This article is part of our series, “The People of Leros”, where we highlight individuals either from the island or who have chosen Leros as a special home. Each person stands out through their unique story, passions, and the meaningful ways they enrich the community.
Anna’s story is not only about entrepreneurship or plant-based cuisine. It is about returning to your roots with intention, about choosing to create rather than simply remain, and about building something meaningful in your own homeland. Born in Patmos and raised on Leros, which she firmly considers her home, she returned permanently in 2018 with a clear desire to contribute in her own way. Through StisAnnas, the first vegan & vegeterian restaurant on the island, she has introduced a new culinary perspective while remaining deeply respectful of Leros’s character, its people, and its pace. We spoke with Anna about the journey that brought her back, the values that guide her work, and how she balances tradition with a fresh, contemporary vision for the island.
Could you tell us a few things about yourself? Where and when were you born, and what can you share about your studies, work, hobbies and interests?
I was born in Patmos, in November 1966. After my first year of life, we moved to Leros. I grew up here and this is where I feel I belong – I consider myself 100% from Leros.
I lived on Leros until I was 23, the year I got married. After the wedding, my husband and I moved to Piraeus, where I worked as an employee in the private sector, in an office job. At 25 I became a mother to twin girls. Together with my husband we consciously chose that I would stay at home with them until they started school. Later, due to his transfer, we moved to Chania, his hometown. There I first worked again as a private employee and later opened my own lingerie shop, which I ran for 16 years.
Since childhood I have loved reading. My parents, with the mentality of their time, did not see studies as something necessary for a woman. As an adult I tried to bridge that gap as much as I could: I took private lessons in English and Italian, attended seminars and trainings in business while I was running the shop in Chania, and later I became more systematically involved with cooking, vegan & vegeterian meals and pastry, through seminars and constant practice.
My trips abroad have also influenced me a lot: to the United States, to Italy many times, to France, Spain, Germany, Cyprus. Each journey was an opportunity to see up close different cultures, different rhythms of life, different habits in food and hospitality. All of this, in its own way, has now found its way into the dishes and the atmosphere of my restaurant.
In 2018 I returned permanently to Leros. For two years I worked at Artemis Leros Boatyard, my brothers’ business, in customer service. A little later, the small café in Kritoni came into my life and eventually became StisAnnas. Today I am the owner and manager there.
In my free time I like to walk, exercise, be close to the sea, read, and I love quiet walks with my dog, Motzo. I enjoy trying new recipes, learning about nutrition and finding ways to make dishes lighter, without losing their flavour and high quality.
How was your childhood growing up on Leros? Were there any experiences or people who particularly shaped you as a person?
I grew up on Leros in a more traditional era, with clear roles and “rules”. There was the warmth and cohesion of a small community, but there were also limitations – especially for girls. My own escape was books.
I had the blessing of growing up in a large family: two grandmothers, an aunt and an uncle – siblings of my grandmother – and five brothers and one sister, seven children in total. That big embrace of people around me was my first real “school” in life.
My aunt Evgenia, my grandmother’s sister and a schoolteacher, had a great influence on me. She read to me, bought me extra books and encouraged me to love knowledge. I read everything in her bookcase. From her I learned that a person may grow up on a small island, but their mind can travel anywhere.
I got my love of cooking from my mother: an excellent cook, practical, clever, tender, with a strong sense of balance and flavour. From her I understood that food does not aim only “to fill us up”, but is also a way to care for people and bring them together around the table. Her love and constant care for everyone was the greatest lesson.
I feel that my character was shaped mostly by my father, a captain with his own boat: proud, a loving father, tireless and hard-working, extroverted, generous, philanthropic, deeply attached to his island and always optimistic. From him I took my love for work, my sense of responsibility and the belief that “somehow we’ll manage”. These three people – my mother, my father and Aunt Evgenia – influenced me more than anything else.
"Leros has the gift of calming you with very simple things: the sea, the light and the silence. When I want to clear my mind, I choose places that don’t need many words – just air and horizon."
Have you faced any significant personal challenges in recent years? How did you manage to handle them while running your business, and what helped you stay strong?
Yes, like most people, I have gone through difficult periods – both personal and professional. The years of the pandemic were a major test for everyone, and especially for those working in hospitality. But when you have a business, you don’t really have the luxury of pressing “pause”. You learn to manage life and work at the same time, as far as possible, without many excuses.
