Yala Greek Ice Cream Opens in Georgetown
The next big thing.
Congratulations to Chrys Kefalas and Salah Czapary on their new venture, the Yala Greek Ice Cream Shop in Georgetown at 3143 N Street NW. Grand opening was July 20th.
Chrys is the CEO and founder, Salah is the co-founder/Director of Experience and Operations. The third co-founder is Steve Shyn (COO). Someone has to stay in the background and keep track of the money. From what I hear Chrys and Salah will at times both be doing the scooping for the lucky people who stop by their shop to try this incredible ice cream. The word “Yala” is a play on the Greek word for “milk,” and fittingly, Yala Greek Ice Cream is made using hand-crafted techniques passed down through three generations of Greek ice cream makers. “This is not frozen yogurt, just inspired by Greek flavors or a trendy twist on gelato—this is true Greek ice cream, finally making its American debut,” Kefalas told the Pappas Post. Yala Greek Ice Cream is crafted with farm-fresh milk from Maryland, Greek yogurt and honey, fruit preserves from the Mediterranean, and ingredients sourced directly from Greece, Italy, and the Middle East; including premium pistachios and sustainably harvested vanilla. Chrys said “Each scoop delivers the creamy, velvety texture and deep, natural flavor characteristic of traditional Greek-style frozen desserts.”
Chrys and Salah come from different backgrounds, but both have a history of caring for community. Chrys’ family is in the restaurant business, but he is currently the Head of the Brand Division, National Association of Manufacturers. Guess he is now launching a brand of his own. A former Justice Department attorney, Chrys also worked as Attorney General Eric Holder’s speech writer, Governor Bob Erlich’s counsel in MD, and ran for U.S. Senate in MD (endorsed by the Baltimore Sun). Born and raised in Baltimore, he’s a Washingtonian of 9 years. Chrys told me “Yala Ice Cream is a tribute, a legacy, and a love letter across generations.” Before launching Yala Greek, Chrys spent his early years working in his grandfather’s restaurant in Baltimore, Illona’s. He also worked in his godfather’s restaurant, a Maryland seafood institution, Costas’ Inn. An old-school, back-of-the-house kind of man, Chrys’ Papou ran kitchens with heart, pride, and deep care for everyone around him. He taught Chrys how to treat guests like family. Chrys told me “That spirit of hospitality will be at the core of everything we do at Yala Greek.” While they served crab cakes and pasta back then, ice cream wasn't part of the family menu until a chance encounter changed everything. A few years ago, while visiting the Greek island where his family is from, Chrys met the owner of his favorite ice cream shop, a place he’d rush to in the summers as soon as he got off the plane for a scoop of yogurt with wild cherry or vanilla ice cream. That ice cream defined the joy of Greek summer for him, so when he had a chance to share generations of ice cream-making tradition in the U.S., and his Papou’s legacy, he couldn’t pass up the sweet opportunity. That’s how Yala Greek was born. Chrys hopes “Just like Greek yogurt changed everything, Greek Ice Cream is going to set the new standard for ice cream. But, for us, it isn’t just about ice cream; it’s about making my Papou, my grandfather, proud. This is my legacy and we can’t wait to share it with Washington, DC, and with America.”
Now a lot of people in D.C. know Salah. He previously served our city as a police officer, and community engagement leader, with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). With his commitment to community, he then decided to run for D.C. Council. Although he didn’t win, he was the best candidate, and was endorsed by the Washington, Post. After that race Salah was trying to decide how to continue to serve the community when Mayor Bowser, who realized how great he was, asked him to join her administration where he served as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife and Culture in Washington, D.C. He managed to be everywhere, and the nightlife community in DC was sorry when he left that position. But now will be everyone’s chance to reconnect with him at Yala. Salah is the son of a Palestinian refugee, and Hungarian immigrant, and a longtime Washington, D.C. resident. He told me, “We’re bringing the first authentic Greek ice cream shop to the U.S., and we’re doing it with heart. We make everything with fresh, premium ingredients sourced from Greece and the Mediterranean. But more than that, we’re building a space where kindness, community, and a scoop of something extraordinary, come together. Georgetown is the perfect place to begin this story. Our Georgetown scoop shop is designed to be a welcoming haven where every guest feels a sense of belonging." Make sure you take the time to welcome Yala to Georgetown and find out how great Greek ice cream is.
