NIPAWIN – Owners Tasa and Kerri Gliatis of the Venice House restaurant received national recognition as a Canadian Choice award winner for top family restaurant recently.
Both Tasa and his wife, Kerri, have been heavily involved in the restaurant since his father Jim started the business in July of 1981. Tasa and Kerri took over ownership in October 2020 during the COVID pandemic.
The Gliatis took over the business at a difficult time.
“It was a hard time to be in the restaurant business. Regardless of all the restrictions, the only way to keep the restaurant going forward was to keep a positive mind and to be as accommodating as we can to the public, and I think a lot of people saw that. We had a lot of support from our customers because they knew of how much restrictions we had,” said Tasa.
Tasa said that Kerri is the voice of reason. Dina Gliatis, Tasa’s mom looks after the front of house. Tasa has been behind the kitchen for almost 24 years. The apprentices are Grayson Hoppe and Darius Nawakayas.
Gliatis grew up in the business and had been involved all his life. “I peeled my first potato and onion since I was seven. Off the record, rumour has it that I was baptized in the mixing bowl,” he said.
The Venice House in Nipawin has also won the 2021 Chamber of Commerce Employer of the Year, 2024 Chamber of Commerce Service Award, 2024 Le Pizza Week competition for Top 5 Pizza in Canada. The Venice House is planning renovations to the existing building in the near future.
