As greekreporter.com noted in a recent article, making the journey from Crete to the USA was not a decision that Antonis Karayannakis took lightly. However, when opportunity knocked, he knew that he had a chance to prove to himself all that he was capable of accomplishing. He moved to the United States on March 1, 2013, and has focused on building his future ever since.
Karayannakis’ business-oriented mind lay dormant in the Greek island of Crete. He wanted to start his own business, but once the economic crisis hit Greece, he saw that there were too many obstacles to be overcome.
His dreams led him to where he is now, the owner of Kalamaki Greek Street Food, a food truck that specializes in “fine Greek food, Vromiko-style,” and which is inspired by his roots.
“I saw the potential in Crete [but] there wasn’t any future, business-wise,” noted Karayannakis.
“I took the opportunity to go to the U.S. I proved what I can do, he told Greek Reporter. “It wasn’t easy but, if you want something and you have patience and don’t give up, you can stay in the U.S. and have success. You just need time.”
Just three years after he left Greece, tragedy struck Karayannakis’ family when his mother was accidentally killed outside of their home when a neighbor hit her as he backed up his car. “I had given a promise to her when I left Greece back then in 2013 to do something by myself and search for success. So I made this move this year [to open the food truck].” he added.
According to Karayannakis, the business “has a lot of work, few hours’ sleep, and stress, but as a proud Cretan-Greek we have in our blood [the will] to not give up and try harder to make it happen.”
Read more at greekreporter.com
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: kalamakigreekla.com
