Crown Point honors legacy of Papa’s Deli, 98-year-old owner

On the corner of Joliet Street is a small restaurant owned by a man with a big reputation.

The red-and-white plaid covered tables and wood paneled walls peppered with black and white photos serve as a time capsule in downtown Crown Point. When the weather is nice, the door was often propped open, letting savory smells lure in passing pedestrians.

Walking inside, past the shelves lined with delicacies and sweets, one would find none other than Evangelos “Papa” Dimolis behind the counter, always sporting a button up shirt and tie.

On Dec. 20, the community rallied and sent dozens of cards and letters to celebrate the 98-year-old’s legacy and his retirement from dishing out gyros, sandwiches, ice cream and more at 119 W. Joliet Street.

“The day of the cards, I saw tears in his eyes,” said Sofia Damianos, of Munster. “He was so shocked, saying, ‘These cards are for me? They remember me?’ He didn’t realize the impact he had on people. That day was so special for him. He couldn’t believe all of the cards he got. I told him, ‘You don’t realize how much people love you.”

A small group of friends, residents and Crown Point Mayor Pete Land surprised Dimolis with about 75 retirement and Christmas cards from people from Northwest Indiana and beyond after Kara Graper, of Crown Point, put a callout for people to send mementos to celebrate the occasion. Land designated the city offices at Bulldog Park as the mailing and drop-off spot for the parcels.

“There must have been 5,000 views on the post about Papa, and I was like, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of love for this guy,'” Graper said. “He got cards from Texas, California, Seattle, and I would guess most of them are from students he served throughout the years.”

For Land, walking into Papa’s Deli not only reminded him of his childhood, but also of the legacy Dimolis has created in the community.

“I was fortunate to be able to present to him the box full of cards from people all around the country, sharing stories of their memories of Papa’s Deli and him,” Land said. “Some even sent photos of themselves inside the business. This was all a surprise to Papa; we kept it a secret as to why we wanted to meet up with him at the deli. His smile was there throughout the visit, it was obvious that he was touched by the outpouring of support the city and our current and past residents showed him. I was honored to be part of doing this for him.”

The shared memories of the deli stretch across 47 years of high school lunch periods, summer days, chilly winters and countless meals enjoyed under Dimolis’s roof.

Land grew up just around the corner from Papa’s and he and his siblings became frequent visitors since the restaurant’s opening, crossing the deli threshold three to four times a week for a slice of the coveted square schoolhouse pizza.

“Papa’s Deli, because of its longevity of 47 years, is such a well-known Crown Point business,” Land said. “Same location, same owner and most of the same great workers allowed everyone to get to know them and Papa. Here was this Greek man with broken English who set up his deli and served the community so well. He had reached such a pinnacle that all you had to say was that you were going to Papa’s, and everyone knew where you were going.”

Papa’s story

Born on May 15, 1925, Dimolis lived in a scenic village called Agios Germanos in Northern Greece before he came to America in May 1957 at the age of 32.

“Most immigrants came over here for a better life, just as my father did,” Damianos said. “At the time, in the 1950s, Greece was very poor. A lot of immigrants came to America at that time to make a better life for themselves.”

Damianos’ father, Harry, was in his 30s when he came to East Chicago. Dimolis offered him a business partnership, though the man was still learning English and had not yet accrued money to invest, Damianos said he saw something in her father’s character and the two teamed up.

The duo ran Hellas Grocery in the East Chicago Harbor neighborhood in the late 1950s, an area known as a melting pot of cultures. The business was successful and Harry Damianos and his wife ended up having two children.

“God always has a purpose, and these two people met for a reason,” she said. “We both ended up having a very good life and calling the Region home.”

About 47 years ago, Dimolis moved to Crown Point and bought the corner building on Joliet Street in an auction after a fire had badly damaged it and its neighboring store. The framed pictures and vintage knickknacks that have persisted through the decades have been a long standing homage to Crown Point’s antique scene.

More Top Picks Best Wall Calendars For Adhd Families

“While he was putting Papa’s Deli together, I went with my dad when he first opened,” Damianos said. “I was looking around and asked him, ‘Where did you find everything?’ He said that Crown Point is such a mecca of antiques, how could the theme be anything else?”

Carrie Graham, of Crown Point, began working at the deli a decade ago when she moved to the area.

“When we moved out here I saw Papa’s Deli, and I thought it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen,” Graham said. “I told my husband, ‘That’s where I want to work.”

From there, Graham got to hear Dimolis’s many stories of his time in Greece and enjoyed his sense of humor. The thought of Dimolis sweeping the sidewalk outside of his shop brought warm memories to mind.

“I just want him to see how everyone loves him and that he deserves stuff,” Graham said. “I always just felt like he wanted to please people- he wanted to see people smile and wanted people to be happy. You never know what someone is going through. If someone didn’t have all the money for food, he would just let them pay what they had. And people would come back to pay the difference and he wouldn’t even want to accept the money.”

A living legacy

Graham said the restaurant closed down during COVID, however, when they tried to reopen their doors they faced difficulties, such as staffing. While the store windows still advertise gyros, pastrami and ice cream, the restaurant hasn’t consistently opened its doors in the last couple of years.

Damianos said the day of his retirement celebration, she jokingly asked him when he was reopening the restaurant.

“He said, ‘Ah, I can’t do it anymore,'” she said.

Dimolis still owns the building, but it is unknown what the future holds for the treasured corner deli, according to those close to him.

“Hopefully whatever the next plans are in the future, if someone takes it over, if they can keep it the way it is, it would be true testament to the town to keep that legacy,” Damianos said. “I don’t think there’s anybody in Crown Point who doesn’t know Papa’s Deli.”

On May 15, Dimolis will turn 99 years old. Damianos said if his health allows, they might throw another party for him.

“I hope he surpasses 100, by all means,” Damianos said. “In Greek, we have a term that says, basically, ‘Let’s hope we can achieve the years this person has achieved,’ for someone who lives that long. You look at him — he’s still standing. He’s still got his sense of humor. He’s got some memory issues, but I think that’s normal for someone that age. I forget things. That day, he came down dressed in his suit and tie. Distinguished. And I think that’s how people will remember him, as a gentleman with a heart of gold.”

Anna Ortiz is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.