Louis Pappas

Notable Chef, Restauranteur, and Cookbook Author

Family History
Louis L. Pappas is the Grandson of the Louis M. Pappamichalopoulos. Louis Pappamichalopoulos served as an army chef under General Pershing in the "Wildcat Division" in France during WWI. It was there that he created his own version of a Greek salad by adding potato salad to sustain the troops during hard times. In 1925, Louis and his wife Flora, affectionately known as "Mama", established the orginal Louis Pappas "Riverside Cafe" in Tarpon Springs. With a handful of employees on sawdust floors, they opened a cafe specializing in fine Greek-American cusine and the Louis Pappas Famous Greek Salad . Potato salad at the bottom of the salad itself became internationally known. With the help of their five children, Michael, Lucas, Jack, Bertha, and Nina, the Pappas' prospered. Over the years, the family successfully opened several other restaurants in the Tampa Bay area. They eventually combined their efforts under one roof back in Tarpon Springs where the three brothers were joined by their three sons and the tradition continued. The Louis Pappas Riverside Restaurant remained a landmark from 1975 until 2002.

Current Company
Louis Pappas sold the Louis Pappas Riverside Restaurant in 2002 and has since opened a chain of fast casual cafes in the Tampa Bay are. There are seven store opeartivn locally.

Cookbooks Authored
New Generation Greek Cuisine, Louis Pappas, 2002.

Featured Articles
•Expanding Fast Casual Greek Chains Carve Niche in Market, Amy Spector. Nation's Restaurant News. Aug 11, 2003. p. 4,91

•Greek on Every Corner, Restaurateur strives for Greek eatery on every corner, Michael Sasso. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Washington:Jul 19, 2004. p. 1

•Changing Course, Maya Norris. Chain Leader Magazine. August 2005. p. 20

•Chain Reaction, Get it going with advice on opening more locations, Mark Hendricks. Entrepreneur Magazine. November 2006. p. 34

links
www.louispappas.com

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