VT Stories Oral History Collection Oral History with Chris Kappas 1/6, July 30, 2018 (Ms2016-015)
Title
VT Stories Oral History Collection Oral History with Chris Kappas 1/6, July 30, 2018 (Ms2016-015)
Subject
Description
The first in a special series of interviews with Chris Kappas, a local Blacksburg businessman, land lord, and restaurateur. Born in Greece in 1938, Chris Kappas is the son of Nick Kappas, early Greek immigrant and restaurateur in Southwest Virginia.
In this interview, Chris recounts his father's story of immigrating to the United States at thirteen years old, and creating a life for himself in Roanoke, Va. During Nick Kappas' career working in restaurants, he became a beloved figure in the Blacksburg community, particularly by the Corps of Cadets, and relocated to North Main Street. Here, he opened his own restaurant in 1922, the Busy Bee Restaurant, more commonly known as the Greek's. Chris Kappas covers the early history of the restaurant, through name changes and working in Blacksburg as one of the few Greek immigrants, up to his birth in 1938 just before World War II.
In this interview, Chris recounts his father's story of immigrating to the United States at thirteen years old, and creating a life for himself in Roanoke, Va. During Nick Kappas' career working in restaurants, he became a beloved figure in the Blacksburg community, particularly by the Corps of Cadets, and relocated to North Main Street. Here, he opened his own restaurant in 1922, the Busy Bee Restaurant, more commonly known as the Greek's. Chris Kappas covers the early history of the restaurant, through name changes and working in Blacksburg as one of the few Greek immigrants, up to his birth in 1938 just before World War II.
Date
Rights
Permission to publish material from the VT Stories Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech.
Type
Identifier
Ms2016-015_ChrisKappas_1
Rights Holder
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, Virginia Tech
Interviewer
Joe Forte
Narrator
Chris Kappas
Production Team
Slade Lelock
Duration
00:51:37
Citation
“VT Stories Oral History Collection Oral History with Chris Kappas 1/6, July 30, 2018 (Ms2016-015),” VT Special Collections and University Archives Online, accessed April 29, 2024, http://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/Ms2016-015/Ms2016-015_ChrisKappas_1.