The Big Pict ure at William Hallet I decided to go with a restaurant and my brothers didn’t want to expand, so I went on my own. The idea behind Hallet is a place where two people who are looking for two different things can find it. You can go to Hallet and have your whole experience in one space instead of bouncing around. In the beginning of owning Hallet it was the same as owning Hell Gate—a million interpretations of how things should get done. Eventually, my vision took over at Hallet—I wasn’t questioned, and I was allowed to do what was best for the business. Some of my greatest challenges being an entrepreneur in the community have been getting people to understand that quantity doesn’t equal quality. Also expensive is relative, and when people say they charge Manhattan prices, they really don’t know what they are talking about. My advice to anyone who wanted to open a restaurant in Astoria? Opening a restaurant is not always easy, it’s not always pleasant, and for at least the first year you aren’t going to have a social life. Very rarely do you have a hit off the bat. People don’t realize you aren’t going to get rich with owning one restaurant. You’re not going to live the dream off of one restaurant. 24 | BOROMAG.COM | OCTOBER 2014 CHARACTERS Interview & Photo By Lizabeth Nieves “True story, I became a chef because it was kind of forced on me. It was the summer of ‘84 or ‘86 and my parents sent my two older brothers to camp in Greece. I was too young to go, so they kept me in New York, and they had me work in my uncle’s restaurant to occupy my time. My uncle put me to work as a dishwasher at twelve years old. His cooks would show me how to be a prep cook. I remember vividly one guy showed me how to chop parsley using two knives. Obviously at twelve, you are quite impressed when someone can use two knives at the same time. I ended up being a host there. My uncle kept me on after I started school, helping out when it was needed. When I was in 9th grade I worked at a bagel shop serving people, three months later I was making bagels. In high school I worked at another cousin’s restaurant as a busboy. I was a product of my environment. I guess I was pushed into it. I don’t think you need college to be a chef. I never wanted to be anything else. I didn’t have any ambitions back then; I was one of those guys that were whatever. Whatever I’m put into I adapt into it and I do the best at it. Hell Gate Social came about in December 2005 when my brothers Konstantine, Greg, and I thought it would be a good idea to open something that wasn’t offered in Astoria. All you had were Irish bars and Greek cafes. We wanted to offer art and music. We chose our location because it was one of the few neighborhoods at the time that offered a backyard. Eventually we sold the bar in 2014. Do I miss it? Well, I have a philosophy that when you get emotionally involved in a business it fails. Instead of letting go and moving on, you stick it out and you fail. William Hallet came about three years ago because I wanted to get back into cooking. George Rallis is the Chef and Owner of William Hallet, Founder of the neighborhood Battle of the Bars, and one time contestant on Chopped. Was it worth it? Long term, yes. If you look at it short term, you are going to fail. You have to look at the big picture.” 36-10 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103 (718) 269-3443 www.williamhallet.com
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