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E319: Greek Fusion in Port St. Lucie
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Think Greek's journey from a family-owned food truck to multiple restaurant locations showcases their authentic generational recipes and innovative Greek fusion cuisine. Rosanne shares how they've expanded from their original Port St. Lucie Boulevard location to a new Stewart spot with a full bar and outdoor patio, all while staying true to their family's Greek heritage.
• Started in 2014 as a food truck traveling throughout Florida
• Opened first brick-and-mortar location in Port St. Lucie in 2018
• Recently expanded with a new location in Stewart on US 1 and Cove Road
• Features both authentic Greek classics and fusion items like loaded Greek fries and Greek quesadillas
• Created unique signature dish "Yuripitakia" that appeared on Food Network
• Offers vegan options to ensure everyone can enjoy their food together
• Emphasizes regional variations in Greek cuisine similar to differences in American barbecue
• 100% family-owned with recipes passed down through generations
Visit Think Greek in Port St. Lucie at 644 Southwest Port St. Lucie Boulevard (between Cameo and Del Rio) or in Stewart at 6075 Southeast Federal Highway near Cove Road. You can also check them out online anytime at thinkgreekfl.com.
Introducing Think Greek & Roseanne
Speaker 1This is the Good Neighbor Podcast , the place where local businesses and neighbors come together . Here's your host , Benjamin John .
Speaker 2Welcome back to the Good Neighbor Podcast . Hey , are you in search of a good restaurant to get a good place to eat ? Well , I know of a place closer than you think . Today I have the pleasure of introducing Roseanne with Think Greek here in Fort St Lucie . How are you doing , roseanne ?
Speaker 3Good , how are you ? Thank you so much for having me on today .
Speaker 2Yeah , absolutely , and I'm doing . Great Thanks for asking and I'm excited , for I think a lot of the community knows who you are , but there's a lot of new people here as well that might not know about Think Greek , so let's just start with that . Can you tell us a little bit more about the business ?
From Food Truck to Brick-and-Mortar
Speaker 3Yeah , perfect . Well , we started in 2014 as a food truck and we literally went all over the state of Florida . We're originally from New York . We came down , we saw that food trucks were big and that there weren't any Greek food trucks , especially in this area . So we started a food truck . We went all over Florida In 2018 , we found our location on Port St Lucie Boulevard purely by chance and we've been in that location since 2018 . And we recently just opened up a new location in Stewart on US 1 and Cove Road . So now we are in Port St Lucie and in Stewart and we also have our food trailer for caterings . So we're thank you . We're 100% family owned , Our recipes are generational and authentic and we also do like a Greek fusion menu . We also do like a Greek fusion menu , so we take the flavors that we grew up with and we put them into items that people are familiar with .
Speaker 2Nice , yes , so that's awesome . Sounds like you guys are expanding and you know I can . I can give a testimony to the food being really good . I've eaten there before . Really good , okay , well , yeah , it sounds like you kind of answered my next question a little bit , but let me . Let me ask it anyway and see if we missed anything . How did you get into this business ?
Greek Food Myths & Regional Variations
Speaker 3Well , the owner , stella , she , she's first generation Greek American . So food and family and togetherness , and that's something she was brought up with . And when she saw that , hey , you know , this is an opportunity , we can do a Greek food truck , she's like I'm going to take what I've learned from my family and then and do the classics , and then I'm going to take the flavors and turn them on their heads and do something totally out of the box so we could set ourselves apart . And that's what we've been doing since the food truck . And you know , people have responded well .
Speaker 2Very cool . Are there any myths or misconceptions in this industry that you found ? No .
Speaker 3Um , when it comes to , when it comes to Greek food , um , there's a lot of different ways that people do Greek food and I'm not sure if you would call it a myth . Um , but definitely a misconception is that Greek food is all the same and you can go to one place and get it this way and come to another place and expect the same exact thing . Go to one place and get it this way and come to another place and expect the same exact thing . But I kind of like to explain it like American barbecue . You go to one part of America and it's a vinegar-based barbecue . You go to another part , it's more of a dry rub .
