Get to Know Bill Stavros

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I’d enjoy living in multiple places provided I’m nowhere near the cold winters and the very excessive property taxes of New Jersey (although I would miss the pizza!).

The Caribbean Island of Anguilla (where my wife and I got married) is a good start, being that the beaches, people, and food are truly amazing. However, I can only relax and do little for a short amount of time. Therefore, for the remaining winter months, I’d keep it simple and live somewhere in Florida.

Italy or Greece would be great in the spring, summer, and early fall. I still have some family in Greece, and that first (and only trip) I made to Italy, I ate pasta (and dabbled in various flavors of gelato) 13 nights in a row and still lost weight from all the walking. That’s a good life.

If you can have one meal, what would it consist of?

Put it this way, when I’m offered options on which restaurant to visit, I typically decide based on their dessert menu. But then again, I’m a believer that soft-serve ice cream is an essential part of any balanced diet. My final answer? Any meal that includes amazing dessert and good company is a great one.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Play sports, watch sports, read (especially James Patterson novels) and spend time with family and friends. I also run a tiny nonprofit organization, George’s Helping Hand, in honor of my late father.

Who is your biggest hero?

Hard to decide between either parent, but today I’ll choose my dad (mom, don’t read this!).

My father (actually both parents) immigrated here from Greece with no money, little education, and could barely speak English. He started working for his cousin’s diner and continued to work in the restaurant industry almost all his life, often seven days a week, just to give my mom, sister, and me a better life. Even though we grew up with modest means, my dad still felt obligated to send whatever money he could back home to help his siblings. In sum, he was a person who always made sacrifices for the well-being of others.

What would you do with your Mega Millions winnings?

Build a new community of houses for close friends and family so we can all spend retirement together.

What are some of your most memorable moments?

Scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter of a championship basketball game (my Al Bundy moment). My first (and only) stand-up comedy bit, which went better than I thought it would. Sweating nervously in the waiting room of my first piano lesson (I had no previous musical experience, and I was 36 years old) as little kids, who played amazing music, walked out of the adjacent rooms. Also, working a crazy number of hours at my uncle’s restaurant in Wildwood during my high school summers.