What kept me standing was discipline, the support of my daughters – my Kalliopi and my Iphigenia – my family, my close people, and doing the basics properly every single day, even when I had absolutely no energy or desire. I won’t sugarcoat it. Even today there are days that are genuinely very hard. But the sense of responsibility towards the restaurant, towards the people who work with me and towards the guests who trust us, is what makes me get up and keep going.
When and how did you decide to pursue a career in the hospitality sector?
It was not a decision made in a single moment. It came gradually, as the need for something of my own in hospitality grew inside me. I already had many years of experience as an entrepreneur through my shop in Chania, and at the same time my love for cooking and nutrition was growing.
In 2018 I returned permanently to Leros and for two years I worked in an office role at Artemis Leros Boatyard, my brothers’ company. In parallel, during the summer seasons, I worked at Lime beach restaurant bar, my brother Stavros’ business, which gave me the chance to get my “baptism of fire” and experience professional restaurant work from the inside.
At some point I heard, almost by chance, that a small café in Kritoni was for sale. I went to see it and, quite simply, my instinct said “yes”. I bought it. So in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, I opened StisAnnas. At first it operated as a small café–meze place with a few tables, and during the very first year it naturally evolved into a restaurant.
You are the owner of the first and only restaurant on the island that specialises in vegan & vegeterian cuisine. What inspired you to make this choice, and what difficulties did you face when opening the restaurant? How did you overcome them?
For me, the vegan/plant-based direction was not a business strategy. It was a personal need. As a vegetarian, I wanted to create a place where the food concept is not based on animal products, but on good ingredients, creativity and proper cooking.
I believe that our diet can be both tasty and healthy, without burdening either our body or animals. That is what I want someone to feel when they sit at a table at StisAnnas: that in front of them they have a dish prepared with respect – for their health, for animals and for the place we live in.
The initial difficulties were mainly about mentality: the classic question “will I feel full just eating greens?” or the doubt about whether vegan/vegeterian cuisine can truly have rich flavour and a “home-cooked” feeling. There was also the practical side: securing a stable supply of good ingredients on an island and being extremely careful in the kitchen, especially when you also offer gluten-free options.
I believe these were overcome in the only way that really has power: consistent quality, reliability and dishes that “speak” for themselves. People may come the first time out of curiosity, but they only come back when they feel respected – in the food, in the service, in the atmosphere and in the values that lie behind each plate.
What kind of guests usually visit your restaurant, and what sort of feedback do you tend to receive?
Every day StisAnnas is full of life and lovely people. We welcome Greek and foreign tourists, locals and visitors. Some already follow a plant-based diet, others simply want to try something different and healthier, and quite a few have allergies or special dietary needs (for example, gluten-free) and struggle to find suitable options when they travel.
The comments we hear most often are: “I didn’t expect it to be this tasty!” and “I ate and I feel light.” For me, that is the greatest reward, because it means they enjoyed their meal, without feeling heavy, and felt that we respected them.
"Even when I was living elsewhere, Leros remained within me as a point of reference. Now that I have returned, I also feel it as a responsibility: to create something beautiful in your own place, to keep it alive through work, respect and consistency."
Is there a place on Leros that you visit when you want to relax or find inspiration?
Leros has the gift of calming you with very simple things: the sea, the light and the silence. When I want to clear my mind, I choose places that don’t need many words – just air and horizon. For me, Merikia is all of that. It is my “exotic” and magical spot on the island, a little refuge that recentres me.
I often go there with my dog, Mojo. We walk, we swim, we take our time. Every time I leave, I feel a sense of release and joy. And almost always, that’s where the best ideas for the restaurant – and for my life in general – come to me.
When you think of Leros, what are the first feelings or images that come to mind?
The first thing that comes to mind is the light and the sea. Then, the people and the feeling of a small community – that here there is memory, continuity and truth. Leros is not just a beautiful destination; it is a place that stays inside you.
For me, Leros means roots. Even when I was living elsewhere, it remained within me as a point of reference. Now that I have returned, I also feel it as a responsibility: to create something beautiful in your own place, to keep it alive through work, respect and consistency and, as far as you can, to add a small stone to the image visitors form of the island.
Anna’s journey reminds us that meaningful change often begins quietly, at a local level, through people who care deeply about their place. With discipline, resilience, and a clear sense of purpose, she has created more than a restaurant. She has created a space where hospitality, health, respect for animals, and love for Leros meet around the same table.
We warmly thank Anna Karpathaki for her sincerity, her perseverance, and for the thoughtful way she continues to contribute to the contemporary identity of our island.
