Jesse is joined by Elena and Sonny Hughley who created Two Birds Greek Street Food a few years back and become a huge hit on both sides of the Savannah River. As such, they are planning not one but TWO Greece Independence Day celebrations across the region at the end of March and we are invited. Who are they and what can you expect?

Jesse Blanco: Alright, welcome back to the Eat It and Like It podcast, joining us now are a couple of old friends of the program. They are Sonny and Elena Hugley with Two Birds Greek street food out of Savannah. How are you guys?

Sonny Hugley: Fantastic. 

Elena Hugley: Awesome. How are you, Jesse?

JB: I’m good, I’m good. You guys are the overnight sensations, five years in the making, right?

EH: That’s what it seems. 

SH: Yes, yes.

JB: For those who aren’t familiar, we featured you on our TV show a couple of weeks ago, you have pop-ups everywhere, which we’ll talk about in a second. But you started a catering business doing Greek food, Mediterranean food, a few years back, and it has taken off on you to the point where you’re popping up, almost literally, in farmers markets on both sides of the Savannah River in Savannah and Bluffton and Hilton Head. And you’re even doing one every once in a while in Beaufort as well, right?

EH: That is the Habersham Farmers Market in Habersham Village.

SH: Yeah.

JB: Yeah. You’ve been doing this a number of years, in the last, let’s say 12 months, what’s it been like for you, workload wise? ‘Cause I know you’re always busy.

EH: Well, I think the last 12 months is probably when the flood gates opened. More like the last nine months. Because you know, Two Birds Greek Street food is a division of Elena’s Enchanted Kitchen, and Elena’s Enchanted Kitchen was always something fun we did on the sides. We both still had full-time jobs, and that’s something that we did in our free time. But as soon as we launched Two Birds Greek Street Food, March 13th will be two years from the date of our first pop-up actually… in the beginning, it’s like, no one knows you. People are like, “who’s Two Birds? What do you do?” We’re just getting our name out and getting the word out. And I think that it takes every new little business some time to establish a reputation, of course, to build clientele, and essentially to showcase who we are and what we do, and why we’re doing what we’re doing. So for us, I feel like about nine months ago, floodgates opened. We were lucky enough, fortunate enough to get into South Carolina, into the Bluffton Farmers Market. And then Jesse, as they say, the rest is history. Bluffton opened floodgates for us, literal lines halfway across the field. And at one point we looked up, and two hours later, we still couldn’t see the end of the line, and we’re like, whoa, we need help. So we have to hire people.

JB: Now it’s important to mention here, because I was thinking about it, after you had the response that you got from our TV show and all that stuff, I was thinking about it, like, you know what, man? There’s one thing to say that Greek street food in this area, both sides of the river, is a little bit of a novelty. You can get gyros here and there or whatever–notice I pronounced it properly (laughing)–but the fact that you have so many return customers, and you’re telling me that there’s lines [at] every farmers market and I’m sure you have regulars, that speaks to something I know you’re passionate about. It’s the quality of your ingredients, it’s the finished product and how much time, effort and energy you put into creating your foods the right way, right?

EH: Well, everything we make is by hand, and it’s all in small batches. And we make everything fresh right before we go out to a market, you know, regardless of how early we have to be up. Everything is created and baked fresh, and all of our ingredients are imported from Greece, except for the chicken and the vegetables, obviously. So everything from the olive oil down to the peperoncinis and the feta, the filo, everything is imported. So it allows us to have an authentic product that essentially is going to scratch that itch when someone wants really good Greek food, and it’s also going to solidify the fact that this is, in fact, authentic. We’re not using cow’s milk feta, we’re not using, you know, pita that was made in Missouri (laughing). So I think that the more authentic the ingredients are, and the fresher everything is, and the smaller the batch, the more care that goes into crafting everything, (inaudible) skewers, the chicken kebabs one by one… it’s easy to order a case of skewered chicken kebabs. But to clean every inch of skin off of a chicken by hand, and to cut it up into cubes, and to make sure they’re all the same, and to skewer them, and brush them with the marinade, like… I mean, he is the grill master. He’s amazing. But you know, everything that we both do is very meticulous and handcrafted.

JB: To that end, you guys were telling me you have your little prep kitchen there on Savannah’s Southside where you do all the work. And you were telling me last time we chatted about it, you were in there for hours and hours and hours. I assume you’re both there. Sonny’s not home watching Netflix, right?

EH: Oh no, the two of us are… 

SH: I mean, that’s not my style anyway. But the fortunate thing in what has really helped our business grow is the fact that, from our past restaurant experience, Eleanor has certain talents in life that she can contribute to the job, I have my talents, and we combine them. And that’s something that’s hard to find in couples that have to work together, live together, be together 24-7, because you have to be able to find ways to cooperate. And we’ve done that. And I think that’s also why we’re taking off right now at this point, because we’ve really found our mark. Not only that, a lot of customers now, when they give reviews about our food, it’s not just about the review, it’s literally about how they feel when they approach, and they’re hanging out with us and music’s playing and people are laughing and just chilling and meeting up. So it’s creating a cool little micro environment. And I think that is what is established in people’s mind. It really is a pop-up (inaudible) like you would find in Greece.

JB: Yeah, yeah. So with the demand obviously going up, you told me you’ve sold out here, you’ve sold out there and all that. How do you juggle… “okay, next week let’s bring more,” but you don’t wanna take too [much] more. How are you handling that?

EH: We’ve actually got something in the works. We spoke to a friend of ours that is service industry as well, and she knows food and she’s one of the most amazing people we’ve ever met. So I feel like in order for us to continue what we’re doing, and to be the faces of every pop-up, and to be there for all of our regulars that, I mean, I think that yes, they come for the food, but I think they come for us too, because we love all of our customers, you know? And we stop what we’re doing and step outside of the tent, and feed their dogs little gyro treats, and hug them, because I mean, that’s how we feel, you know, be the change, right? Okay, so we try to be what we want to see more of in the world, both of us. And we always get that question as well, you know, how do you guys work together? And it’s like, Sonny’s my best friend, you know, it’s easy when you love what you’re doing, you can go out and you can just be happy, right? So we want to bring in this friend and have her help us with the prep, so that would free up a little bit more of our time. And we can be more present at every single pop-up, every single event, and just be 100% focused on that, and not have to worry too much about the preparation of it. Because at this point, we’re booked eight months out of the year. So, the way that I kind of break it down, the infrastructure of what we’re doing is essentially based on our repeat pop-ups and farmers markets. So that’s where it started, and evidently that’s been the most successful, lucrative thing that we’ve done so far. So this is what we’re trying to stick to. And at this point, March, April, May, June, and September, October, November, December, until 2027, we’re completely booked.

JB: Wow. Wow.

EH: All repeat events. Now there’s two two-month blocks of the year that we’re able to take pop-ups that we don’t normally do. And this was really fun for us, because this past winter we got to go to the Highlands at Godley Station and Pooler, and we made a bunch of friends there and went there for a couple months. We went to the Commons in Richmond Hill… like, we did some really fun stuff, you know, and got to know even more communities, so this was great. So January-February and July-August are the two two-month blocks out of the year that will be available to pick up. I mean, we’ve already got a base of 15 or 16 events scheduled for those, you know, two two-month blocks. But, you know, hey, there’s 30 days in a month.

JB: Right, if it doesn’t, if it’s not 28 days booked out of the month, you feel like you got the month off like, ah, geez. 

EH: And doesn’t that sound insane? Because for me, managing restaurants, I looked forward to my two days off. I looked forward to my Sunday/Mondays. And now I’m like, day off, what? I have to make tzatziki. It just doesn’t, it doesn’t matter anymore to me. The day off doesn’t matter, because I feel like my whole life is a vacation. I’m married to my best friend, you know, we’re both doing something that we absolutely love, and we’re feeding the people and making friends everywhere, and just putting good into the universe. I mean, how does that feel like work for anybody?

JB: Very good. No, I get it. I get it. So who was the first person to say Greek Independence Day? Let’s go.

SH: Well, that was actually an idea I had. So last year we were doing a pop-up at Lone Wolf Lounge, and we were hanging out and everybody was running around drinking because it was Cinco de Mayo. So I’m thinking, you know, people celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day every year. Does anybody celebrate Greek Independence Day? So I asked Elena, she said, “no, they don’t have a celebration like that.” And I said, well, now they do. So this was the genesis of it, last year being our first, this year coming up on our second.

JB: And this year, you’re going to go big or go home. You’re doing two. 

EH: Yeah, we’re doing two this year. 

SH: Yeah, I’m actually getting nervous at this point.

JB: (laughing) Yeah, you should, because we’re blowing it up. You’re doing two, the first one is on actual Greek Independence Day, which is March 25th of Wednesday this year, correct?

EH: Yes, from 5 to 9 p.m.

JB: At Lone Wolf Lounge. Set the scene for us, what can we expect when we roll up there?

SH: We’re going to be doing our food, so that’s going to be the feature, we will have a few specials as well. But there’s also what is commonly called in Greek, the agora, and this is a little meeting shop kind of hangout place, so we’re going to have some Greek items to purchase. We’re going to have some Greek dancing, Lone Wolf Lounge has been nice enough to create a complimentary cocktail menu for us, so they’ll be featuring Greek cocktails, beer, ouzo, wines as well, we’re gonna have a Greek DJ there… it’s gonna be all out. 

EH: Yeah, and then we’re gonna do it all over again, four days later for all of our guests in Bluffton.

JB: Very cool. And then, so that’s Wednesday the 25th. On Sunday the 29th, you’re calling it the after party and it will be at Side Hustle Brewing Company in Bluffton. Same scene, same setup, the whole thing?

EH: Same thing.

SH: Same setup, except one change. Side Hustle has actually come up with a beer for our event, so this is going to be featured along with our food. This is a special, one time shot, limited edition. From what I understand, it’s going to be a Mediterranean style Pilsner, which will compliment our food perfectly. Refreshing, crisp on the finish, maybe a little bit of spice, but it’s going to feature hops and grains actually sourced from the Mediterranean, so this is going to be an actual Mediterranean beer to go with ours, and it will be called Two Birds Greek Street Beer. So we’re flabbed. 

JB: Nice. Yeah, I like that. And then also, I believe you mentioned to me a DJ, will there be dancers in Bluffton?

EH: Yes, there will, a small Greek dance group. 

SH: Here’s one of them right here. 

EH: Yes, of which I will be one of.

JB: That’ll be good. And what time? Five to nine over at Lone Wolf in Savannah, is it all day in Bluffton?

EH: It is 1 to 5 in Bluffton, and that’s on the 29th.

JB: Okay, very good. Very good, very good. And the same-ish menu, are you gonna add to it? Are you gonna go bigger, or how are you gonna handle that? 

EH: You know me, Jesse, I’m the specials queen. So I’m gonna have savory specials, dessert specials, all kinds of surprise things. But I am really excited about the agora, the Greek outdoor marketplace as it’s called. So that’s just gonna be a whole tent, and I’ve got so many things that I ordered, a lot of the evil eye charms, Greek jewelry, dresses, tote bags… I’m even gonna have small bottles of imported extra virgin olive oil, Mason jars of our Greek vinaigrette dressing… like there’s, you know, there’s gonna be so many things to take home in the Greek market. Beautiful royal blue sundresses, like the colors of the Greek flag, like there’s gonna be a lot. There’s gonna be a lot.

JB: None of those wooden penis can openers though, right?

EH: God no (laughing) the first time I took Sonny to Greece, he was like, what in the world? Every gift shop has them. 

JB: Yes! Every one! Big ones like this, little ones–

EH: I don’t know why! It’s ridiculous. 

SH: And they’re always hung at child level. I don’t get that part.

JB: Yes! (laughing)

EH: It’s terrible! None of those. None of those. I promise.

JB: I said the same thing! I’m like, dude, they’re everywhere.

EH: Yeah. It made for an interesting conversation on the airplane ride back to the States.

JB: I bet. I bet. I bet. Alright, let’s run through it very quickly, we’re running out of time. Where are the pop-ups that you do? Bluffton? Tybee?

EH: So, the first three Sundays of every month, we’re at Side Hustle Brewing Company. So the first Sunday has been scheduled recently as their artisan market. The second Sunday is an event they do called Hustle and Cruise, it’s a car show where the locals bring their beautifully restored vehicles. And then the third one is usually the Side Hustle Farmer’s Market. So that’s really big, we’re looking at 30 plus vendors. The Tybee Island Farmers Market reopens this coming Monday, March 2nd, and we’re super excited. That’s home for us, so it’ll be the two-year anniversary of our first Two Birds pop-up ever. So we’re really excited about that, that’s going to be every Monday night from 4 to 7 p.m. On Wednesdays, we are at The Shops at 1207 on Tybee Island, and that pop-up is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and that’s going to run all year round now. Thursdays we are at the Bluffton Farmers Market, the hours now are 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. but we’re usually set up at like 11:15 or 11:30 because we have some early bird regulars. And in the summertime, June, July, August, those hours change to 10 to 2 because of the heat. But we’re going to be at the Bluffton Farmers Market all year round. And Saturday mornings, another farmers market that we call home, the second one we ever started, is Islands Farmer’s Market. So that’s across from Davis Produce, you know where the Lighthouse Baptist Church is? So that’s where Islands Farmer’s Market is, and that’s where you can find us Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

JB: Very good. And if no one could follow us all along everything you just said, what is your website?

EH: www.twobirdsgreekstreetfood.com and on the home page there’s a calendar button, so if you click it, our calendar pops up and you can see where we are every day of the week. Then we also, sorry about that Jesse, we lost you. The Habersham Farmers Market in Beaufort in Habersham Village is reopening this month as well, and that’s going to be–or March, rather–and that’s going to be the third Friday of every month for the rest of the year.

JB: Very good. Very good. Good luck guys. I’ll see you soon. I’ll definitely be at the Bluffton celebration at Side Hustle Brewing. A fine time will be had.

SH: Absolutely. Thank you, Jesse.

EH: Awesome, Jesse. We look forward to it. Thank you so much.

JB: Sonny and Elena Hugley with Two Birds Greek Street Food, we’re gonna be celebrating all through March, April, May in a good time. So thank you guys, we’ll talk to you soon.