Dimitrios "Jim" Mitsopoulos

1936 - 2020

(News story) Dimitrios "Jim" Mitsopoulos, a longtime restaurateur who matched success in the kitchen with bountiful harvests from his home garden, died Nov. 25 in his Sylvania home. He was 84.

He had heart problems the last three years, said his son, Tony Mitsopoulos.

Mr. Mitsopoulos retired in 2008 after four years at his own Dimitri's, at Sylvania Avenue and King Road, which offered a range of Greek specialties and such dishes as chicken marsala, served in an "airy decor that has a New York City feel to it," The Blade restaurant critic wrote.

"The restaurant slogan on the menu promises, 'We will tantalize your tastebuds,' So far the proprietors appear to be keeping that promise, echoed in shouts of 'Opa!' as servers put flame to the saganaki cheese appetizer at tableside,' the critic wrote.

Mr. Mitsopoulos arrived in North America from his native Greece in the early 1960s, settling first in Toronto and a decade later in Sylvania, where he helped Jim and Georgia Karahalios with the opening of their J&G Pizza.

After a break from the business and a stint at the Jeep plant, Mr. Mitsopoulos opened Jim's Pizza Paddle on Central Avenue near Holland-Sylvania Road. Then-Blade food editor Mary Alice Powell advised pizza-shunning readers in 1976 not to let the name discourage them, because the "small, unpretentious restaurant has a number of Greek foods in addition to pizzas."

She mentioned some of them - and the reasonable prices.

"To say that he and his wife, Tina, are hard workers may be an understatement," Miss Powell wrote, citing the restaurant's hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday-Thursday and until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Their son said: "I can only tell you they loved the situation they were in. They loved their customers."

The Pizza Paddle counted a contingent of the well-heeled among its loyalists until a fire forced it to close in 2001.

"We knew everybody, because they knew to come in for the food," his son said. "Whoever came in enjoyed a good meal."

The pizza featured a thin and crispy crust; sauce made with tomato juice, a little tomato paste, and seasoning, and topped with a swiss-mozzarella cheese blend. Mr. Mitsopoulos made his own gyro meat - that seasoned combination of beef and lamb. He considered his specialty to be pastitsio, a dish often referred to as Greek lasagna.

Produce from Mr. Mitsopoulos' home garden - Japan cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes, plus spinach, endive, basil, and mint - made its way to the restaurant kitchen, where he was in charge. His father was a farmer, he told The Blade in 2012, yet he continued to acquire knowledge.

He also grew plums, pears, cherries, apples, apricots, and two varieties of grapes.

"Perovoli is the Greek word for garden. It means to me and should feel to most a peaceful paradise," Mr. Mitsopoulos said.

He took Sundays off from the restaurant to attend church and was dedicated to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral and the Greek-American community, his son said. As a volunteer, he helped prepare food for Holy Trinity's annual Greek Festival.

He was born Jan. 2, 1936, in Gonoussa, Greece, to Efthymia and Antonios Mitsopoulos. He emigrated after serving in the Greek army. He became a U.S. citizen in 1997.

Surviving are his wife, the former Athena Vergos; daughters, Rebecca Pappas and Efthymia Mitsopoulos; son, Tony Mitsopoulos, and six grandchildren.

Mask and social distancing guidelines will be observed at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, where the family will receive friends after 9 a.m. Friday before funeral services that start at 11 a.m.

Arrangements are by Ansberg-West Funeral Home.

This is a news story by Mark Zaborney. Contact him at mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.