Planning a party, but don’t know where to start? This is where Doros and Ellada Hadjisavva step in.
The Hadjisavva name is regionally known from the husband-and-wife team’s upscale Greek restaurant Acropolis, which operated on Evansville’s East Side from 2000 to 2022. As the couple’s catering business grew, they scaled down restaurant operations and, in June 2022, opened Venue 812, an event space Ellada describes as a “one-stop shop” in the former location of Western Ribeye steakhouse at 1401 N. Boeke Road.
Ever the multi-taskers, the Hadjisavvas — originally from Cyprus — are not just chefs or business owners or event planners. They’re all the above, and more. Customers benefit from the Hadjisavvas’ nearly 20 years of catering experience and Acropolis Catering’s reputation for a wide, satisfying menu, as well as event planning, set-up, decorating, staffing, serving, and tear-down.
“We couldn’t do what we’re doing today if we hadn’t gone through 20 years of owning a restaurant,” Ellada says. “The owner of the Old Post Office approached us 12-14 years to consider catering, and that’s where it became a vision for us. We practiced, and we love doing events, and that’s why we wanted to have our own place” at Venue 812.
The couple shows Greek hospitality through diverse menus that are customized based on the client’s needs and budget, meaning guests can be served everything from pasta, steaks, barbecue, and seafood to taco bars, brunch, and halal and vegan cuisine. Food can be served buffet, plated, or family-style. Acropolis’ staff can man a full bar. “We have everything you need to execute a 500-plus-person event on your premises,” Ellada says.
Grazing tables and cocktail hours “are our specialty,” she adds. “I love decorating with food. Presentation is what sets me apart. I love that ‘wow’ factor.”
The Hadjisavvas give back to the community by supporting and catering events for YWCA, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Easterseals Rehabilitation Center, Lampion Center Chocolate Affair, and the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, among others. Doros and Ellada directly credit regional nonprofits for helping grow their catering business.
“All the nonprofits have really given us a chance to grow with them, and it feels so good to be helping them raise money, but they never realized how it made us better caterers,” she says. “In order to earn people’s trust, for people to give us a chance — because we’re not from here, we have been outsiders — it took us 10 years in business to make a name for ourselves, and nonprofit organizations were the way for us to grow. So, we are very philanthropic. It all ties together.
The Hadjisavvas also take their cuisine on the road, with two Acropolis food trucks popping up at events like the Lincolnshire neighborhood’s annual Front Porch Festival and Tri-Fest each spring in Henderson, Kentucky. Tri-State. “Our food truck is how you find our casual dining experience. It’s an extension of our catering,” Ellada says. The mobile menu doesn’t skimp on options: Hungry diners can order at least six types of gyro sandwiches, rice bowls, and sides like hummus with pita bread and more. The truck is available for public and private event rentals up to an hour’s drive from Evansville.
The self-taught chefs take nothing for granted. At a recent wedding orchestrated by Acropolis Catering, a guest walked up to Ellada and said, “I know who you are. You owned Acropolis. Your reputation precedes you.”
Ellada was touched. “People remember you when you feed and serve them and are part of their special day,” she says. “That’s what makes me want to improve and grow our business.
