By Michele Hardman
Thom Kindos was born into a strong Greek family. His grandfather came to New York City from Greece, and as a kid, Thom remembers being completely immersed in the Greek culture. They went to Greek festivals, attended Greek Church, and ate Greek food. He and his parents moved to Florida in 1986 when Thom was 11, and opened a restaurant in Panama City Beach in 1989. It was located on Front Beach Road, where the former Eldorado Motel was. After a year and a half, another restaurant owner over in Inlet Beach was retiring and asked Thom’s parents if they’d be interested in buying her out. They did. For the next 30 years, they continued to build relationships with the locals, knowing practically everyone by name who came through the door each week and striving to offer a superior level of food quality, presentation, and service. Thom remembers working with his grandmother in the kitchen at a young age, even before he really began helping in his parents’ restaurants. He credits those years with making him an excellent potato peeler now.
At age 19 or so, Thom felt the need to break away on his own. He thought pretty seriously about going to school to be a physician, but decided his grades really weren’t quite good enough for that. One thing he already knew how to do, though—and do it very well—was cook. So he went off to West Palm Beach and graduated from the Florida Culinary Institute.
He feels like book knowledge is great, but you’ll never learn as much as you will from actual hands-on experience. He worked in a few restaurants over the next several years, but the combination of prolonged stress and many 18-hour days started causing him both physical and emotional pain. This eventually led to some issues with alcohol abuse. After a while, it began to affect his ability to work or even keep a job. He’s very thankful for all the people who planted seeds, encouraging him to reprioritize his life and make changes. He’s now been sober for eight years. His recovery has been a big part of his personal journey and he’s very open to helping anyone else who might need someone to talk to or share resources to help them. He feels like he’s been given a brand new life now.
In 2021, he decided to take the necessary classes to get his real estate license—after a friend and local realtor “double-dog-dared” him to. Thom now represents Beachy Beach Realty in Panama City Beach and enjoys helping people solve problems. Every day is different and presents new challenges, and Thom has brought many of the things he learned from his parents’ successful restaurant business—like customer service and building relationships—to his current career. He still loves to cook, though, and now teaches cooking classes 2-3 times each month at Somethin’s Cookin’ Downtown. You can watch him work and ask questions while he fixes a variety of appetizers, main courses, and desserts. You can also catch one of his videos when you search “The Realtor Chef” on YouTube.
When Thom isn’t in the kitchen, you might find him on a golf course, out on the water fishing, hanging out on Shell Island, or getting back into playing the trombone (which he did from middle school through early college). One of his favorite things to do is relax in the backyard at his new home, whether he’s doing landscape projects or just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. It’s his personal retreat.
To find out how to make Thom’s favorite stuffed flounder or crab cakes, or to connect with him about any of his other ventures, you can email him at thom@beachybeach.com.
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