Dining, Family-Style

The Pouloses bring their restaurant roots to Wilmington

LUKE POULOS, co-owner of THE DISTRICT KITCHEN & COCKTAILS, wasn’t expecting to see his parents walk through the door on opening night in December. He’d grown up working in his father’s restaurant in Fayetteville, and now his parents were in his restaurant.

“I felt a lot of pressure because I wanted my father to be pleased,” Poulos says. “And while I think he was, I could tell he was nervous for me at the same time.”

It’s commonly said of families in the restaurant business that the work is in their blood. 

It couldn’t be truer for the Poulos family.

Poulos grew up at his father’s restaurant, Chris’s Steak & Seafood House, a Fayetteville institution since the early 1960s. He bussed tables, washed dishes, and held just about every position one could have in a restaurant. It was where he met his wife, a longtime server at Chris’s. And when his father was ready to retire, it was Luke and partner Greg Kalevas who took over the restaurant.

Luke says he’s grateful for the experience he gained at Chris’s, but in his heart he always hoped to one day create a place of his own. Now in its third month of operations, The District at 1001 North Fourth Street is a culmination of the efforts of not only Luke, but wife, LISA, and daughter, KELCEY DUDLEY. 

The District brings a modern approach to classic Americana dishes such as burgers and chops, steaks, and seafood. Chef Chris Corona is focused on building relationships with local purveyors to source regional produce and proteins.

Highlights from the winter menu included a grilled double cut pork chop with a honey and sour cherry glaze, served with arugula, honey crisp apple, fennel, and apricot dressing and crispy skin grouper with sweet potato butter, arugula, bacon, and mixed wild mushrooms.

“It’s important to people to know where their food is coming from and that it’s being prepared in a healthful way,” Dudley says. “The way I look at it, if my family is feeding your family, we want it to be good for you.”

While each member of the family wears many hats to help run the restaurant, Dudley, at just twenty four years old, has taken on a major role. Managing the bar, staffing the front of the house, and overseeing daily operations are just some of her many duties. On a recent Tuesday afternoon she hurried about, making sure her wine order was put together by the 5 p.m. cutoff. 

In addition to food, wine, beer, and spirits are something she’s very passionate about. She too grew up working at Chris’s, eventually working her way up to bartender. 

“At Chris’s, it was a lot of wine and martinis,” Dudley says. “But I’ve always had an interest in the traditional methods of cocktail preparation, particularly the pre-Prohibition era drinks.”

Dudley has put a creative twist on several old-time cocktails. The B.A.D. Fashion is nod to its new home in the Brooklyn Arts District neighborhood and is based on an Old Fashioned cocktail, featuring bourbon, demerara syrup, and orange and burlesque bitters. 

The Elder Collins features vodka, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and fresh berries. All the juices are fresh squeezed, and the syrups made in house.

Dudley has also selected all North Carolina craft beers to have on draft and developed a wine list featuring mostly single vineyard, organically produced wines. She focuses on selecting food-friendly wines that will compliment The District’s menu. 

“Kelcey has really amazed us with all that she’s done for the restaurant,” Lisa Poulos says. “She’s such an asset to our team.”

Departing from Chris’s was not an easy decision for Luke and Lisa. There were worries of hurt feelings on the part of Luke’s parents and concerns about starting over in a new community. 

Even with the new address, family ties run deep.

Though there are inevitably challenges to running a family business, the Pouloses say they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We’re really all just an extension of one another,” Dudley says. “Working together makes us stronger as a family.”

Flash back to opening night, when the senior Mr. Poulos and his wife arrived at The District, not only to surprise their son, but also to celebrate their fifty-third wedding anniversary. 

Where else but at the family’s newest restaurant?

To view more of photographer Erik Maasch's work, visit websta.me/n/emaasch