Owner of Stoney Creek’s Village Restaurant touched many lives in his 82 years //
The 82-year-old owner of Stoney Creek’s Village Restaurant ‘touched many lives’
Gus Terziev liked to eat and mingle.
So when the 82-year-old owner of the Village Restaurant was laid to rest earlier this month, there was plenty of food and socializing in his honour.
His celebration of life dinner on Sept. 8 drew hundreds of people who served up platefuls of fond memories in tribute to the man affectionately known as “Papa Gus.”
Terziev passed away suddenly on Sept. 3.
“He loved food and people, and he talked to everybody,” daughter Mary Terziev-Clifford said. “People shared so many stories about him … He touched many lives, more than I ever knew.”
Gus was 40 years old when he bought the Village Restaurant.
He told his wife, Chrisula, and three children, Mary, Chris and Debbie, on April 1, 1976 that he had purchased the restaurant at the corner of King Street East and Mountain Avenue North in Olde Town Stoney Creek.
He had worked for two decades at Dofasco, having emigrated from Delcevo, Macedonia in 1955 at age 19.
“My dad didn’t even know how to boil water, so we all thought it was an April Fool’s joke,” Mary laughed. “It wasn’t long before my dad sat us down and asked us, ‘So, do you want to take over the restaurant business some day?’” The answer was yes.
But the road to family legacy wasn’t easy. It was paved with a lot of dedication, hard work and long hours.
Gus and Chrisula were the head chefs in the kitchen for more than 20 years.
He cooked in the mornings and she whipped up her masterpieces in the afternoons and evenings.
The kids also worked after school, on weekends and every holiday, amassing more and more responsibilities as the years went on.
Mary said even when her dad was tending to the kitchen, he still found ways to sneak out and greet customers.
“He’d come out and say ‘I’ve been cooking all day … I’m just coming out to say hi,’” she said. “And then he’d have a couple of drinks with you.”
Mary said her dad’s greetings also extended to people he came across in the community, whether he was meeting somebody for the first time or knew someone who was in need of a hearty helping of goodness or support.
“He’d always say ‘Come on over to the Village,’ and then they’d come in for a meal and he’d say ‘OK, the first one’s on me,’” she said. “He always said to be kind to others. He wanted people to feel welcome and part of our family.”
The Terzievs’ dedication, hard work and long hours were certainly a recipe for success.
The Village Restaurant went on to build a reputation for excellence with its homemade food, friendly customer service and homey environment.
The family legacy also grew to include the adjoining Penalty Box, Chippy’s Fish and Chips and Karlee’s.
Mary and her sister Debbie head up the restaurant and Penalty Box, while their brother Chris manages Chippy’s and Karlee’s. Their spouses and children pitch in too.
Loyal customer Laurence Marshall said the Village Restaurant’s success is a testament to the kind of person Terziev was.
“He worked really hard to get what he got, and it’s a great thing he’s left for his family and Stoney Creek,” he said. “He was just an all-around great guy, who was good to everybody. I know I’ll really miss him.”
Mary said she has no doubt her dad was happy about all he accomplished.
He had a fabulous life, she said. “He was really determined, hard-working and fiercely proud of his family, and he taught us many important lessons, like to be humble and treat others well,”
Mary said, adding her dad was her hero.
“There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for us and for others. He set us up in this business to live, and the Village is our life.”