The Mediterranean Diet & Longevity Series Ft. Tasso’s
Yiasas!
It is with great Χαρά- Chara- JOY that Kefi Life brings you the Mediterranean Diet and Longevity Series. As a first generation American born to Greek immigrants, my siblings and I are a product of the Mediterranean lifestyle. We lived it, we breathed it and we savored it.
To launch this beautiful Mediterranean Diet and Longevity series, later this week I will conduct a heartwarming and meaningful Kefi Life podcast interview with my sisters Stacie and Christina and my brother John to share how we live the Mediterranean life through our family business Tasso’s Greek Restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tasso’s, celebrating 50 years of business, is the place I called my second home during my childhood and teen years.
I equate the time I spent working in our business to LIFE LESSONS in real time.
What did I live, learn and embrace for a life of wellness:
God first
Family is everything
Your parents are your first teachers
Patience and persistence are the virtues of the Greeks
Hospitality is always returned twofold
Sharing a meal is nourishing
Hard work trumps quitting
Food is medicine and napping is a stronger nutrient than food
The body is meant to move
While those lessons shaped who my siblings and I became, they also were lived out every single day inside the walls of our restaurant.
Growing up in our family restaurant, those values weren’t just words we talked about at home- they were lived out every single day.
Our family restaurant became a gathering place where family, faith, hospitality – philoxenia- and food came together in the most natural way.
My parents, Tasso and Katina, created more than a business; they created a place where guests felt welcome and part of the family. People felt like they were walking into someone’s home.
Looking back, I realize that what we were experiencing decades ago wasn’t just restaurant life- it was a living example of the Mediterranean lifestyle.
Food was simple and fresh, meals were shared and human connection and conversation was the important ingredient of it all.
In many ways, the restaurant became our classroom, teaching us what it means to work hard, seize moments, live with generosity and gratitude or as the Greeks call it in one word: KEFI- the joy and enthusiasm of life.
These moments are captured in my personal photos shared in this blog- snap shots of a restaurant that has not only meals but legacy and the love of a family with Peloponnese roots.
To feel the true warmth of my writing, please check out Kefi Life episode 217 releasing this Thursday, March 12.
The Mediterranean Diet and longevity Series is brought to you by our wonderful partners Vasili’s- Infuse well Concierge and Tasso’s Greek Restaurant.
Together we share a vision to open your eyes to what’s possible:
To live well, age naturally and embrace the daily choices that fill your life with vitality.
Until next time - As the Greeks say, Metron Ariston – moderation is best. And of course, OLA KALA- All is Well!
Filakia-Kisses,
Kiki
