Faces of Main Street: George Axiopoulos from Athena Greek Restaurant

When George first stepped into the kitchen of Athena Greek Restaurant, it was not as the owner or even as a cook. It was as a dishwasher. Newly arrived from Greece, he spoke not English but was determined to support his family. “I cleaned thousands of plates and glasses every day. Slowly, slowly I learned the language,” George recalls.

George came to Mansfield in 2011 after marrying Maria, a local teacher with Greek roots. Life in the U.S. was a sharp contrast to the bustling Greek city he left behind, but his focus was clear: provide for his family. “This country is not always an easy life, but it is full of opportunity if you have a target and focus. For kids, especially, this is the best country for education, for college, for jobs,” he says.

But when he first arrived, George struggled to find work. “I went to restaurants and nobody hired me,” he remembers. That changed when Myron Coblentz, the longtime owner of Athena, gave him a chance. “Mr. Myron hired me when nobody else would. I love him so much. Every day I look at his picture here in the restaurant and say thank you,” George says.

From dishes, George moved to cooking, and eventually to manager while raising five children with Maria. At first, he thought he might eventually return to Greece, but Mansfield and the restaurant became home. His turning point came when Myron, facing cancer, urged him to take over. “He told me, ‘Only you can continue this place. You have the Greek heritage, the Greek spirit. Only you can keep it going,’” George remembers.

In 2019 George officially purchased Athena Greek Restaurant, the same year he became a U.S. citizen. With ownership came the chance to infuse the menu with flavors from his childhood. The marinades, the rice pilaf, the seasonings on the chicken, the green beans, and countless other dishes all come from his head. None of the recipes are written down. They are passed from his mother’s kitchen to his memory and straight to the plates of his customers. “I put my love, my spirit, into the food,” he says.

For George, Athena is more than a business. It is his anchor. “The first week I came to the United States, I started working here," he says. Though he travels back to Greece occasionally to visit family and friends, George prefers to stay close to his restaurant. "I don't see the whole country, I only see this restaurant. It is my home,” he says. That devotion is so strong that even serious health challenges cannot keep him away. When George suffered a heart attack, he was back in the restaurant the very next day. “This place makes me feel better. It is not the hospital, it is my life,” he says.

He sees it as his mission to bring pieces of his homeland to Mansfield. “I bring the Greece here,” George says with pride. From the pictures of Santorini on the walls to the flavors passed down from his mother’s kitchen, George shares the best of Greece with everyone who walks through Athena’s doors.

As downtown Mansfield undergoes its transformation, George is patient and hopeful. He admits the construction has its difficulties, but his perspective is bigger than just his restaurant. He looks forward to seeing new energy downtown, full of things to do and places to shop and dine. “Some years are good, some are bad. You keep hope. After this project, I believe more people will come downtown, and that makes me happy,” he says.

Looking back, George sees his journey as proof of what hard work, gratitude, and community support can achieve. “When I came here, nobody knew me," says George. "Now people know my name because of my work. This country gave me opportunity. Mansfield gave me my home.”

Next time you are downtown, stop in at Athena Greek Restaurant. You will not only enjoy a delicious meal, you will experience the story and spirit of a man who embodies resilience, gratitude, and the best of Greece right here in the heart of Mansfield.