Harry Prodromides

Harry Prodromides
DECEMBER 20, 1936 – SEPTEMBER 13, 2024
Harry was born in Chicago, Illinois, and spent his childhood moving. His father was a Greek Orthodox priest who served in churches in Shreveport, Louisiana, Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Pocatello, Idaho. Likely, the virtues of hard work taught by the church impressed him, because Harry embarked on his career as a restaurateur as a dishwasher while still in junior high. A hard worker and a quick study in the kitchen, Harry learned to cook, and that job enabled him to buy several cars while still in high school.
When he was a teenager, Harry married and had two sons: Kevin and Kelly. He worked at the Bannock Hotel as a sous chef, in Pocatello, Idaho. Meanwhile, the young marriage didn’t last, and they divorced. In 1962, at the age of 26, he was offered the job of manager of the Parasol Restaurant in Torrance, California, by a fellow Greek restaurateur and entrepreneur. Soon after his move to Los Angeles, he hired Linda Fleming as the Parasol’s hostess and bookkeeper. They married in 1968.
Harry was a founding partner of the Red Onion restaurant chain, which was sold to Host International. Soon after, Harry and Linda opened Ichabod Crane’s Restaurant and Tarry Town Tavern. This special-occasion restaurant, stylized in an early American setting, specialized in prime rib and lively night life. They enjoyed the fast-paced environment of operating a large, successful restaurant. Plus, it provided for their growing family: their son, Christopher, and five adopted children, Anastasia, Carrie-Frances, Joanna, Angelina, and Andrew. Harry worked in restaurants his entire life, as an owner, an operator, a consultant, and a restaurant realtor. Even in his final years, you could find him providing young restaurant operators advice.
Family truly defined Harry. Extended vacations to their home in Sun Valley, Idaho, focused on family. They skied in the winter and hiked in the summer. He owned a series of motor homes, first used to make the journey from Los Angeles to Sun Valley. Later, RV trips became yet another family tradition. One year, the family traveled coast to coast… and back! Club Med was another fun family destination in the summer. Not surprisingly, food was how Harry expressed his love. When you arrived at his home, he would move immediately to his kitchen and begin cooking for you—and it was always great!
Over many years, Harry was active at Rolling Hills Covenant Church. He served on missions, worked on construction projects, helped design the church kitchen, was a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission during difficult times and closely studied all books of the Bible, as evidenced by his enthusiastic weekly attendance of Bible studies. For many years, he cooked for the cast and crew, applied airbrush makeup, and acted in the Rolling Hills Covenant “Pageant of Our Lord” during the Easter season. He enjoyed being active, even late in life. It gives us comfort to know Harry is at peace with the Lord. He loved Jesus and truly had a relationship with his Savior.
Harry loved to live. For him, living was spending time with his loved ones and providing what he could to make them happy. He is survived by his wife Linda, his children Kevin, Kelly, Christopher, Carrie-Frances, Joanna, Angelina, Andrew, as well as their spouses, and his fifteen grandchildren.