ABOUT US

When now partners,  Stratos Lambos and Angelo Kaltsounis, met while attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., both were sons of restaurateurs. The two young chefs shared the same vision for creating a successful and renowned restaurant company. After earning a business degree in hospitality management in Florida, Lambos worked for “The Restaurant People” and met Tim Petrillo. He then moved to Atlanta to open Kyma, a Buckhead Life Group restaurant with Pano Karatassos, his college roommate and son of famous Atlanta restaurateur, I. Pano Karatassos. Karatassos senior was passionate about helping Lambos succeed and advised him in conceptualizing a new Greek fast casual restaurant. The result was a partnership in 2003 between Lambos, Kaltsounis, and Kaltsounis’s brother & pastry chef, Frank Kaltsounis and the opening of ilios noche in the Charlotte’s Ballantyne area.  Due to the area and clientele, within the first year it converted from the fast casual, with walk up counter ordering, to a full service restaurant. With this change came a more extensive menu and full bar.

In 2006 the arrival of Xenia Hospitality Group helped the partners and their new found restaurant group gain momentum alongside other Charlotte based restaurant group.

Only three years later in 2009, Xenia Hospitality Group conceptualized and created the Big View Diner located also in the Ballantyne area. This establishment was and still is, by far their largest restaurant, at a 300 person capacity and resembled a 1930’s diner with a modern flare.

Late 2019, Xenia Hospitality Group partnered with Emerald Lake Golf & Social Club, established slightly outside of Charlotte, in Matthews NC.  The concept was to bring simple, yet crafted and delicious dishes to the Emerald Lake’s LakeView Tavern.  This also in turn offered quality options to the golf course, with it’s Grab ‘N Go options in the pro shop and the “Fresh Grill On The Turn Menu”.

Shortly after the Emerald Lake partnership came the opening of Xenia Hospitality Group’s Greek fast casual restaurant, Ilios Crafted Greek (ICG), in 2020. Located in Charlotte’s Southend district, a very millennial concentrated area, ICG embraced the area and clientele’s needs with fresh, local ingredients and an authenticly crafted menu.

GIVING BACK

Xenia Hospitality Group supports the efforts and strives to always give back to the community of Charlotte. XHG is proud to make donations to silent auctions and fundraising events which support the community. XHG’s most recent endeavors during the 2020 Pandemic provided meals for first responders, including Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department and the Carolina Medical Center.