S1, E90: Manoli’s/ Parea - Manoli Katsanevas
The Greek Culinary Legacy of Salt Lake City: A Conversation with Manoli Katsanevas
Salt Lake City's culinary landscape has been profoundly shaped by its Greek community, and few people embody this influence more than Manoli Katsanevas. As owner of the acclaimed Manoli's restaurant and the newer fast-casual concept Parea, Katsanevas represents the evolution of Greek cuisine in Utah while honoring the traditions that made it a cornerstone of Salt Lake's food identity.
Katsanevas' story begins like many Greek-Americans in Utah - with family restaurants and a culture centered around food. He grew up in the shadow of Crown Burger, the beloved local chain his extended family founded in 1977. Starting at age 13, Katsanevas was cleaning tables and taking orders at his cousin's Crown Burger location, learning the restaurant business from the ground up. This early exposure to the industry planted seeds that would eventually grow into his own culinary vision.
The influence of family cooking cannot be overstated in Katsanevas' journey. He describes a childhood where his mother cooked everything from scratch, preparing feasts for a household with four growing boys. Family gatherings involved industrial-sized hotel pans of food, with aunts cooking for "no less than eight to ten people at all times." This immersion in Greek food culture, where hospitality and feeding people are paramount values, shaped his understanding of food's communal power.
After high school, Katsanevas pursued formal culinary training at Salt Lake Community College while working in various restaurants around the city. During this period, he met his future wife and business partner, Katrina. Together, they started Manoli's Catering, building their business credit and reputation before making the leap to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. As Katsanevas explains, "We can build enough business credit if we run this for a few years, start getting a clientele, and then hopefully we can open a restaurant from there."
The opportunity came when they spotted a vacant space on 9th South. At that time, the area was just beginning its transformation into one of Salt Lake's premier dining corridors, with pioneers like Pig in a Jelly Jar and the recently-closed Forage setting the stage. Katsanevas recognized the potential to create something special – an elevated Greek restaurant that would maintain cultural authenticity while pushing culinary boundaries.
Manoli's quickly established itself as a standout in Salt Lake's dining scene, eventually earning Katsanevas a James Beard semi-finalist nomination. The restaurant's approach honors traditional Greek flavors while incorporating the farm-to-table ethos that defines modern dining. His favorite dishes include the lamb riblets and charred octopus – perfect examples of how he elevates classic Greek ingredients with contemporary technique.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced yet another evolution. With Manoli's temporarily closed, Katsanevas and his wife pivoted to take-and-bake meal kits and pop-up gyro events. The success of these ventures, coupled with the fortuitous availability of a property just half a block from Manoli's, led to the opening of Parea in October 2022. This fast-casual concept focuses on authentic Greek street food, homemade pitas, and hand-stacked gyro meat prepared in the traditional Greek style.
What distinguishes Katsanevas' approach is his commitment to quality ingredients and authentic preparation. He connects this directly to his Greek upbringing, where food wasn't just sustenance but the center of community life. "Everything in Greek culture is around food, food and gathering together," he reflects. "That's why I feel like we are so good at running restaurants or doing anything in the hospitality industry, because I feel like we were built to do that."
The importance of community extends beyond his restaurants. Katsanevas remains deeply connected to Salt Lake's vibrant Greek community, which has supported his business ventures from the beginning. This community, initially formed around the mining industries in Carbon County and Kennecott Copper Mine in the early 1900s, maintains strong traditions through the Greek Orthodox Church and events like the Greek Festival – the largest Greek festival west of the Mississippi.
Looking ahead, Katsanevas is focused on expanding Parea's market offerings and catering operations rather than opening additional restaurants. His reasoning reflects his values: "I want to be able to enjoy what I'm doing, and when you have that many locations, you're not cooking anymore, and that's what I don't want to lose." For Katsanevas, success means remaining connected to the food, the employees, and the customers – the three elements that drew him to the industry in the first place.
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