Ask Petro Farmasonis where the best Greek food can be found in Seattle, Washington, and he will point to his own kitchen. From 1966 to 1979 Petro and Colleen Farmasonis operated Seattle’s successful Greek-themed restaurant, the Eleniko Horio, Greek Village.

Christos (Chris) Roumeliotis was born in Athens, Greece, on December 17, 1925. His experiences in Greece during World War II and his work in Cashmere, Washington, combine for a long life of hard work and gratitude for the blessings he has received.

The walls of Tom Cassis’ basement recreation room contain a family history of plhotos beyond imagination.  For him as long as the family comes first, everything else will fall in line.  His memory of names, dates and places shows how important those relationships have been in his life.

 The Derezes and Falangus families were among the first Greek settlers in the northwest United States.  Five generations later their descendants have maintained their Greek culture.  With only one exception, following the Greek tradition, all have been named after their grandparents.

For the three Carkonen brothers, a learned work ethic, emphasis on family values and strong relationships within the Greek community have aided their success in both business and in life.

That’s what Stamatios (Steve) Demetrios (James) Bratsanos said to his prospective wife before they left Greece to spend their lives together in the United States.

They may not be Greek but, wherever live Greek music is played in Washington State, Hank Bradley and Cathie Whitesides will most likely be part of the group.

 Is it boubouniera? Or bomboniere?  Perhaps bonboniere? What about boboniere?  Or maybe bouboniera?  Ah, yes also boubounniera. And not to be forgotten, bonbonniere. Having noted these various spellings, what can be said about this favor given as a gift to guests at weddings and baptisms? When spelled bomboniere—that’s Italian for box of sweets.  The Italians claim it as their own.  So do the French who spell it bonbonniere.  And the Greeks claim it as well.  Read on to learn about the place of the boubounniera in the Greek Orthodox wedding tradition.

 While the town of Manson, Washington, was reminiscent of her parents’ homes in Greece, hers was the only Greek family in the area.  For Diamando (Manda) Tagas Bekris, it really did take a village to raise a child.  It was from the influence and urging of non-Greek neighbors that she was able to learn about the world outside of her own family.

Tom, Helen and Demetra Barbas’ family moved to Seattle, Washington, in November of 1944 from a protective Greek “bubble” in Detroit, Michigan.  From there, the Barbas children blossomed as they assimilated into their new Northwest society.

The butterfly collection in Ethel Barbas’ home personifies her joyful and optimistic visits with family and friends as she travels the roads in western Washington. Testimony to her travel is her 1997 Honda del Sol with over 350,000 miles.

 Magdaline “Molly” Tsalaky (nee Barbas) treasures the musings of her father’s writing on whatever paper was available, even the back of vegetable can labels.

  George, Andrew and Angelo Ballasiotes’ youthful escapades were occasionally overlooked as their father Christos was well known and respected in Aberdeen, Washington.  The three brothers grew up at a time when the Grays Harbor logging camps and sawmills provided significant wealth for its residents and where a surprisingly large number of Greeks settled.  Their love and admiration for their father who they say was the kindest and most generous person you would ever meet permeates their stories.

Born in Washington State, Diana Aristides Bacas (nee Delimitros) has the best of three worlds and is equally at home in Madrid, Athens or Seattle.  She also believes that she is truly blessed to have lived in this particular timeframe of history, to have been born in Seattle, wanted and loved by her family and to have experienced an extraordinary and unique timeframe of aviation history.

Steve and Anna Athan spent over 30 years combining hard work and his tailoring skills to achieve a successful career in Seattle, Washington.  They share their stories of growing up on farms in Greece and their experiences in America.

 “Yesterdays are history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God’s gift of love, that is why it is called the present.” Katheren (Aikatereni) Armatas (nee Sarantinos) used this quote at the end of a video she prepared.  However, it is fitting to place the quote at the beginning of this exhibit as it so aptly describes the inspiration for her work.  That work includes several contributions to two volumes about Tacoma, Washington, a book about her family’s journey and experiences titled “A Lingering Breeze from Marmara Sea,” a video of early Greek immigrants in Tacoma, and a video of her own poetry, writings and reminiscences. 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, there are millions of words in Vivian (Vasiliki) Arger’s (nee Deliganes) home.

Constantinos “Costas” Nikolaos Antonopoulos brought his skills as a pastry chef to Seattle, Washington, in 1968. From there he expanded his culinary skills and became a successful and respected restaurateur.

Despite their father’s admonitions, Basil and Jim Anton have spent over 40 years together in the restaurant and catering business. Their restaurants, Anton’s and Charlie’s, became centers of political, economic and community activity in Washington’s Puyallup valley.

Great yiayia (grandmother) was too long to say for Willene (Vasiliki) Delegans Allison’s great grandson, so the name for this family matriarch became simply “Great.”