Informational Interview

I found an article “Greek-American chef finds opportunity in Greece financial meltdown” of someone in my field doing business overseas. Therefore, I decided to choose him. It is about a Greek-American named Ari Vezene who is a chef and an owner of a high-end restaurant in Athens, Greece.

Ari Vezene came back to the United States to attend college in the Chicago area in Illinois. His first job was at a Burger King in Orland Park, Illinois; however, it did not last. He ended up in Chicago’s “Greek Town” working in a restaurant as dishwasher to a waiter, and finally in the kitchen being a chef. He then returned back to Greece in 2005 to reunite with his family because his father died. He was an only child to both parents and he felt his culture was very important in that aspect. He knew since the age of 5 that he wanted to be a chef when he grew up. He is very dedicated to his field of work being a restaurant owner of his business in Greece regardless of the economic crisis going on there today. He serves a mixed menu of Italian and Greek food. His daily specialties are top quality beef and seafood dishes.

I learned from Ari Vezene that we have to be very dedicated and enjoy the clientele. Dedicated means to like what we do and the clientele is to be attentive to the client’s or customer’s needs. I like his quote “My winning point was being Greek when I need to be Greek and being American when I need to be American”. It means that we have to learn to negotiate and make tough business decisions without letting personal problems get in the way of other things.

Tanya Vavitsas, SD11

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