Fort Worth chef Tim Love buys old west side family grocery, has new plans

Fort Worth chef Tim Love has bought a former Greek-American family grocery and plans a new concept, he said Wednesday.

The former George’s Cash & Carry, 4424 White Settlement Road, opened July 31, 1951, as the Phiripes family’s convenience store and imported foods market. It introduced Mediterranean foods such as olive oils, cheeses, baklava and pita to a wider Fort Worth audience.

Love said that he is not ready to discuss his plans but that the property will open this fall.

The property is adjacent to Love’s Hotel Otto and his casual Italian restaurant, Gemelle.

The grocery had been closed several years since the deaths of founders George Gus and Helen Phiripes and a son, Nicholas Phiripes.

It operated most recently as George’s Specialty Foods (“Come in for a cool Greek salad!”). The decor included a photo of comedian Tina Fey, a friend through grandparents in Philadelphia.

In the 1960s, the Star-Telegram reported that George’s had up to 150 gallons of olive oil in stock, “more than all other Fort Worth stores combined.”

It also stocked 15 kinds of imported cheeses, a selection of olives and both Greek and Turkish coffees.

Love launched his celebrity career at Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in the Stockyards.

His empire now includes Caterina’s, an upscale Italian restaurant in Mule Alley; Gemelle; Tannahill’s, a tavern, restaurant and music hall in Mule Alley; the Love Shack, a burger grill in the Stockyards; Paloma Suerte, a Tex-Mex restaurant in Mule Alley; the White Elephant Saloon in the Stockyards; the Woodshed Smokehouse, a patio barbecue restaurant near the Fort Worth Zoo; and Ático Fort Worth, a tapas bar in the Stockyards.