Leo’s, Broasted Brothers restauranteurs come together for great cause
Tim Kokalis (left) and Ken Vlahadamis are pictured with some of the Greek dishes they’ll be preparing for GreekFest 2024.
Owners of popular (yet separate) Wayne County restaurants, Ken Vlahadamis and Tim Kokalis are competitors.
Yet a closer look reveals the successful entrepreneurs are both good friends and collaborators.
Vlahadamis, who owns several Leo’s Coney Island restaurants (including ones in Plymouth, Livonia and Dearborn) and Kokalis, who owns Broasted Brothers locations in Plymouth and Livonia, are teaming up to take over the kitchen for the Westland-based Saints Constantine and Helen GreekFest 2024, which has earned a reputation as the largest annual indoor Greek Festival in Michigan.
This year’s festival is set for Saturday, Feb. 24 (noon to 9 p.m.) and Sunday, Feb. 25 (noon to 6 p.m.) at Westland’s Hellenic Cultural Center, located at 36375 Joy Road (between Wayne and Newburgh).
Both parishioners at Saints Constantine and Helen, Vlahadamis and Kokalis are fully committed to making GreekFest 2024 the best ever.
Commitment to excellence
When asked how much time they’re dedicating toward the cause, Vlahadamis quipped, “25 hours a day.”
“Tim and I feel like we’ve come up with something innovative and new for this year’s GreekFest,” Vlahadamis said.
“For a lot of festivals like this, you see a lot of cut-and-paste ideas each year. Our goal is to have the attendees experience the culture of traditional Greece while having the time of their lives, too.
“We contributed on a limited basis last year, but this year we’re both all-in. After we brainstormed about ideas — we’re both like-minded people — we decided, ‘Let’s do this!'”
Giving back
Kokalis said he looks at his ramped-up involvement in GreekFest 2024 as an opportunity to give back to his church and his fellow parishioners.
“For the past few years, I’ve wanted to get more involved, and then this came up,” he said. “Kenny and I have gone wild with new ideas for the festival. We’re both excited and I know the parishioners are excited as well.”
Collaborating competitors
The duo are embracing the concept of business competitors coming together to enhance their communities.
“Competition can be a good thing or a bad thing,” Vlahadamis said. “It can elevate you to do a better job, or it can create animosity and bad blood. Tim and I are using the competitiveness to elevate one another.
“If the person to the right or left of you is better, it’s going to make you better. On the other hand, if you’re surrounded by five losers, you’re going to be the sixth.”
Kokalis said they want to make the festival more than just an opportunity for the church to raise funds.
“It’s about raising awareness of the Greek culture and cuisine,” he said. “There are going to be some cool attractions this year. People who attend are going to feel like they’re walking along a traditional Greece street.”
Calimari, roasted chestnuts and more
Among the traditional Greek food items the long-established culinary stars are planning to offer are calimari (a culinary term for squid) and old-fashioned roasted chestnuts.
“We’re also going to prepare old-style lamb shank with delicious sauces,” Vlahadamis added. “There will be a bar, too, with a variety of offerings, including malt wine and craft cocktails.”
Vlahadamis and Kokalis dished out high praise for the church’s Fr. Teodor Petrutiu, who recently revived GreekFest following a short absence; and Annette Madias, an administrator/secretary for the church.
Along with the amazing cuisine, GreekFest offers traditional Greek bouzouki music and folk dances, with lively contemporary Greek music and dance.
Guests can imagine they are spending the day in Greece, shopping for souvenirs and photographing the breathtaking iconography in the church, the event’s press released stated.
GreekFest 2024, which is open to the general public, provides funds for our parish ministries within the church and the greater metropolitan Detroit community.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
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