DIMITRI'S ON THE WATER INC.
TARPON SPRINGS, FLORIDA

Find out all about how Dimitri’s on the Water Greek Restaurant Tarpon Springs was founded. The son of Greek immigrants and “born in a bath tub” in Euclid, OH, Demetrios Salivaras, entered life in the Greek culture of restaurants, food and service. The oldest child of Andreas Salivaras and his wife, Renee, Demetrios, has always been involved in the restaurant business, even admitting to dressing in a mini-server uniform while following his father around restaurants as soon as he could walk. Dimitri’s fascinating life as a Chef was enhanced when he was an intern in Hawaii. Following his internship, he moved to California to learn how to harvest and cultivate grapes for the “crushing season” of the West Coast Wine industry in 2005. It was there he learned the process of winemaking and obtained an extensive education of wine and food pairings. Unfortunately, his mother, Renee, a hard-working, frugal, business lady, was nearing the end of a six-year battle with breast cancer when Demetrios returned to his roots of having a Greek Restaurant Tarpon Springs. She encouraged him to purchase an available property across from “Mykonos”, and make it his own. “The joy is in the journey,” she would often tell him. Demetrios followed his mother’s advice and purchased the establishment across from his family’s Greek Restaurant Tarpon Springs on January 6, 2010, and aptly named it “Dimitri’s on the Water.” Its beautiful location along the south edge of the Anclote River in the middle of the Sponge Docks provides a picturesque backdrop for ambient waterfront dining. On January 18th, less than two weeks after Demetrios began his new joy and journey, Renee succumbed to the devastating disease she had fought for so long. His sister Sophia and Carla continued to assist her father with daily operations at “Mykonos”, while Carla stepped into her mother’s shoes to handle the business responsibilities. We celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary here to wrap up a week of our first vacation alone since kids (…24 years or so). We are house sitting for a friend (I know! Life is so hard). Many restaurants are closed on Mondays. We were hanging out with friends, and got a late start. There were severe storm warnings out. Yet, we headed to Dimitri’s almost by default and because of the reviews. You know that reviews can be fickle: please trust a couple of extreme foodies in the restaurant business. Dmitri’s is a must visit and a definite 5 star. We celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary here to wrap up a week of our first vacation alone since kids (…24 years or so). We are house sitting for a friend (I know! Life is so hard). Many restaurants are closed on Mondays. We were hanging out with friends, and got a late start. There were severe storm warnings out. Yet, we headed to Dimitri’s almost by default and because of the reviews. You know that reviews can be fickle: please trust a couple of extreme foodies in the restaurant business. Dmitri’s is a must visit and a definite 5 star.