Former stay-at-home mom now restaurant owner

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“We love Middletown and the affiliation we have with the people. We know how hard they work and what they go through, so we just want to make them happy with good food.” — Kosta Ververis, son of Grecian Delight Restaurant owner

About 15 years ago, Maria Ververis decided it was time to get out of her house.

She had been a stay-at-home mom raising her children since coming to Middletown in 1975 from Aridea, Greece. But her children had grown up and graduated from high school and now she needed something else to do.

Ververis began working at the Grecian Delight Restaurant in 1996 and a year later, she bought the business.

“Sometimes you don’t know what path life is going to take you on,” Ververis said. “I never thought I would be in the restaurant business, but I’ve always enjoyed people from the time I was little.”

Ververis has decorated the walls of the restaurant, located at 1300 Cincinnati-Dayton Road in the Greentree Plaza, with photos of her hometown she took herself. But after being in Middletown for 37 years, she does consider this to be her home.

“I came here as a young girl and raised a family,” Ververis said. “I got married here and I feel very strong about Middletown.

“So much of my life is in this town. I really like it and I’m very happy.”

Why she chose the restaurant business as opposed to something else, Ververis simply said it was the “opportunity at the time.”

“I love the interaction with our customers,” Ververis said. “I never get tired of it. You get to know people very well and you make a lot of friends.”

Grecian Delight recently revamped its menu, too. It offers a variety of items that include authentic Greek and American foods.

“It is a tough business to be in,” said Ververis’ son, Kosta, who works at the restaurant. “Not many can do it. You work a lot of hours, but we really enjoy what we do.”