The people of Greece have had a long and great influence on the history of the world. They have been leaders in art, science, mathematics, philosophy, music, architecture and religion. They are also noted for their success in cooking. It has been said that the Greeks have a sense of feeling for food that few other people possess. There has been in years past, a small immigration of people from Greece to Hastings. They brought with them their religion - Eastern Orthodox - and kept their community together through the Greek Orthodox Church. It is interesting to note that almost all of the Greeks that came to Hastings entered into the restaurant business, and have left behind names that are well remembered.
The first Greek that arrived in Hastings was John Arvanette. John had come to America from Sparta, Greece as a young man, stopping in Fond-du-lac, Wisconsin,and Denver, Colorado before coming to Hastings in 1905. He established the Arvanette Confectionary in a wooden shack on the northeast corner of First Street and Hastings Avenue. The Arvanette name would be associated with that corner for years to come. John was very successful in his business, and was soon able to build a brick building on the corner at 100 North Hastings. He had two sons, William S., and Floyd H., who became associated with him in the candy manufacturing business. In 1920 he turned the operation of the business over to his sons.
Floyd and Bill Arvanette continued the candy business, and were able to do very well at it. In 1930 they had the building remodeled and opened a cafe in addition to the candy business. In later years they dropped the manufacture of candy, and concentrated on the cafe business.
The next Greeks to arrive in Hastings were Christ Cosmas and Andrew Gostas, who came in 1913 and opened the Queen City Confectionary at 608 West Second. The next year, 1914, they were joined by Peter Cosmas, a cousin of Christ, who came from Tripoli, Greece. The Queen City Confectionary was a very successful business, and in 1923 was completely remodeled with the very latest in equipment for making candy and ice cream. A soda fountain was added to the business at that time. The night of September 22, 1926, the business was completely destroyed by a disasterous fire. However, by early 1927, Gostas and Cosmas were back in business with the very latest in equipment. During the rebuilding the business was enlarged to include a café with twenty booths and ten tables. The success of their business allowed Gostas and Cosmas to purchase another restaurant, the Akropolis Cafe in Grand Island. In 1934 the men severed their partnership. Andrew Gostas become sole owner of the Akropolis Cafe in Grand Island. Christ Cosmas retained the Queen City Confectionary in Hastings, taking in Pete Cosmas as his partner. Ill health forced Pete to retire in 1954, and the same problem caused Christ to retire in 1955, closing the business for good. The Mode-O-Day shop was then opened at the former location at 608 West Second Street.
The next Greek to arrive in town was George Douvas, born in Greece and a veteran of World War One. After the war was over Douvas came to Hastings in 1918, and opened the Queen City Cafe at 106 North Hastings Avenue in 1921. We now had a Queen City Confectionary, and a Queen City Cafe, at different locations, which is somewhat confusing. George Douvas was also very successful in his business. In 1930 the restaurant was completely remodeled, and reopened under the name Blackstone Cafe. Douvas continued to operate the Blackstone Cafe until 1948, when he sold it. At that time he and his wife moved to Philadelphia to be near their children.
The new purchaser of the Blackstone Cafe in 1948 was Christ Kallos. Although not an Immigrant, he was Greek descent. Born in Grand Island, Kallos attended Hastings College and served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War Two. Christ would continue operating the Blackstone Cafe until 1967. His brother Nick was in business with him.
Photis (Frank) Thallas, born in Nemea, Greece, came to the United States in 1907. He lived in Chicago until moving to Hastings in 1920. Thallas operated a shoe shine parlor and a hat blocking business at 122 North Hastings Avenue, in the old Frahm Building. He remained at that location for 29 years, until the building was torn down for new construction. At the time he moved the business to 605 West First Street and continued operating it until he was nearly 80 years of age. Since he didn't have a hobby, he said, he just kept on working.
It was in 1918 that young Andrew Fotopulos left Lexington and Kearney, Nebraska
and came to Hastings. Born at Haecoleon, Greece, he was newly arrived in the
U.S.A. without money or a job, He went to the Queen City Cafe, and approached
the owner George Douvas with this proposition: "I will work for a week
for only board and room. If you like my work then give me a job. He would remain
in Hastings for the rest of his life, getting married and raising his family
here.
After working as a cook at the Queen City Cafe, Fotopulos struck out on his
own, going into the restaurant business. He operated several different restaurants
including the Broadway Café at 108 North Hastings Avenue, the Union Restaurant
at 628 West First Street, and the Liberty Cafe at 616 West First Street.
