Eleni’s journey to a hospitality career began practically at birth.
As the daughter and granddaughter of small business owners on both sides of the family, Eleni spent many Saturday mornings learning the ropes (and responsibilities) of operating a successful restaurant from weekly “take your daughter to work Saturdays” with her dad at Demetrios’ Pizza House in Bradenton, Florida.
A few decades and a career spent learning from business and community leaders later, Eleni has been named Oysters Rock Hospitality Executive Vice President – a role understood internally to mean Chief Executive Oyster-in-Training.
By 2014 she had developed her passion for small business into a company of her own: Sokos Solutions, an award-winning marketing agency respected regionally for strategic use of brand storytelling to drive marketing results. Sokos Solutions clients primarily existed in these industries:
- Independent restaurants, restaurant groups including Anna Maria Oyster Bar, travel and attractions
- Nonprofits focused on economic empowerment for women and families, health and wellness, and placemaking
- Financial services
Sokos Solutions was a Manatee Chamber Small Business of the Year Finalist in 2019. Eleni was named to SRQ Media’s first-ever 35 Under 35 list in 2021 and is also very proud to have been named the first-ever Manatee Young Professionals (MYP) MVP of the Year in 2019. Eleni’s professional background prior to launching Sokos Solutions in 2014 included marketing for The Ringling, Darwin Brewing Company, and home & garden consumer products.
Like many people whose lives changed direction during the pandemic, Eleni felt a strong call to return to her roots in the hospitality industry and began laying the foundation for a pivot of her own. In 2021, Eleni and her life/business partner, Jason Simpson, opened Kefi Streetside Cafe in downtown Bradenton, serving Mediterranean-inspired breakfast and lunch known for its coffee program, in an open-air courtyard reminiscent of Greek cafes beside the Aegean Sea.
By 2022, Eleni joined the ownership group of Cafe L’Europe, a Sarasota fine dining icon with nearly 50 years of excellence on St. Armands Circle. And later that year, she made the decision to step away from Sokos Solutions and join the Oysters Rock Hospitality family.
As the Director of Brand Strategy, she was instrumental in developing the concept and menu evolution at Anna Maria Oyster Bar UTC/North Port along with the renaissance of Cafe L’Europe, while strengthening the company’s Home Office. A year-long conversation about leadership, hospitality, and core values began to unfold, and eventually concluded with the Hornes deciding that Eleni was the right person to carry on their restaurant legacy because of her guest-centric mindset and creative approach. The five years of experience working together, from the time that Eleni was hired in 2017 to handle social media, and eventually included all sales and marketing, were the foundation of this successful relationship. As part of this transition, Oysters Rock Hospitality has also absorbed the Kefi Streetside Cafe, and new ways to bring the brand to life are under development.
Today Eleni serves her community on the Manatee Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, set to serve as the Board Chair in 2027. She has volunteered extensively with Realize Bradenton, appeared regularly as a guest host on ABC7’s Suncoast View, is a graduate of Leadership Manatee’s Class of 2017-18 and donates her time to various charitable event committees.
She has also participated on these Board of Directors:
- Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation
- Manatee Young Professionals
- Hernando de Soto Historical Society
- Manatee Seminole Club
Eleni attended high school locally at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School before The Florida State University, where she studied Political Science, Art History, Business, Communications, and Economics, and was active in the Student Government Association. When she’s not in our restaurants, Eleni is an avid traveler (ask about her Camino experience) who loves cooking for her friends and family with a great soundtrack in the background.