Cosmo's Family Restaurant
Cosmo's Family RestaurantNick Nassiokas is a man with a plan. In 1971, Nick arrived in Sarnia seeking a better life for himself. He came with the strength and courage needed to "make it" in Canada. Soon after arriving in Sarnia from Greece, he knew that one day he wanted to own a business of his own. His dream came true in 1976 when he took over from the previous owner, Cosmo Longo and bought Cosmo's Family Restaurant. “I love every minute running my restaurant and purchasing Cosmo's gave me a chance to invest in myself, my wife Cathy and our then 5-month-old daughter, Vicki,” says Nick, now 72-years-old. “When I took over Cosmo's, my focus was to offer high quality and affordable Italian cuisine in addition to a unique family dining experience where everyone felt welcome.”
Cosmo’s Family Restaurant is one of Sarnia’s oldest businesses, having changed locations three times over the years. Cosmo’s has been in its current location at 181 Capel Street since 1967. Nick is the first to admit there was a learning curve when he took over Cosmo’s, but he was up for the challenge. “The first few years were hard because I had no experience at running a business,” Nick says. “I was working up to 16 hours a day. But after a few years, things started to run smoothly.” Nowadays Nick begins his day with making the sauces for his pizzas and pastas, including his famous lasagna, a popular favorite among the restaurant’s frequent patrons. He also makes the dough for his pizzas and melt-in-your-mouth buns. “We are especially known for our lasagna and buns,” Nick says.
“
“Ours is more of a mom and pop operation and that’s the way we like it. It’s a place where everyone feels welcome. It’s a comfortable atmosphere — a friendly family environment. It’s not fancy, but it’s very comfortable.” Nick’s wife Cathy raised three children which allowed Nick to tend to business, but with the children grown, she now helps in the day-to-day operation of Cosmo’s. She works the front of the restaurant while Nick takes care of the kitchen. Fortunately, the pandemic didn’t drastically threaten Cosmo’s. “We were about a 50 percent takeout business prior to COVID so we actually were very fortunate to already have that plan in place,” Nick says.
Cosmo’s was and continues to be committed to the local community. In 2020, Cosmo's supported The Inn Of The Good Shepherd, St. Joseph’s Hospice, a fund for the Children’s Aid Society, a fundraiser for a local basketball association, and donated to the Kinsmen Club of Sarnia. All of that was in addition to making many meal donations to frontline workers. In early 2021 Cosmo’s won the Sarnia Community Votes platinum award for best restaurant and got a gold award for finishing second in best pizza category. Nick, who whistles nonstop while working, says he has no plans to retire. “I love this place so much."
Related Stories
Point Edward Early Learning Centre
The Point Edward Early Learning Centre celebrates their 50th Anniversary in 2019, an integral part of the Village of Point Edward since 1969. Our story began with a group of mothers who were directed through a public health initiative called "Play to Learn." These young mothers organized a play gro
The Toy Corner
Ann Randall's career as a pediatric nurse took her from Sarnia to Montreal to Edmonton. When she decided to return home to Sarnia, she thought it might be time for a career change. I took a workshop through Human Resources Development Canada to assess my skills and strengths. The results indica
Vision Nursing & Rest Home
In 1974, a group of Sarnia business people came together to establish Vision 74 Inc., a non-profit charitable organization that would be of service to the community. The group built Vision Nursing home in 1974 with 60 long-term care beds at 229 Wellington Street. The long-term care beds increased
Team Outfitters Ltd.
Early in his career as a manager at a local insurance company, Dave Hill knew it was not where he wanted to be. With sports as a longtime passion, his decision was made easier when Jim Stokley asked him to join as a business partn...
Related Stories
Brain Injury Association of Sarnia Lambton
The Brain Injury Association of Sarnia-Lambton (BIASL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those living with the effects of an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). An ABI is damage to the brain as a result of a traumatic injury, seizure, tumor, or toxic exposure. There are 1.5 million Canadian
David Burrows started The Show in order to highlight local stories and promote people and events in the city of Sarnia. The first episode aired in November 2011. I've lived my whole life here; I never left. I love this community and wanted to share all the positive things happening here, say
LEADWAVE Technologies
LEADWAVE Technologies has just celebrated ten years in business. A lot has changed in the IT field since they opened, and yet, for co-owner Mat Berube, some things remain the same. From the beginning, we have really focused on small business. They can't justify the cost of an entire IT department.
Kombucha Hound
For Alex Pearson, Kombucha tea has been something of a lifesaver in more ways than one. For starters, drinking Kombucha has provided numerous health benefits for the 32-year-old who used to suffer from acid reflux, but is now cured of it. Also, when Alex was unable to continue in her chosen care
Own a local business in Sarnia-Lambton?
Your neighbours already want to spend money here. We just make it easy.
Become a #local Partner and we pay you 100% of every gift card members spend with you. It costs you nothing to join.
Free. Takes about three minutes.
