Ferry Tales - A new book by George Giannaris

 “We opened the restaurant when I was six. I remember with great clarity opening day. Grand opening banners waved across the front of the building, noon-high sun blazing at nine in the morning on Fourth of July weekend 1976. I walked into the little six-stool shack that bore the name “Hellenic Snack Bar.” My father’s face was full of concern. What was an immigrant from Greece, who worked as a waiter at the Plaza Hotel, doing behind the counter of his own business? Everyone thought the snack bar was doomed.”

Excerpt from Ferry Tales – a newly released non-fiction book by George Giannaris

As it turns out, everyone was wrong. The Hellenic Snack Bar has been successful in pumping out its homemade, freshly squeezed, trademark lemonade for thirty-two years.

What motivated Mr. Giannaris to pen such a candid, personal, and very comical piece?

“After enduring the tail end of a sixteen hour shift, a last minute party of fifteen came in for dinner and tacked on an extra two hours to my work day,” says Mr. Giannaris. “Rather than get disgruntled, I took the opportunity to capture some thoughts in a Word document while I waited for them to finish their meal.”

Later that week, while sharing those thoughts with his mother, Anna Giannaris, George could not believe that she recalled none of it. “I realized that I would be next in line to forget all these things and made a silent, purposeful decision to capture my memories on paper, so that I could pass these recollections on to my children.” 

Determined, Mr. Giannaris snuck away to his little office, that he calls the “command center” every chance he could get, often between burger flips, and captured short story after short story.

“Sometimes the stories were comical, other times they were downright private and emotional. It becomes impossible to separate yourself from a business that is so hands on,” Mr. Giannaris explains.  “Ferry Tales is a book packed with more than you would expect.” 

After accumulating a hundred pages or so Mr. Giannaris was struck with an epiphany: every facet of his life, both business and pleasure, was indirectly affected by the Ferry terminal down the road at the end of Orient Point. With help from his neighbors, Rick and Ellie Coffey, proprietors of the The Coffey House Bed & Breakfast next to the Hellenic Snack Bar & Restaurant in East Marion, Ferry Tales was born. While Ellie spontaneously came up with the title, the literary motivation was provided by Rick, the founder of The North Fork Writers Guild. 

            “The Ferry determines at what hours of the day I will be busy and when I close.  It brings with it a fresh flow of new customers and a steady stream of regulars. It also ‘feeds me’ enough during the winter months and helps my business survive the inactivity associated with the North Fork off-season.”

            Mr. Giannaris and his family can be spotted using the ferry regularly, “It is a window that opens into the rest of America. We use it to go skiing, visit our neighboring states, and as a simple get away.”

            The Ferry also fuels Mr. Giannaris’ passion for spear fishing, “The DEC in Connecticut and Rhode Island has put fewer restrictions on various species of fish such as the blackfish or Tautaug. Whenever I have the chance, I’ll spend the night with family in Connecticut after a day of spear fishing in Connecticut or Rhode Island waters.”

            When not underwater, Mr. Giannaris can usually be found at “The Hellenic” as it is known to those that frequent the Family owned restaurant, which has become a landmark on the North Fork. “I am the son of a man who created a landmark restaurant, by accident in the middle of nowhere,” proclaims the author. The Hellenic is a favorite gathering spot for celebrities and locals alike and it has been showcased in an episode of the Martha Stewart show.

            Ferry Tales is based on real events, both comical and insightful and conveys a story of a seed planted over thirty years ago that has become a bonsai tree. Groomed by the evolution of the North Fork clientele and trained by pressures of running a business that fluctuates between madhouse and mausoleum.  It is rooted in a strong Greek ethnicity and work ethic, potted in a region that bears the uniqueness in geographic location to the Garden of Eden, all nurtured and fed by a vessel that moves masses from one end of America to the other.

“The book has been embraced and loved by many of my customers,” says Mr. Giannaris. “For the first time in thirty years I have the opportunity to connect with people who have been vague acquaintances and patrons for decades. I have also been able to give customers who have become more like family an inside peek at the workings of where they dine and a concatenated history of the North Fork, a region that has become a second home to most.” 

Mr. Giannaris has sold hundreds of copies of the book already at his restaurant. It is also available at his favorite literary outlet, “Burton’s Book Store” in Greenport where he appears on Saturdays during the summer for book signings.  Please call (631) 477-1161 for more information regarding book signing events. Copies are available at Amazon.com. 

Mr. Giannaris will be doing a food demonstration and book reading at Martha Clara vineyards on July 12^th. He is a member of the Long Island Authors Association and will be a part of their book fair also at Martha Clara Vineyards on July 13th. Mr. Giannaris will soon have book signings at Borders in Riverhead and Westbury scheduled. Be sure to visit his website for further details, www.GeorgeGiannaris.com.