays. Photo by Starcevic via Canva

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