A family’s quest to bathe the community in love and health

Christina Bhanos displaying Ioulia Greek Olive Oil at the Park City Farmers Market. Photo: Ashley Brown

PARK CITY, Utah — Stelios Antonopoulos and Christina Bhanos share the Greek tradition centered around family and health. Stelios’ family lives in Kalamata, Greece, where they practice centuries-old olive oil cultivation techniques. Christina grew up in Maryland with a Greek father and strong ties to the family-centric culture. She and Stelios met when she visited Greece for a vacation.

“I was a Greek American tourist that traveled to Mykonos with my brother in 2002,” Christina explains, “We met at this iconic seaside sunset location called Capris of Mykonos.”

Christina and Stelios’s story begins with friendship. After they met, Christina returned to New York City to continue working as an ad executive. They decided to date seriously, and about a year later, she moved to Greece permanently, where they lived for ten years.

In 2011 their twins Electra and Paris were born in Greece. One of the most memorable family moments is the twin’s baptism. “We were fortunate enough to have them baptized in the village,” Christina explains, “In the Greek tradition, that’s when you name the babies, so babies are only called baby until they are baptized.”

At almost one-year-old Electra and Paris were baptized in the same church as Stelios father and grandfather. “The church is about 480-years old,” Stelios explains, “It’s the main church in our family village.”

Christina and Stelios planned to raise Electra and Paris in Greece and eventually move to the United States when the kids reached high school age. However, an economic crisis in Greece shortly after the twin’s baptisms thwarted their plans. Stelios could read the signs of a country in trouble due to his own experiences.

“Ioulia and her husband Angelos [temporarily] left the village because there was nothing in the villages of Greece after the war [World War II]. A lot of people had to leave to work and make money,” Christina explains.

After Ioulia and Angelos left Greece, they moved to Canada, where Stelios was born. Then his family moved to Venezuela, which is where he grew up. In 1984 Venezuela experienced an economic crisis, which sent his family scrambling. “We had to fly to Colombia for a day, and from there go to Miami, Florida, and from there go to Canada. We actually left the country with no personal belongings,” Stelios explains, “It was because of an economic crisis.”

Reports in Greece certainly pointed toward hardship and uncertainty. “We started seeing signs,” Christina explains, “Our cars were being broken into, people rummaging through trash cans in our neighborhood. Behavior that was very alarming to us, and we could see it happen firsthand… Because of what Stelios and his family went through in Venezuela knew we had to leave the country.”

Christina is from the United States, so moving to her home country made sense. She and Stelios dreamed of living in a coastal community, and they were surprised to discover Park City as their ideal home. It was Christina’s brother, Michael Bhanos, who laid the foundation for raising a family in Utah. “My brother decided he was leaving the east coast in search of a better life for himself,” Christina explains, “He drove out west, found Park City, and realized he can work in Salt Lake and live in the mountains.”

When they were living in Greece, he called Christina and described an ideal town, Park City. A two-week Christmas stay in 2011 sealed their fate to become Park City residents.

“We flew out to Utah on vacation with our little babies. We stayed with my brother in Pinebrook,” Christina says, “As soon as we left Salt Lake Airport and got out of the airplane in Baltimore, we looked at each other and said, ‘We are moving to Utah.’”

Less than 24 hours later, Stelios was back in Utah searching for a home. “Within six months, we packed up our apartment in Greece, we closed on a house, and I moved to the U.S.,” Christina explains, “Stelios and his son (Angelos) came about six months later because he needed to get his paperwork.”

“The other factor that brought us here is technology,” Stelios states, “Part of why we came is because I’m in I.T., and we wanted to be in an area where people hire I.T.”

The move took enormous courage, especially with two babies to consider. “It was scary to do what we did. We had to start over again completely,” Christina says, “We took a really a big risk to come back to the U.S., of course, this is my homeland. I had been disconnected for a decade.”

Christina’s mom and brother living in Park City made the transition more approachable; however, the change was not easy. They went from owning a tech company in Greece to an unpredictable financial situation which included over a year without health insurance when the twins were infants.

“When we came here, we didn’t have insurance, and we relied on the People’s Health Clinic for a year or a year and a half before he [Stelios] got insurance through his work,” Christina explains, “What an amazing resource for the community.”

The Park City community showed up with open arms and a helping hand when Christina, Stelios, and the babies were most vulnerable. The support that came at the most critical time continues to shape their core family values.

Electra and Paris are now 10-years-old and attend school at Jeremy Ranch Elementary. Christina and Stelios dedicate their lives to showing their children what it looks like to show up for others.

“This community has given us so much. It’s overwhelming. This is our time to give back,” Stelios states.

One of their favorite family pastimes is volunteering with non-profits and community-centered organizations. “We try to volunteer as much as possible because we know we rely on the community to help us with other aspects, so it’s important to be involved,” Christina says.

Another way Stelios, Christina, and their children contribute to the well-being of Park City is by sharing the Antonopoulos family heritage of Grecian olive oil. In 2018 they launched Ioulia Greek Olive Oil Co., on a mission to bring the revered oil from Stelios’ home village to their new village in Park City. Christina and Stelios know that sharing their family’s liquid wealth will increase Park City’s health.

“This is a very unique product that goes from our farm to your table,” Stelios explains, “After it’s been cold-pressed and naturally filtered, it comes in decanters, and we bottle it… We get to say with pride it is a natural product.”

Christina and Stelios focus on Ioulia Greek Olive Oil Co. growing as a family business. That’s why they choose to continue bottling the oil by hand. They embody the sacred rituals of Greece for their Park City customers. “We give the oil the blessing before we bottle it,” Christina describes, “We bottle it with our community in mind. It’s a ritualistic process that we take very seriously.”

Christina and Stelios understand that Ioulia is successful because single-origin oil honors the farmer and their art. Each bottle embodies the culture, family values, and ancient olive oil creation techniques from a single farm and family. Despite continuously increasing demand for Ioulia Olive Oil, they are cautious about choosing business opportunities that first and foremost serve Park City residents.

“We have been very mindful about how we want to grow,” Christina states, “We don’t want to sacrifice the quality or sacrifice the family values behind the business. We align with people who really appreciate us.” Stelios adds, “It’s a longer process… Our goal is not focusing on revenue. We are focusing on the quality.”

In Greece, the concept that food is medicine is well understood and widely embodied. Consuming the highest quality olive oil has a multitude of health benefits that go beyond superb taste. Christina and Stelios feel it’s their duty to help educate the community about the benefits derived from consuming high-quality olive oil and from the perspective that food is medicine.

“A lot of doctors are talking about the benefits of olive oil, why a good olive oil is important, and the high polyphenol contents [found in olive oil],” Christina states, “Our goal is to help move the information into the town, and how we can work with other partners in town who are also promoting healthy living.”

Christina and Stelios are on a mission to spread love through service. They demonstrate to Electra and Paris what it is to be a pillar of hope, respect, and family values in an ever-growing town. Their lifestyles and actions embody their Grecian family-focused heritage and pay homage to Stelios’ mother, Ioulia’s favorite saying. “Love and health are everything. If you have those two, everything else will come.”

— Written by Ashley Brown, on behalf of Neighbors of Park City