"Discovering Chatham" is an ongoing series of posts on the interesting people, places, events and news from northern Chatham County, published on our blog every Wednesday. You can read previous "Discovering Chatham" entries by clicking here. Leave us a comment and let us know what else about Chatham County you'd like to discover!

Angelina Koulizakis-Battiste found a passion for cooking at a young age, thanks to her mother and aunts, who were from Greece.

Angelina's lamb sandwich with tzatziki, tabouli, lettuce, cucumbers and olives.

But it wasn’t until she moved to Chatham County three years ago that she really became inspired to open Angelina’s Kitchen on Rectory Street in Pittsboro, in the building that was formerly occupied by Sullivan Music.

“I can’t love being in Chatham County enough,” says Angelina, who shops the Pittsboro Farmers’ Market weekly. “It’s just one beautiful farm after another. … I cook everything under the Chatham sun.”

Angelina and her husband, John, moved to Chatham from New Mexico. Prior to that, they spent many years in northern Virginia.

Tired of her desk job, Angelina became a baker at Chatham Marketplace for about a year once they moved to North Carolina. It was there that she formed many of the relationships with farmers that are so important to her business today.

Since March, she’s been serving take-out portions of lamb sandwiches, Greek salads, gyros, falafel sandwiches, spanakopita, baklava, frozen yogurt and roasted organic chicken. She makes tabouli (see recipe below), tzatziki and hummus from scratch.

When Angelina noticed that many children were coming into the restaurant with their parents, she designed kids’ meals for $4. Choose from mini chickster balls (falafel), mini monster balls (meatballs), Chicky DeeAngelina's employees, Caleigh Bridgers and Missy Elliott. (organic chicken) or veggie rolls (spanakopita). It comes with a side your choice. Angelina says children gobble up falafel like they would a McNugget.

Speaking of McDonald’s, Angelina decided that she needed kids’ meal toys to compete with the burger giant. But instead of plastic figurines, she has wooden toys made by local craftspeople. Right now, kids can get a miniature wooden fishing pool with an origami fish dangling from the end, made by Ginna Earl of Vespertine in downtown Pittsboro, or a wooden top made by Ralph Evans.

Opening a business in the midst of a recession hasn’t been easy, but Angelina still says she is “loving it.” The restaurant is open Monday through Friday, but she plans to open on Saturdays before the end of the year.

She also hopes to expand her catering business. Recently, she catered a gluten-free wedding reception, complete with a gluten-free wedding cake.

And, keeping with her lively Greek spirit, Angelina wears a button as she cooks that reads: “My falafel is bigger than your falafel.”

“I would love to have a friendly falafel throw down with Mediterranean Deli and Neomonde,” she says, laughing.