Like his cooking, Nick Triantafillis has been a fixture in Burlington for decades. Later this month, the retired restaurateur will be serving up his classic Greek dishes again — for a charitable cause.
This year’s “Nick’s World Hunger Meal,” to be held on January 24, will look different for patrons, with take-out only orders due to the pandemic. The proceeds from the 32nd annual event, however, will still go largely to Christmas Cheer, an effort that supplies area families with gifts and necessities around the holidays.
Triantafillis’ forty-plus years helping the organization, as well as contributing to others like Habitat for Humanity and UNICEF, appears to have its origins in the retiree’s own difficult beginnings.
Born in Greece in the 1940’s, Triantafillis struggled with homelessness, working just to afford his meals.
“If you grow up with it, you don’t think about other people not having it,” he told The Alamance News this week.
“I wish it were different,” he added. “There’s no excuse in this country to have homeless people, because there’s so much around.”
After moving to Burlington in 1979, he owned and operated a handful of restaurants, the most recent Nick’s Cuisine, and used his skills to fundraise for myriad charities and support local families in need.
This year’s World Hunger Meal will be held on Sunday, January 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Western Steak House on Graham-Hopedale Road in Burlington. Triantafillis will be serving chicken and pork skewers on pita bread with sides of rice and green beans. Baklava and drinks will be included.
Tickets can be pre-ordered or bought at the door for $10 apiece. For more information, call Triantafillis at 336-524-1099.
