‘Carry his legacy’: 35 years running, the Windmill Restaurant serves free Thanksgiving meals to honor owner

When he was younger, Kosmas Smirnioudis remembered a boy coming into his father’s Windmill Restaurant for Thanksgiving with his family for a free meal. Smirnioudis saw him tug on his father’s shirt, asking for one more piece of pie.

The elder Smirnioudis gave the boy the entire tin, along with some more leftovers to take home.

Thirty-five years running, the Smirnioudis family continues to serve Thanksgiving meals to anyone who is hungry, long after their father Elias, or “Louie,” passed away in 2013.

“My dad had such a big heart,” Kosmas said. “He made a difference in this town and that’s what we’re trying to keep going. We’re trying to carry his legacy and his dream.”

The Windmill Restaurant off Loudon Road offers old-school charm with its brick exterior and classic booths along the walls. The servers talk with patrons like they’re old friends. The cooks race through the kitchen, talking loudly over the sounds of sizzling pans and beeping ovens.

Louie’s picture in a newspaper article hangs near the entrance, signifying his continual presence.

The monumental Thanksgiving undertaking begins more than a month in advance with the help of 50 volunteers. The restaurant received over 100 turkeys, donated by local churches, businesses and residents, complete with 600 pounds of potatoes and 400 pounds of squash. On Thursday, anyone is welcome to eat at the restaurant. Volunteers also assemble to-go orders and deliver them to nearby homes.

The operation was born when Louie, who worked as a dishwasher when he came to New Hampshire, enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal with his first boss. An immigrant from Greece, Louie never celebrated Thanksgiving before then.

When Louie opened the Windmill Restaurant in 1990 and his former boss passed away, he decided to serve the community during the holidays as a way to honor him. He partnered with local soup kitchens to provide Thanksgiving meals to 100 people coming in and out of the doors.

“[He was] hoping to share the impact it had on him to other people,” said George Smirnioudis, Kosmas’ younger brother. “Then it just grew, took off, became a tradition rather than an event.”

The restaurant regularly receives so much support that it had to turn down volunteer applications this year. Many volunteers have turned helping into an annual tradition.

Dylan Smith started volunteering at the Windmill in 2006, while he attended Bishop Brady with Kosmas. A member of the football team, Smith had to fulfill community service hours and the Thanksgiving event stood out to him. Even after graduating and moving to Eliot, Maine, he still makes the trip every year to help out.

“It turned from a requirement to something I just wanted to do,” Smith said. “It helps out an incredible amount of people in our local area and it’s just nice to be able to not only be with my friends on the holiday, but just be providing to our local community that needs it.”

Smith called Louie the “Santa of Thanksgiving” and said it’s been heartening to see his effort spread after his passing.

“It was great to see the rest of the brothers pick it up from there and just take it to what it is today,” Smith said.

Kosmas took over the business from his father when he became ill, and his mother and brothers have been by his side ever since. When he becomes overwhelmed, especially during all the Thanksgiving preparation, he hearkens back to his father’s lesson.

He recalled Louie saying, “Whatever happens, happens,” and to do his best to provide people with a memorable meal.

“One kid, one person, one older gentleman, give them the opportunity to feel like a family and feel the warmth and the hospitality of being surrounded by people that care,” he said. “It’s worth it.”