New East End Farmers' Market Coming Soon To Hellenic On North Fork

NORTH FORK, NY — For the many who return time and time again to the iconic Hellenic Snack Bar & Restaurant in East Marion, the longtime treasured eatery on the North Fork canvas is a place where scores of loyal patrons have long found healthy, delicious fare prepared from locally sourced bounty.

And now, owner George Giannaris has plans to create a farmer's market where guests can source and bring home a selection of the North Fork's freshest and finest fare to prepare in their own kitchens. The East End Farmers' Market at Hellenic will take place at the restaurant, located at 5145 Main Road in East Marion, every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, beginning on June 7 through October 18.

The farmers' market will also offer handmade crafts and unique finds.

Giannaris' dream took root in the twinkling, eternal City of Lights.

"When my son was going to culinary school in Paris, we went to an area called Bastille, which has a weekly farmer's market every Saturday," Giannaris said. "That market is gigantic. I was really happy to be there. Everything was so fresh and plentiful."

He added: "I thought to myself: 'I can easily spend a couple of months in Paris just so that I can be at this market and then cook with all the fresh herbs, vegetables, meats and seafood that I purchased from there each week.'"

Soon, like a treasured postcard bustling with life and vitality sent home to loved ones, Giannaris wanted to share what he'd found with the many guests that have gathered for generations at Hellenic.

"Wouldn’t it be excellent to have a dedicated outdoor market like that on the North Fork, showcasing local produce and crafts each Saturday?" Giannaris thought. "Saturday is such a great day for it. Everybody’s out and about, anyway. There are quite a few markets on Saturday morning, but I’m only aware of the ones on Shelter Island, on the South Fork and up west."

And so, Giannaris added: "I decided that I was going to make my own little market at Hellenic."

He reached out to local vendors, and there was a surprisingly large interest, he found. His aim is to "keep it interesting" for the people that visit. "Hopefully, people will be visiting it weekly," Giannaris said.

The goal, he said, is to weave together a few mainstay vendors with a rotating list of vendors that are showcased on Hellenic's website, so that people know who will be available each Saturday.

And, too, Giannaris also has a new offering at the eatery for the many who've come to the restaurant to gather for decades, laughing and sharing stories as they share a meal and a moment in time that's sure to become a lifetime memory: his own line of coffee.

"I also felt that The East End Market at Hellenic would be a great place to launch my new, freshly-roasted coffee," he said.

Giannaris told Patch how he embarked upon his coffee journey.

"About four years ago, I found out that there is no beverage on the planet with a higher concentration of antioxidants than coffee. But as the coffee ages, it loses all of its healthy characteristics. Most of the store-bought coffee is months old. The antioxidants and biophenols in coffee degrade rapidly after about 10 days from the day they were roasted," he said. "That’s all I needed to hear. So, I started roasting my own coffee at home for personal consumption."

The learning process was enlightening, Giannaris said.

"As a chef, I have never encountered a more challenging cooking process than roasting coffee. I have trained with a renowned expert on coffee roasting in the United States, Rob Hoos, and I have taken classes with Scott Rao, another expert who was actually raised in Syosset. The more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to know."

The international Specialty Coffee Association hosted their annual expo in Houston last week, Giannaris said. "I was there. I must’ve sampled 100 cups of coffee. I would say 90 percent of them were remarkable. I would also say that my roasts are right up there with those delicious coffees."

SCA certified tasters rate coffee beans, similar to a rating a sommelier would give to wine, he explained. "I only use green beans that have been rated by the SCA with a score of 85 or better — the best being 100. I have never had or seen any coffee over 95. The green beans I roast are the best coffee beans in the world."

When he first started roasting, Giannaris said his friends, tasting his coffee, encouraged him to start serving his freshly roasted brew at Hellenic.

"This year, I started a coffee roasting company called Little Bean Roast Co. My roaster is at Hellenic and I roast all the coffee I serve at Hellenic on premise."

Giannaris plans to begin selling his roasted coffee by the bag at the East End Market. On every bag will be marked the date that the green beans arrived in the United States, the date they were roasted, and the date that people should finish drinking the coffee from those beans, which is usually around 10 days after the roast date. "That’s how fresh they are," he said.

Giannaris, as a chef, business owner and friend to the many who walk through his doors, is ever evolving in his quest to provide an experience rich with quality and deep meaning. To that end, has he shared his extraordinary story through his books, "Ferry Tales," and "Ferry Tales II," which offer a rich and sumptuous glimpse behind the scenes at his restaurant.

In addition, he launched a YouTube channel, AwareHouseChef, inspired by the dream of teaching individuals how to prepare nutritious, organic meals at home, with a vision to "save healthy," at a time when he believes the very concept is falling by the wayside in an all-too-often rushed society.

He's been the force behind inspired chefs' dinners at Hellenic, where some of the greatest culinary names on the East End have come together to combine their collective cultures, vision — their love for family and firmly-steeped tradition.

And he's forged a new path, creating his own, soul-quenching gelato, while staying faithful to the tried-and-true, stirring up Hellenic's hallmark, thirst-quenching lemonade for thirsty crowds.

Giannaris also believes in giving back to the community that he considers as close as a joyful, vibrant, extended family. In 2022, a chef's menu created to benefit Ukraine raised more than $17,000 for relief efforts — thanks to a caring gathering of neighbors and friends who turned out in droves to help.

At the heart of all he does is a fervent wish to create a place where his customers find a piece of home.

"I just want to make sure that everything my customers order is outstanding. I don’t want to have anything on my menu that I don’t enjoy or would be unhappy to serve to my guests. This is our 49th year. Next year we'll be celebrating Hellenic’s 50th birthday."

In 2016, Hellenic celebrated 40 years — with 40 events planned over 12 months to mark the landmark anniversary.

Food, tradition, family, the beauty of a life shared with forever friends — it's a legacy, first imparted by Giannaris' own father John, the founder of Hellenic, who passed away in 2023.

Giannaris and his wife Maria have passed that rich legacy down to their own sons, Yianni and Savvas. And now, Savvas, too, is a chef: A passionate cook since the age of eight, he sold his first wedding cake at 14 years old. A 2023 graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, he is currently working as a chef and sharing the talents lovingly passed down from generation to generation.

It's a bond that's shared with every meal, every gathering, every patron who enters Hellenic and leaves as a new friend to be welcomed back warmly, with every visit.

"Our customers are more like family than friends," Giannaris said. "I also care about their health, just like I would my family members. When they visit my restaurant, I want them to have the best of everything."

Vendors hoping to participate in the farmers' market can fill out an application here. For additional information on Little Bean Roast Co., click here.