Paros Estiatorio

Paros Estiatorio is an upscale, modern Greek restaurant in the Mission Farms development in Leawood, Kansas, opened in 2019 by Klajdi Kreka and his mother, head chef Kozeta Kreka, serving honest Greek fare built on the principle of philoxenia — making a stranger a friend.

Description

Paros Estiatorio is an elegant, roughly 65-seat Greek restaurant located in the Mission Farms development in Leawood, Kansas.¹ Named for the island of Paros in the Cyclades, it serves what the restaurant describes as honest Greek fare with a modern twist, emphasizing sustainable seafood and locally sourced produce.² The kitchen imports many of its core ingredients — olive oil, cheeses, and honey — directly from Greece, while also working with small and local farmers around the region.² The restaurant’s hospitality philosophy is grounded in philoxenia, a Greek concept meaning “making a stranger a friend.”¹

Ownership and history

Paros Estiatorio is owned by Klajdi Kreka together with his mother, Kozeta Kreka, who serves as the restaurant’s head chef.³ The family’s culinary roots trace to Albania, where Kozeta grew up about 45 minutes from the Greek border in a family of cooks known for large family dinners — the inspiration behind Paros’s recipes.³ Kozeta is also the operator behind Cozy’s Cafe.³ Klajdi spent over a decade as a manager in the milling-science industry, leaving a position at General Mills in September 2019, a month before the restaurant opened in November 2019, only a few months ahead of the pandemic.³ The pair had long discussed opening a restaurant around their family’s recipes before committing to the venture.³

Links

• Official site: https://www.parosleawood.com/
• Mission Farms listing: https://www.mission-farms.com/paros-estiatorio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parosleawood/

Sources

Disputes

None recorded.

Footnotes

1. Paros Estiatorio — official site. https://www.parosleawood.com/ — asserts: ~65-seat Greek restaurant in Mission Farms, Leawood; named for the Cyclades island of Paros; honest Greek fare with a modern twist; philoxenia hospitality philosophy. ↩ ↩²

2. Paros Estiatorio — Mission Farms / aggregated listings. https://www.mission-farms.com/paros-estiatorio — asserts: Mission Farms location at 10561 Mission Rd, Leawood, KS 66206; phone (913) 544-1262; published hours; ingredients imported from Greece; sustainable seafood and local produce; active 4.6-star listing. ↩ ↩²

3. “In Overland Park, Paros Estiatorio Offers Fresh, Modern Takes on Greek Classics,” Feast Magazine (2020). https://www.feastmagazine.com/travel/kansas-city/in-overland-park-paros-estiatorio-offers-fresh-modern-takes-on-greek-classics/article_18c34b82-0f05-11eb-9a54-7337dfa54fcc.html — asserts: owners Klajdi Kreka and head chef Kozeta Kreka; opened November 2019; Kozeta from Albania ~45 min from Greece; also operates Cozy’s Cafe; Klajdi left General Mills in September 2019. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