Philip Vakos knew he had to act fast in order to save his popular restaurant Bahari in Richmond, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, while simultaneously keeping his staff working and providing his customers with the nourishment needed to ride out a pandemic.
With the coronavirus wreaking chaos in the food industry globally and forced closures of dine-in establishments shuttering thousand of establishments almost overnight, the MasterChef alumnus put a plan in place that would keep the doors of his well-known and well-loved Greek eatery open for business— but without the dine-in customers.
In a mere four days’ time Philip, his wife and business partner Helena and his team at Bahari completely flipped the restaurant’s business model and have launched a full-service takeaway and delivery operation to serve the home-bound community impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Servers are now helping in the kitchen and running deliveries, while Philip himself is baking fresh bread daily to include in all carry out meals.
Philip designs the menu, which changes every few days and is distributed to customers via the restaurant’s social media channels like Facebook and Instagram.
Meals are always nutritious Greek meals with a twist that will keep people healthy and nourished during the uncertainty of the next several months.
Bahari is also preparing family-sized pans of favorites like Moussaka that can freeze and be cooked at a later date and critical to any Greek family meal, Phil is baking fresh bread daily to include in all carry out meals.
Making light of the now infamous toilet paper wars taking place in grocery store aisles across the world, Bahari noted on its social media channels that “We’re pretty sure that toilet paper won’t save you… but Philip Vakos’ Moussaka will.”
With two Cretan grandmothers, Vakos has plenty of culinary heritage from which to draw. He calls Bahari’s food ‘Gringlish,’ as it’s Greek, but with his own take on it.
“We always pay our respects to our Greek origins,” Philip told The Pappas Post. “But we are a little innovative and different.”
Bahari on Instagram and Facebook. Philip Vakos on Instagram and Facebook.
Not in the Melbourne area where Bahari delivers? Watch Philip conjure up one of his signature desserts. No, it’s not your traditional baklava but it does look amazing.
Philip Vakos’ White Chocolate & Raspberry Baklava
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