Each year, VIP Alexandria Magazine accepts nominations and selects the newest class of Most Interesting Men. This year, VIP partnered with The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Each "gentleman" was photographed with an adoptable dog seeking its forever home. We are proud to announce that all dogs featured in VIP have been adopted. Special thank you to our 2023 class of Most Interesting Men for helping us support this amazing charity!
Story by LIESEL SCHMIDT | Photography by JONATHAN THORPE | Benefitting the ANIMAL WELFARE LEAUGE OF ALEXANDRIA | Sponsored by TING
Take a peek into his family history, and you’ll see that restaurants are in George Theodorou’s blood. Born in Cyprus, he came to the US with his parents as a toddler when the family fled after the Turkish occupation in 1974. Here, his parents started their own restaurant. That restaurant—the original Delia’s—was the blueprint for his own restaurant years later when he and his sister, Alki, opened a new Delia’s, adding a modern flair of their own to the Italian and Greek influences of the menu.
As one would expect, Theodorou is a passionate foodie who loves to try new restaurants and cuisines. His greatest regret, in fact, is not having traveled more to try authentic cuisines directly from their various points of origin. When he doesn’t have a fork in his hand, the restauranteur puts his passion to work cheering on his favorite sports teams. “I’m an avid sports fan,” he says. “Particularly soccer, which I played professionally in Cyprus for a short bit.”
Theodorou still misses the field. “If my body wasn’t battered from years of sports injuries, I would have continued my professional soccer career,” he says. “I considered getting into coaching, but after a season coaching my daughter’s recreational soccer team, I am seriously rethinking that.”
Theodorou lives in Alexandria with his wife, Meesha, and their twins. Naturally, he feels a sense of community that comes from his long history in the area. But his personality also plays a part in creating a community that is genuine. “I’m a people person, but I’m not out to impress everyone,” he says. “I am authentic, honest and real. I’m not playing up to some unrealistic expectation, and that surprises people.”
HIS SPIRIT ANIMAL...
"I took an online quiz and apparently my spirit animal is a sloth: 'You're as cool as a cucumber and you love to go with the flow. Your favorite activities include eating, sleeping and eating again. Your rap name is Sir Naps-a-Lot.'" - George