By Steven Truant
At the Box Hill Shopping Center off route 924 in Abingdon, there are many businesses, from a dry cleaner to a Chinese restaurant, but what really draws people in is the taste of Box Hill Pizzeria and Crab Cakes.
It all started when George Kanaras emigrated from Greece and came to the United States in the mid-1960s.
“My grandfather came here with only $10 in his pocket. He worked in a shoe factory making shoes for five or six years until he saved enough money to open his own business,” said Nico Kanaras, George Kanaras’ grandson and future owner of the restaurant.
When he had enough money saved, he opened ‘The Red Fox’ on Main Street in Bel Air. It was a big place and very formal. It thrived through the 1970s and 80s, judges and lawyers came in to sit down to a meal while a pianist provided background music. The restaurant burned down in 1983 and was shut down.
Kanaras helped his two sons, Tom and Chris with a loan to start their own place. On August 6, 1984, Box Hill Pizzeria was born.
Nearing its 36th year in Harford County, Box Hill Pizzeria used to be a small operation only known in the county. But today, the award-winning crab cakes are now known statewide and the crab cakes can be shipped anywhere in the United States.
“One person tells their friends and they tell their friends and it turns into a wildfire,” Kanaras said. We’ve hit all 50 states, Alaska, Hawaii, California, Texas, just goes to show that if you give people what they want, no matter where they are, they’re going to get it.”
Mary English has been a server at Box Hill for almost 18 years and has been able to watch the business grow from a small two table space into what it is today.
“I feel like I’m a part of it as well as every other employee in there. When I started, it was the parents helping their boys run the restaurant. Now the grandson is running the business with his father and uncle. They now have shipments going out daily all over the country.”
While the crab cakes are shipped out daily, the holiday season is where they see the most interest in shipping, as patrons love to surprise their families living in other states with the gift of crab cakes.
“Last year we hit a record, we sent out over 15,000 crab cakes in a week and a half, just shipping,” Kanaras said.
Many would not think that a pizzeria would be so well known for their crab cakes, but at Box Hill, they have become the staple of the business.
George Kanaras and his late wife, Demetra, are the creators of the recipe. There are only about three people that know the recipe. It stands out being mostly crab meat and barely any filling.
“They all had to sign waivers, it’s that top secret. It’s the cream of the crop and you have to protect it,” Kanaras said.
The restaurant has recently completed a renovation that spanned over two and a half years, giving the inside a complete facelift and the addition of an outside dining patio.
Inside customers are greeted to a long-tiled walkway passing a large wooden sign with the company’s logo on a pizza paddle. The dining room has a large crab with ‘Famous Maryland Crab Cakes’ written on it. Many pun-filled pizza paddles and customer reviews are all over the walls.
The owners thought it would be a good idea to expand and move to a new space, but the owner of the shopping center, Bob Ward, valued them so much that he fronted a lot of the cost of the renovation so he would not lose them.
“I think everyone loves it. We wanted to keep the same homey atmosphere, but we wanted to keep up with the times. It was outdated,” Kanaras said.
The atmosphere has been highly reviewed by the community, but the one thing that keeps people coming back is the food.
“My wife and I have been coming here for over 25 years, we love it here,” said Mel Richter, a loyal Box Hill customer. “The food is great, and the staff is so nice. We’re here almost every week,”
The community has taken such a liking to the family and their product at the restaurant over the past 35 years that some people literally cannot live without a crab cake, as one family decided to bury their mother with Box Hill crab cakes.
“Her kids came in and bought them and they actually buried this lady with crab cakes in her coffin. The guy said my mom came in here every single week since day one, she loved it and loved you guys and we can’t think of a better way to send her off.”
Such a high reputation does not come over night, years of hard work and commitment establishes a business as a local entity.
“There’s a lot of franchises being built up now a days and to them you’re just a number,” Kanaras added. At Box Hill, you’re part of the family and that’s what we strive for is making everyone feel welcome and part of the family.”
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