Object ID
2012.23.9
Object Name
Knife, Butter
Object Collection
Material
Metal
Object Entities
Grill, Ramova (owned by)
Dinos, Tony (is related to)
Miller, Ward (is related to)
Gertos, Bob (is related to)
Gertos, Bill (is related to)
Access Points
Object Description
A metal butter knife with writing on the blade in red marker that says, "Ramova." The handle has a simple design of two lines going from the blade towards the end and less than a centimeter from the end of the handle the curve off, one to each side. This design is on both sides of the handle. The blade is smooth on the side with writing and on the other side it has very small teeth. The knife has some stains and residue along both sides of the knife.
Origin
The Ramova Grill opened in Chicago in 1929 and after 82 years it shut down in 2012. Tony Dinos was from Greece and moved to the United States in 1960 where he started working at the Ramova Grill, his first and only job he has ever had in the United States. He started out as a dishwasher but once he learned English better his uncle, Pete Gertos, promoted him to cook and four years after that he bought in and owned part of the place. In 1965, while working at the grill, Dinos met Liberty Sfondels, whom he would marry just two month later and are still married to this day. The Ramova Grill was known for their pancakes and chili. Dinos got the chili recipe from the original owners and will not give the recipe to anyone, not even his son-in-law who owns a diner in Indiana. Dinos and his partner Bob Gertos have decided to close the grill after working there for 52 years to spend more time with family and travel.
Rights and Reproduction
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Citation
Knife, Butter, Ramova Grill Collection, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/8845. Accessed 03/28/24.