Speaker 3So each part of Greece has a different style of cooking . Even in Italian food , you go to Northern Italy , red sauce is not prevalent . You go to Southern Italy , red sauce is prevalent . So that's a little bit of a misconception that people come and they're like but I didn't have it this way at another place that I've eaten in New York or Chicago . Well , that's because maybe their family or they are from a different part of Greece than we are and , um , you know , it's a little bit of a misconception that everything is the same and it's not .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , I could see that , um , yeah , and there's not enough of those , those type of food trucks or that um culture of food . I guess you would say Um , and so I'm glad that you guys tapped into that .
Speaker 3Thank you .
Speaker 2Uh , all right . So who are your target customers and how do you attract them ?
Target Customers & Unique Menu Offerings
Speaker 3Well , our target customers is anyone who likes delicious food , Anyone who wants to try something , anyone who wants to do classics , like the classic spanakopita or pasticho or moussaka , that want a homemade meal that has been passed down for generations . Someone that would appreciate that . But also people who want to eat outside the box , like they want to eat something different , like our yuripitaka that were on the Food Network . You will never find those anywhere else because it's something we came up with on the truck . You will never find those anywhere else because it's something we came up with on the truck . Just one day , we were sitting there and we were like , what if we put all these ingredients together and stuffed them with a wonton and fried them , and what would that be like ?
Speaker 3And you know we came up with it and since 2016 , we've had the yuripitakia on our menu and that's something that we're really proud of . But you could also find like loaded Greek fries or like a Greek quesadilla or Greek nachos . You know we do like to play with the flavors . We also , as you know , we have a nice vegan menu and we're playing on those Greek flavors and putting and changing them to a to incorporate , you know , other dietary preferences or restrictions because , when it comes down to it , Greek culture is about everyone coming together and eating together . Now , people , you know , have preferences and restrictions , so the way that people can eat together is us offering something for everyone .
Speaker 2Nice . I love that Yep Coming together . If that's what it's about , then that's a good message there , no matter what the culture is . Thank you All right . So let's switch gears a little bit here . Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you've been through that has made you stronger ?
Business Challenges & Staying Positive
Speaker 3Oh boy , wow . You know getting a business off the ground is never easy . You know you have naysayers , you have . You know , why are you doing it like this ? Why aren't you doing it like this ? You have people always trying to put their opinion or their on what you're doing , and it's just sometimes it's difficult to move past those comments , especially when you know we are family owned . It's it's myself and Stella , um , and I . You know it's the two of us that run , uh , in store and behind the scenes and , um , it's difficult , I'm not going to lie . It's difficult , you know you get , you get discouraged sometimes , but you have to believe in yourself and you have to believe in your product , and we do . And we believe . We believe in our , um , our restaurants , we believe in our employees , um , that you know we are giving the best that we possibly can . And you know , sometimes you know we have to be like oh all right , let go , let let it happen because , because , it'll , it'll work out , it'll work out , everything works out .
Speaker 3In the end , Um kind of a let go and let God . Situation Um , but yeah it gets , it gets , it gets frustrating .
Speaker 2Yeah , absolutely . Well , I like the let go message there , cause it it always , always , uh , always does seem to work out , doesn't it ?
Speaker 3Yeah , I mean sometimes not in the way you thought it was going to work out , but in the way that it needed to work out .
Speaker 2Right , exactly , I can agree , all right . Well , uh , roseanne , how can our listeners learn more about Think Greek ?
Where to Find Think Greek
Speaker 3Yes , so they can always visit us 24 hours a day , seven days a week at thinkgreekflcom . They can come visit us in Port St Lucie at 644 Southwest Port St Lucie Boulevard , right between Cameo and Del Rio , or they can come to our new restaurant in Stewart , 6075 Southeast Federal Highway . Our closest major intersection is Cove Road . That new restaurant's a little bit different than our Port St Lucie restaurant , a little different vibe . We have a full bar . We have , you know , entertainment on some nights . So we have a little patio that people can sit outside . The beautiful weather is coming . But definitely check us out , either in Port St Lucie or in Stewart . We would love to have some new faces and welcome back some old faces to come and visit us .
Speaker 2All right . Well , there you guys have it . Roseanne , I really appreciate you being on the show . It was good to see you , thank , you .
Speaker 3Nice to see you again .
Speaker 2Yeah , I wish you and the business the best going forward okay .
Speaker 3Thank you very much .
Speaker 1Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast . To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show , go to GNPPortStLucycom . That's GNPPortStLucycom , or call 772-303-1036 .