Family, Food, and Love Shape an Alexandria Legacy

Alexandria, VA – In his comedy Twelfth Night, Shakespeare wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.” Connecting pleasurable elements of life has always inspired humans to follow their dreams and passions wherever they may lead.

If the Kolas family in Alexandria were writing this, it would have a decidedly culinary twist: “If the inspiration for love is food, cook on.” In fact, the Kolases have followed that mantra for decades. Food, family, and the pursuit of success via hard work and endless hours have sustained several generations of this tight-knit Greek family, bringing growth and prosperity here in Alexandria and beyond.

At the heart of this story are several popular Alexandria restaurants whose founders came to Alexandria as siblings of the Kolas Family. Headed by mother Athena and father Stavros who operated Athenian Plaka, the family’s children learned how to wash dishes, to wait tables, to cook the family’s heritage recipes, and to help manage the family’s founding restaurant located on Richmond Highway. From that group, the siblings and their spouses expanded to found restaurants of their own—including Taverna Cretekou run by Christos and Denise (Kostas) Papaloizou—that recently celebrated more than half a century of authentically Greek cuisine at 818 King Street!

Among the generations of Greek chefs and restaurateurs are the Kolas, the Voliotis and the Papaloizou families—all of whom generously credit a love of food as the muse of their success with at least four popular local restaurants, including Taverna Cretekou, owned by Denise Kolas and her husband Christos Papaloizou (Denise’s daughter Maria Papaloizou operates RT’s Restaurant); Denise’s sister Vasiliki (Vaso) Kolas Voliotis owns two restaurants, Vaso’s Kitchen with her daughter Lia Voliotis and her husband Stratos Niklan, and Vaso’s Mediterranean Bistro with her son Ioannis (Johnny) and his wife Janella Voliotis. Among the family siblings and offspring, the cumulative food and dining expertise adds up to more than 100 years of success in the restaurant business within Alexandria.

Incredibly, that level of success expands beyond its significant restaurant legacies as other family members branched out to different areas of retail and service businesses including clothing, gifts, jewelry, and painting around the Alexandria region. Eldest sister Andrea Kolas operates The Lucky Knot located at 101 King Street, along with a number of other clothing and gift stores; Kolas patriarch Stavros started Kolas Painting, Inc., which is operated by son Charlie Kolas; and siblings Andreas (Andy) Kolas and Kostas (Gus) Kolas (now retired) owned Kolas TV and Satellite.

Looking back over six decades, this Greek family and its living branches by marriage can trace a shared heritage of food, hospitality, and entrepreneurship back to the enchanting Greek Island of Crete. Indeed, the classic American family story begins with the departure of eldest son Kostas (Gus) Kolas who left for college in America and whose American adventure became a family affair when he sought their company here. His supportive mother Athena and his father Stavros brought over Gus’s five younger siblings to make Alexandria, Virginia, their new home. This family set up the first in a prosperous line of family-run restaurants, keeping their Greek recipes, technical skills, determination, and heartfelt love for food and family alive and growing. And the rest is living history.

Why the Dixie Pig Sign Is Still on Top of VASO’S Kitchen

If you’ve noticed the glowing Dixie Pig sign above VASO’S Kitchen on Powhatan Street and wondered why it’s there, the answer is simple: history.

The Dixie Pig was once a well-known roadside barbecue restaurant that helped welcome drivers into Alexandria from the north. Long after the restaurant closed, the sign remained—becoming a local landmark rather than an advertisement.

• 1924 – The original Dixie Pig opens in Alexandria.
• 1949 – A new Dixie Pig opens at Powhatan Street and Bashford Lane, topped with the iconic neon pig sign.
• 1980s – The Dixie Pig closes; the building changes hands, but the sign stays.
• 2006 – VASO’S Kitchen opens in the former Dixie Pig building, keeping the historic sign in place.

Today, the neon pig survives as a visual reminder of Alexandria’s roadside past—an era when bold signs and family-run eateries defined the edges of town.