By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — A Greek food truck that’s been operating around the Rockford area since 2017 is branching out this year with a new online kitchen in Loves Park and plans for a future restaurant in downtown Beloit, Wisconsin.
The Olive Branch launched its new online kitchen on Tuesday at Carlson Ice Arena, 4150 N. Perryville Road. You can order online its gyro sandwiches, Greek rice bowls, loukoumades, spanakopita and other popular items from its food truck for curbside pickup. They plan to add delivery via DoorDash soon.
“It’s a new way, but I think people will get on board once they catch it because our food is that good,” said Michele Christidis, who owns and operates The Olive Branch with her husband, Bob.
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The extra space the kitchen at Carlson provides will also allow The Olive Branch to expand its offerings. Next week it plans to add dolmades, which are stuffed grape leaves with a lemon sauce, and authentic Greek avgolemono soup. Future additions could include pastitsio, which is a Greek take on lasagna, and saganaki, a popular Greek appetizer of pan-seared cheese served with lemon wedges.
“I just hope to see more Greek food come out of it,” Bob Christidis said.
The online kitchen operates 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It will operate year-round, even as the food truck starts hitting its regular spots again in warmer weather months.
Michele Christidis said she hopes fans of the food truck discover it’s a way to get The Olive Branch without the waits that often come during peak food truck season.
“It’s amazing because people will wait in line for two hours for us,” she said. “Now we’re here – come now.”
Beloit restaurant plans
Meanwhile, the Rockford couple is shaping plans to open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown Beloit, Wisconsin.
It will be called Kalamata — named after the olive and the city in southern Greece — and occupy the former Fresco Fajita House space at 315 S. State St.
Fresco Fajita closed last fall, and renovations of the space are underway now.
“It’s right on the footsteps of the market they do up there,” Bob Christidis said. “We’re looking to open up a restaurant there hopefully mid-2024 or late-24.”
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The couple said they plan for the restaurant to have regular counter and carryout service during the week, but they plan to do special reservation-only service on weekends with a Mediterranean dinner menu.
“Hopefully it will be a good turnout for us, get our name out there more, and allow us to hopefully open up some more restaurants, maybe one in Rockford if we could,” he said.
Bob Christidis has been in the food-service industry for decades, following in the footsteps of his father, Steve, who was the head chef at the former Wagon Wheel Resort and then Forest Hills Country Club.
His parents came here from Greece, where he said they had a farm with olives, figs and livestock.
“I wish they were still around to see it. It means a lot to me,” he said. “My parents were from Greece, and it all came from them.”
Order online
Pickup location: Carlson Ice Arena, 4150 N. Perryville Road, Rockford
Order online: Go HERE to place your order.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Delivery: Coming soon
On social: Follow The Olive Branch on Facebook @theolivebranch815
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas