Nicholas Kocoris, self-taught cook from Levittown who was born in Greece, dies at 90

As a child, Nicholas Kocoris never wore shoes. He never went to school and lived in a village without water. Born into extreme poverty before the start of World War II, Kocoris learned from a young age how to earn his keep while growing up away from his family and everything he once held familiar.

"He taught himself to write and read in both Greek and English, but cooking was instinctual to him and he learned a lot from his travels," said Kocoris' daughter, Stamatina "Tina" Kocoris, of East Norwich.

The Levittown resident died on July 28 from natural causes at the age of 90.

Nicholas Kocoris was born on March 6, 1935, in Richea, Greece, a village outside Sparta. The youngest of eight children, he lost his father at age 6. Unable to feed him, Kocoris' mother sent him at 11 to live with a family who could care for him.

At 18 he joined the Greek Navy for two years and was assigned to be the chief commanding chef on the SS Queen Frederica, a cruise ship bound for Canada, where he met the love of his life, his wife, Christina, in 1962. They married in February 1963 and would raise three children: sons Dimitrios (James) and Anastasios, and daughter Stamatina. The couple left Canada in 1969 and came to Long Island, where they would live in several towns before settling in Levittown in 1979.

According to his daughter, Kocoris was an "incredibly loving, affectionate and giving father."

"He would always say, 'My skies are dark because you're missing; it's all darkness until I see you.' He was very emotional and poetic when he spoke about his children," Tina said. "He was always smiling and telling jokes, and he was very forgiving and sweet."

A self-taught cook, Kocoris was always smiling when he was in the kitchen making his favorite dish, pastitsio, the Greek version of lasagna.

"It was his favorite place to be. He was so intense and had this amazing speed and capability — it was an incredible thing to watch," Tina said. "He poured so much love and attention and affection into his cooking. He had a great passion for feeding and helping people. Maybe born of his hunger growing up, but he never wanted anyone to feel the pain of being hungry."

Kocoris' culinary career spanned some of the best restaurants in Athens and Piraeus when he lived in Greece, and several Long Island catering halls and diners such as Chateau La Mer and The Royal Viking. He was well known in the Greek community and volunteered for several decades as the chef at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Hicksville.

George Kyritsis, Kocoris' son-in-law, said he was "very lucky" when he had the "pleasure to meet Nicholas 14 years ago."

"He always lived his life with laughter and passion," said Kyritsis, of East Norwich. "He lived every minute to the fullest. His sole mission in life was to make everyone happy."

Kocoris was an avid gardener and pet lover, and enjoyed fishing with his neighbor Joe Tegano, who said Kocoris "loved being out on the water and was a good fisherman."

"We went out to Jones Beach and Long Beach a lot, but no matter what we went fishing for, he was always looking to catch porgies, his favorite fish," said Tegano, of Levittown. "I've known him for 23 years, and he became like a second father to me. He was a good human being and was always there to offer love and support.

"The Greeks always say to judge a man's life by his passion, and he was truly Greek in that sense. He had a passion for living, for loving and for life itself," Tegano said. "He taught us unconditional love with action and saw everyone as an equal."

"He would want to be known as an incredibly affectionate, happy and loving person who never let any of the extreme hardships in his life shape who he was. His resilience was remarkable," his daughter said.

In addition to his daughter and son-in-law, Kocoris is survived by his wife, Christina; sons Dimitrios (James) and Anastasios and their spouses;  and three grandchildren. A funeral Mass was celebrated Aug. 1 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Hicksville, with interment at St. Margaret's Cemetery in Plainview.