Jacksonville Beach is now the home of the first Lukumades location in the United States.
The Greek pastry shop held a soft opening April 22 to prepare for the Opening of the Beaches Celebration April 28. The shop’s grand opening is May 1.
Lukumades are light, pingpong-ball-sized doughnuts that are deep-fried.
Owner Leo Georgallis said his small, narrow shop at 502 N. First St., next to O-KU and Lynch’s Irish Pub, is selling the perfect hand-held food item.
“There is a Greek word, ‘stoheri’ that means in your hand,” he said.
“In Greece, all of the street food is grab-and-go.”
His shop is across the street from the Jacksonville Beach Pier.
“This is definitely foot-traffic friendly,” he said.
Georgallis, 37, is a Jacksonville native raised in the Arlington area and spent much of his childhood at the beach. His father, Elias, owned Elias Jewelers.
The space cost more than $300,000 to construct and equip, Georgallis said.
Georgallis spent his summers in Greece with his aunt and uncle. There, he worked restaurant jobs and in 2005 he met entrepreneur Exarhos, or as he is known in Greece, “Mr. X.” Exarhos came up with the Lukumades concept in 2014 and opened the first store in 2015.
There are locations in Australia, Indonesia, Dubai and one will open later this year in London.
“I always wanted to do something with him because of his great ideas, his attention to detail and just the way his mind works,” Georgallis said.
Lukumades are a traditional Greek treat dating back more than 2,000 years, he said. They are made with a vegan dough that contains no eggs or dairy products. In Greece, they are usually topped with honey and cinnamon. Here, a variety of flavors are offered.
There are six Classics and 10 Signature Balls. The Classics are plain, jelly-filled and custard-filled. The Signatures are chocolate-covered with peanuts, crushed Oreo cookies, melted hazelnut, crushed pistachios and peanut butter.
There is one flavor per tray unless a Half Half is ordered, then two flavors are in the same tray.
The drink menu includes shakes ($6.50) and refreshers ($4).
Gelato cones come in seven flavors and are $4.50 for a small and $7 for a large.
Everything is made in-house and the lukumades are made-to-order.
“I like to say that our ‘hot’ sign is always on,” he said.
The store is open daily from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday.
Georgallis is partnering with his younger brother, Gio.
The two own the franchise rights for all of Florida and Georgallis plans to sell them in the future.
Georgallis also is an actor, doing television and film work in Hollywood. His TV credits include “Days of Our Lives,” “Counterpart,” “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” and “America’s Most Wanted,” among others.
Georgallis is auditioning for local work and said he is always ready to fly west if a part comes up.
“I still have a little place in LA,” he said.