Another colorful Greek operating a food business in Hastings was George Pournaras who ran the Coney Island Cafe for over thirty years. Born in Greece, George came to America as a young man. According to Military records available, George Pournaras enlisted in the United States Army at the age of 26, at East Moline, Illinois, on April 3, 1918. His occupation at that time was listed as a machinist. He apparently served overseas with the American Expeditionary Forces from August 31,1918 to February 18,1919. He was given an Honorable Discharge on March 4, 1919, at Camp Grant, Illinois with payment in full of $105.96, which included a bonus of $60.00. His Discharge papers list him as single, of excellent charter, and honest and faithful. These discharge papers were not filed with the Adams County Clerk until 1956, or soon after he retired from business. At this time he may have been making applications for whatever veterans benefits might be available to him. Shortly after his discharge form the army, George Pournaras came to Hastings. In 1923 he opened the Coney Island Cafe at 614 West First Street. George would remain in business at that location until 1954. He was well known for his chili soup and of course his coney island sandwiches.
On July 11, 1930 George Pournaras married Vida Miller at Lincoln, Nebraska. This marriage was a stormy affair and lasted only a few years, ending in divorce in 1935. Abuse charges and counter charges were tossed about during the divorce proceedings. Vida accused him of being too familiar with female employees, and George in turn accused her of disputing his business and driving the business away. According to divorce papers on file at the Adams County Courthouse they had no children. Ill health finally forced George to retire in 1954. At that time he moved to Lincoln and died while living there. According to his obituary his one daughter, a resident of Lincoln, survived him. He was buried at Parkview Cemetery in Hastings, and cemetery records list him as having no spouse. According to old city directories, Pournaras spent most of his life living in various hotels and boarding houses around town, and except for several years has no wife listed. Where the daughter named in the obituary came from is anybody's guess.
In 1953, William G. Kallos, a native of Magoula, Greece, arrived in Hastings and purchased the former Arvanette Cafe. He renamed the business the Silver Grill, and remained in the business at 100 North Hastings for a number of years. The disastrous fire, which destroyed Ben Sherman's clothing store in early February of 1979, also destroyed the locations of the old Blackstone and Arvanettes Cafes. This area is now a parking lot and only memories remain of the Greek restaurants and candy factory which were once located there.
Several other Greeks should be mentioned. Andrew N. Chresaidos was associated
with Photis Thallas in his shoe shine business. Peter L. Pappas was associated
with George Pournaras in his Coney Island Café for a time during the
1920's.
James K. Spilios, also a native of Greece, came to Hastings and found a job
with Hastings Utilities. A former cook at several places, including Missouri
Valley, Iowa, Spilios worked for the Utilities for forty years before retiring.
He was born in the Olive raising section of Greece, and often talked of his
boyhood days there.
The daughter of Andrew Fotopulos, Martha (Mrs. Eli) Shada is the only child of the original Greek immigrants to remain in Hastings as far as we can determine. It is Mrs. Shada's information and willingness to discuss her life as a child of immigrant parents that has made much of this story possible. Speaking of her father she said "He was a very successful man when he was young. My baby ring even had a real diamond in it." She remembers her father as being well liked and popular. "He was very much against prejudice" she said. He let black people come into his cafe and set at the counter. At the other cafes in town, the black people had to go around to the back door to ask for food."
In 1919 Andy Fotopulos married Anna Koch, a German-Russian immigrant. In 1939 Mr. and Mrs. Fotopulos were very proud to become become full fledged American citizens. "It was the high point of their lives" their daughter recalls. George Dovas, her father's first employer, was chosen to be the Godfather of Martha Fotopulos. In later years Martha would work for Mr. Douvas at the Blackstone café. She married Eli Shada in 1949. He was an Orthodox of Lebanese descent.
One thing that sticks out in her memory is that her father was one of the few residents of the south side of town who owned an automobile. That was a real status symbol in those days, she recalls, for few people could afford automobiles. Another memory is about being teased about her last name, Fotopulos. When his restaurant was closed during the depression, and he was nearly broke, Andy Fotopulos struggled on. He took any kind of work he could find and labored hard to take care of his family. In later years Andy returned to work as a cook, and was employed at a number of local cafes. As late as the early 1950's he cooked at the Cafe Dale and Treasure Island Cafe in down town Hastings and at the Home Cafe on highway six on the south side of town, a popular stop for truck drivers and tourists.
Today the old Greek operated cafes are only a memory. Plain and good cooking has given way to the chain operated fast food establishments. But, for those who remember, there was once a day when dining out in Hastings often meant eating at a good Greek restaurant. That day will come again no more
Source:
Adams County Historical Society
Historical News Vol. 23, No 4, 1990
Sources for Research
Adams County
Historical Society achs@inebraska.com
PO Box 102 Hastings NE 68902
Adams County Naturalizations 1871
- 1929
Marriage License Index 1871 - 1973
Tombstone Index
Newspaper Death Index 1877-1960s
Probate index 1871-1925
Many other sources