'Tax Day Blues Party' Friday at East Marion's Hellenic Snack Bar & Restaurant

NORTH FORK, NY - If tax season has sparked a major case of the blues, East Marion's Hellenic Snack Bar & Restaurant has the answer.

A "Tax Day Blues Party" will take place Friday at the restaurant. "Remember the good ol' days? When you had to file by the 15th?They couldn't even leave that alone," an announcement for the event read.

Yes, it's true that Tax Day is officiallly April 18 this year, Monday, but that's another story.

To help lighten the tax season mood, Hellenic will offer a fun event Friday, with Southold Slim, Joe Hampton, and Isabel Alvarez, "The Tax Day Blues Band," onhand.

The first 40 guests will receive a free drink, taxes included.

The event is the twelfth in a series of 40 events planned to celebrate the Hellenic Snack Bar & Restaurant's 40th anniversary.

“I just want it to be a giant celebration— fun, festive, filled with abundance, with people just pouring in here for a good time,” said owner George Giannaris.

Hellenic’s history is rich with family ties and core values: When George Giannaris’ Uncle Gus Hartofelis decided to buy “Brown’s Cabin’s” in 1976, he asked John Giannaris, George’s father, to be his partner.

While his Uncle Gus was more interested in real estate and rentals. his father was dedicated to running the little snack bar on the east side of the property, Giannaris said.

Back in 1976, the Hellenic Snack Bar, a six-stool, four-table shack, was born, offering burgers, hot dogs — and a fresh-squeezed lemonade that had customers lining up around the block.

Although the eatery expanded in 1983, the Hellenic Snack Bar & Restaurant has always stayed true to its roots and core values espoused by John Giannaris and his wife Anna.

Today, George Giannaris and his wife Maria hold the restaurant’s vision, core values and mission close: “The vision remains the same. We wish to offer you an outstanding, hospitable, comfortable dining experience. Our mission is excellence in food, service, presentation and cleanliness.”

Core values, Giannaris said, include integrity, passion, consistency, and appreciation for the customers who have woven the Hellenic experience into the fabric of their family memories for decades.

Giannaris spent the winter break working tirelessly every day — only taking a day off for Christmas — to plan a full lineup of creative events to delight customers.

Last weekend, a crowd enjoyed the Prohibition Farmers’ Ball, featuring live jazz and blues, as well a five -course pairing and offerings by Shinn Vineyards, LIV Spirits, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, and hop and mushroom farmers.

Fans of Giannaris’ first book, ”Ferry Tales” will be delighted when he releases ”Ferry Tales 2: When Hellenic Freezes Over,” with a release party slated for Saturday, June 11. The book is a continuation of Giannaris’ first book, filled with personal stories, photographs and recipes.

Also new this year are menu items named after customers’ favorite orders, including Eileen Kapell’s salad in a pita and “The Norman”, a steak sandwich named after a longtime diner.

Family is precious to Giannaris, who said he and Maria work seamlessly together running the restaurant and making time each year to create precious memories with their sons, traveling and sharing family moments.

And, too, for the generations of loyal customers, as well as staffers who’ve worked there for decades, Hellenic has become a family, with bonds that transcend time.

Longtime customers “basically walk right into the kitchen” to say hello, Giannaris said. “They’re more like best friends. They’ve known me longer than I’ve known them,” some recalling his childhood with fond smiles.

“One of the greatest compliments I received was when I saw a customer who hadn’t been here in 20 years — I actually recognized his face — who said, ‘Nothing’s changed. The food is the same, exactly the way I remember it.’ That means I’ve done the right thing, carried on the tradition.”

Deeply ingrained values, a respect and appreciation for the history of a restaurant that’s meant a lifetime of memories for generations, and a menu that delights — all intertwine to create a bastion of North Fork life that’s marking a milestone anniversary.

Giannaris said he believes all who enter his restaurant, clientele or staff, should leave touched by the experience.

To his staff, he has said, “I don’t expect you to spend the rest of your life working with Hellenic. That’s not realistic. But if you stay here or leave, I want you to be a better person than when you came in. You have to be going up a notch. A better employee, communicator — or just that the experience of working at Hellenic may have launched you into a dream career you might not have thought you’d have been able to handle. You’ve become a better person. That’s my goal.”

The words are borne of wisdom: “That’s what 40 years will do to you,” Giannaris said. “It goes beyond money. It really boils down to people. When you take something perishable and put it in someone’s mouth to eat, it’s extremely personal. It’s got to be a personal experience. You’re not making cars, or suitcases.”

To his customers, he said, “I want to thank you in person for making Hellenic a North Fork landmark for 40 great years.”

For a full list of ”40 Years, 40 Events,” click here.