Our Story


We are family.

Our story begins in Athens, Greece. Tassos and Jo Fragkou, brother and sister and best friends to boot, grew up in Athens, studied in London, England and returned home to pursue their careers. He followed a path in finance and banking, she earned a PhD in Media and started working as a TV executive. Fast forward, Tassos falls for Ellie, a fashion designer and forecaster who happens to be one of Jo's best friends. Jo finds love in New York City when she meets Devin, a talented baker who leaves the Big Apple to live and work in Athens. Ten years later, here we are in Pittsburgh, PA; finally pursuing our plan to open a food business together.

The four of us are Anthos. We share family ties, a passion for food and a dream to share our passion and knowledge about Greek food with the rest of the world. Anthos was an idea that was born years ago, around a dinner table. A friend from the US had shared with us how difficult it was to find authentic Greek products and bakery goods since she lived far from the usual Metropoles of the Greek diaspora. We started talking about how amazing it would be if US consumers could taste the goodness of pure, raw honey from Crete, or the amazing extra virgin olive oil that is harvested and produced around the parts where Ellie is from, the beautiful southeastern tip of the Peloponnese. If they could try Devin’s tsoureki, Ellie’s spanakopita or our mom’s eggplant dip.

Our family roots are in Asia Minor, the islands of the Aegean Sea and the rocky mountains of Laconia. Our grandparents belonged to the generations that left the cosmopolitan Greek communities in Smyrna and Constantinople, or the poverty stricken islands and villages of Greece to start a new life in Athens. We grew up eating their delicious dishes, their honeyed cakes and spiced delicacies. We take inspiration from their stories, their strength and their love for their families. Greeks love sharing food, and by sharing food they share love, friendship and a joy for life.

In the summer of 2021 we started introducing foods and baked goods in local farmer markets while working on the build-out of our brick and mortar store in Castle Shannon, PA. Anthos Bakery and Café opened its doors in April 2022, with the aim to offer artisan bread, pastries and authentic Greek specialties made with fresh, high quality ingredients.

Anthos means ‘blossom’ in Greek; we hope that our selection of Greek products, our freshly baked goods and our celebration of the Greek joy for life will inspire and enrich your food experiences!