From age 11 all through college, Davenport University’s Executive Director of Academic Services Joy Gianakura Harrison washed a lot of dishes, but she didn’t seem to mind.  It seems she knew early on that working in her family’s restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie, MI was preparing her for much more.  Like her father Peter, Joy learned the value of hard work, the uselessness of complaining and the enjoyment of sharing a good story.  Now, with the guidance of her older sister Cathie (Rogg), the tale of the restaurant run by her dad is in print.  Cathie spent much of the last three years typing the stories Peter wrote out in long hand, years after he had shared them around the dinner table where she, Joy and youngest sister Anastasia (Stacey) waited nightly for him to pull out his list.  The little papers he jotted notes down on daily became the basis for the tales that are not only his own, but in many ways an account of the growth of a small Upper Peninsula city from a booth in the corner.  Peter’s father Chris and Uncle Samuel (pictured) arrived in the Sault from Megalopoli, Greece in the late 1890’s to realize their American dream.  Multiple business ventures and nine moves later, The American Café made its home on Ashumn Street, the heart of downtown.  The book “The American Café…Reflections of the Grill” covers the legacy built between1930 to 1989.  In the last of those decades Joy learned, “that the family dinner table wasn’t always in your own kitchen – it was anywhere the family was gathered together sharing a meal and the events of our day.”  Anastasia added, “Our bellies were always filled with fantastic concoctions from our Mama’s magical dinners, and our hearts and minds were filled with our Papa’s wonderful stories.  Our kitchen table was the heart of our home, vibrant with meals and conversation, and we grew up knowing we were loved.”  Peter Gianakura will sign books on Saturday, June 27 at 2pm in the Soo Theatre Project office, the same space where he greeted and fed guests for many years. Welcome to the Gianakura kitchen table and happy Father’s Day to all.