Chef's Gus Ravanos Biography

Gus Ravanos was born and raised in Greece. His family owned a restaurant and hotel on the island. "I always knew I wanted to be in the business," recalls Gus. In Greece, at 18, men are required to enlist in the army. In keeping with his parents wishes, at the age of 17, he left Greece to live with relatives in Nassau in the Bahamas. And in 1975, he received a student visa to attend Huntington College in Montgomery, Alabama (I asked the same question - the Dean of his high school in the Bahamas had graduated from Huntington).

In 1979, Gus graduated and began working two jobs - one in a restaurant and one in a frozen food factory making pizza. During this time, he also met someone. You see, on the side, Gus helped in his brother's travel agency. A young lady from Montgomery had bought a ticket to Greece, but had to cancel the trip. After talking to Gus about the ticket, the two realized that Gus was from the same island in Greece where her father grew up. That year, Kiki and Gus were married.

They spent three months in New York while Gus worked in a bakery, but Kiki missed the South. Gus heard about a job running a hotel restaurant in Slidell, Louisiana. The two moved to Slidell and stayed there until 1981. In 1981, Gus and Kiki moved to Mobile - mainly to be close to the Gulf - and worked in a restaurant.

During the Spring of 1995, Gus attended LeCordon Blue in Paris. Not only was he taking the regular courses, but he also attended the pastry classes, as well. "This was an excellent way to learn," says Gus. "They taught me many short-cuts and tricks." Gus returned home to his wife in Mobile and on December 14, 1995, their dreams came true - Gus's Azalea Manor Courtyard opened on Dauphin Street.

"Now customers come in and don't even look at the menu," says Gus. "They'll tell their waiter, just tell Gus to make me something.'" While Gus is in the kitchen, Kiki is the dessert queen. She says, "I'm expressing my creative outlet through my desserts." The two also have two children, a 16-year old son and an 11-year old daughter.

"It has been a lot of hard work, but it has been a lot of fun and the best part is the interesting people we've gotten to meet," says Kiki of Gus's Azalea Manor Courtyard. "Lots of blood, sweat, tears and laughs," adds Gus. They both agree that the endeavor has been worth the effort.