Slain restaurateur’s family reopens the doors with heavy hearts

Slain restaurateur’s family reopens the doors with heavy hearts

Cork & Flame owner Kyriakos Vogiatzakis had a reputation for greeting customers with enthusiasm and a big smile when they walked through the doors of his St. James restaurant.

A large portrait of him hung on a wall next to those doors Friday, while grieving family members and staff welcomed diners for the first time since he was killed outside the business last month.

“Walking into the restaurant this morning was a feeling of emptiness, not having Kyriakos greet you at the door saying, ‘Hey bro, let’s have breakfast together,’ or something like that,” his brother, Mike Vogiatzakis, told the Free Press after the Cork & Flame reopened to the public. “We opened up the restaurant because we want his dream, his legacy of what he built here to live on.

“Kyriakos will be here with us in spirit. We want to keep his memory alive.”

Mike Vogiatzakis and employees had heavy hearts while they ran the restaurant without his brother, who opened the doors in 2019.

He said customers shouldn’t be hesitant or afraid to return.

“Hopefully, the fear will go away that it’s a dangerous neighbourhood,” said Mike Vogiatzakis. “I don’t think St. James is a dangerous neighbourhood.”

His 51-year-old brother died after being assaulted during what Winnipeg police described as a “confrontation” shortly after 5 p.m. on Jan. 24.

Police said Vogiatzakis was pushed to the ground and further assaulted until he lost consciousness.

The incident was recorded by at least one surveillance camera.

Curtis Ross Dalebozik, 38, is charged with manslaughter and uttering threats.

Dalebozik, who has links to Morden and Carman, was staying longer-term at the Boulevard Motel, located next to the Cork & Flame, sources said.

Mike Vogiatzakis said his brother, staff and customers were approached or harassed by the suspect, who loitered in the area.

He said Kyriakos, who previously owned the MS River Rouge tour boat, gave free meals to the suspect a couple of times to help him out.

“Sometimes (Kyriakos) would be so kind to people and say come in and have a bowl of soup or whatever…. He’d feed people and give people a hot coffee on a cold day.”

Dalebozik was recently declared fit to stand trial on a mischief charge after psychiatric professionals determined he was suffering from unspecified psychosis.

His criminal record, dating back to 2009, includes a dozen breaches of court orders. He is facing a charge of breaching probation in November.

Mike Vogiatzakis has expressed frustration and anger toward the justice system and violence in Winnipeg.

Hundreds of mourners attended his brother’s funeral Wednesday. A candlelight vigil was held outside the restaurant on Sunday.

After reopening Cork & Flame, the Vogiatzakis family is taking a collective approach to running the business for now.

Vogiatzakis’ three brothers were already busy operating their own businesses.

Mike Vogiatzakis, who runs Voyage Funeral Home and its three locations, promised the same atmosphere and a return of live music on weekends at Cork & Flame.

He described the restaurant as a “mini-Cheers,” where regular customers and staff have formed close friendships.

“It’s a place where people gather and make friends,” he said. “People would come here and something special would happen in their hearts.”

Longtime friend and customer Lisa Lester said Vogiatzakis would be beaming with pride to see the restaurant open again.

“I think it’s absolutely wonderful to open the doors in honour of Kyriakos’ legacy,” said Lester, a singer who released an album at Cork & Flame last summer.

“He worked very hard and was so passionate about providing good service and supporting local music.”

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