‘Sharing their lives’ - Chris and Ria Totsikas established Pizzaria Napolitana in Jefferson City in 1978

The first Pizzaria Napolitana location next to McDonald’s on Missouri Boulevard. The restaurant later moved a short distance west and was in the building that now houses Bandana’s. Courtesy of Chris Totsikas

Chris Totsikas came of age near Thessaloniki, Greece, during the Second World War. At a young age, after enduring the ravages of war on his homeland, he witnessed much of Europe being rebuilt by Americans. This instilled in him a desire to someday come to the United States to repay his debt. While here, he embraced “philoxenia,” the Greek concept of turning strangers into friends, which he accomplished as the owner of a popular pizzeria in Jefferson City.
 
After the war, Totsikas, who was born in 1936, later began an apprenticeship as a cobbler.  He gained employment at a shoe plant in 1962 and worked his way up to plant manager. Then, in 1965, he married his fiancée, Ria, with whom he raised two children, Gus and Anna.
 
“It took my father seven years to get his work visa to accept a job in Philadelphia,” said Gus.  
 
Arriving in the U.S. in 1974 with his wife, two young children, and about $600 in cash, he worked briefly for a shoe factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Seeking a better way to make a living, he and his family soon ended up in New York City, where Totsikas worked selling hot dogs from a portable vending stand while his wife sold ice cream from an adjacent stand.

Realizing this was not a long-term employment endeavor, his wife, Ria, contacted acquaintances living back in Greece and discovered they had mutual connections through fellow Grecians living in Moberly. They were told that Missouri was a great place to raise a family and advised of an employment opportunity at Alex’s Pizzeria in Rolla.
 
“My father said that when he was driving from Moberly to Rolla, the columns on the capitol reminded him of buildings back in Greece and he just liked the aura of Jefferson City,” Gus shared.
 
After a year of working at the pizzeria in Rolla, Totsikas relocated his family to Jefferson City and, from 1976 to 1978, worked at G&D Steak House on East Capitol Avenue. It was a bustling period for the community with many restaurants dotting the landscape, several of them located downtown.
 
It was also during the late 1970s that the western edge of Jefferson City expanded with the construction of the Capital Mall and the existence of popular eating establishments on the Missouri Boulevard to include Viet’s Restaurant, Josh’s, Yen Ching and Johnny’s Pizza and Steakhouse.  
 
In 1978, Totsikas and a partner opened Pizzaria Napolitana on Missouri Boulevard next to McDonald’s. Shortly thereafter, the family became U.S. citizens.  
 
After a year of operating Pizzeria Napolitana as a partnership, Totsikas became sole owner and with the help of his wife, began expanding the business into a popular establishment. On any given evening, one might find a couple sharing a quiet meal during a date night while sitting next to a shift worker from a local factory enjoying pizza and a pitcher of beer.
 
Many recall driving into the parking lot and peering into the big window in front of the pizzeria, greeted by Chris Totsikas and his big grin as he made pizza. There were several children who looked forward to the moments when Ria would warmly pinch their cheeks.
 
In addition to the pizza served at Pizzaria Napolitana, Totsikas offered steak and pasta, also making his own lasagna and sauce. He later introduced Greek salad and the Gyro to the Jefferson City community.
 
In the early 1980s, Totsikas added delivery service while Pizzeria Napolitana remained a bustling establishment during lunch and dinner hours. As Gus Totsikas explained, his family often worked every day, sometimes until 2 a.m. to clean and close before getting up the next morning and starting the cycle once again. All of this took place during the same time his parents were making sure he and his sister were ready for school.
 
The lease on their first building expired and Chris Totsikas moved the restaurant a short distance to the west on Missouri Boulevard in 1989, in what is the building that now houses Bandana’s. They continued to operate Pizzaria Napolitana from this location until making the decision to retire in 2006.
 
“Whether you came in for a hug or just to be in the company of good friends and family, you’ll be in our hearts forever,” Chris and Ria Totsikas shared in a statement printed in the Jefferson City News Tribune on October 22, 2006, commenting on the closing of the business. “We’ll always remember … the times we shared together.”
 
The company moved to a new location on West Edgewood in 2008, now run by family members and operating as Ria’s Restaurant, in honor of the beloved wife of Chris Totsikas. Both Chris and Ria returned to Greece in 2018. Sadly, the 77-year-old Ria passed away on December 18, 2020, and is buried in her native Thessaloniki, Greece.
 
Chris Totsikas continues to live in retirement in Greece and will celebrate his 88th birthday later this fall.
 
“My parents brought with him the Greek characteristic of ‘philoxenia,’ basically meaning he treated everyone as a friend,” said Gus. 
 
He added, “Both he and my mom enjoyed meeting people, making friends and sharing their lives with them.”
 
Jeremy P. Ämick is the author of “Hidden History of Cole County.”  

---

Chris Totsikas immigrated to the U.S. from Greece with his wife and two young children in 1974. He opened Pizzaria Napolitana on Missouri Boulevard in 1978, which he and his wife operated until their retirement in 2006. The friendly and hardworking couple later retired to their native Greece, but family now operates Ria’s Restaurant on West Edgewood. Courtesy of Chris Totsikas