NEW YORK – In a recent article, the New York Post referred to Greek-American businessman and philanthropist Merkourios (Mike) Angeliades as the “mysterious restaurateur buying up prime Hamptons locales,” though The National Herald readers are quite familiar with Angeliades’ story from several articles which have appeared in the pages of TNH.

In fact, the Post article cited information about Angeliades from a 2010 TNH profile, noting that he was born on the Dodecanese island of Symi and that when he first came to the United States, he worked in a factory for 85 cents an hour.

Angeliades is now the owner of three restaurants and a construction company, M.A. Angeliades, which has completed many projects for New York City including for Rikers Island jails and the MTA, the Post reported. The article also cited TNH about Angeliades’ early days in the U.S., when he wanted to return to his home island of Symi, and also for details about his family, that he is married to wife Libby and they have four daughters.

The 77-year-old Greek immigrant is apparently buying up real estate in the eastern end of the Hamptons with the goal of eventually building a luxury resort, the Post reported, noting that the locals in the area are not very familiar with Angeliades.

“What is known is that for the past two years, Angeliades, the owner of Kyma Greek restaurants in Roslyn and Manhattan, has been quietly negotiating the purchase of Montauk properties owned by the Gosman family, which launched its legendary Montauk Harbor empire with a lobster shack in 1943,” the Post reported, adding that “Angeliades recently acquired two motels from the Gosmans and an adjacent acre for $8 million. He also signed a memorandum of agreement to buy their main complex, which includes Gosman’s Dock, Gosman’s Restaurant, Gosman’s Wholesale Fish Market, and Gosman’s Retail and other properties that surround it. The properties, 14 acres in all, carried a $52.5 million price tag in 2016. There was a lot of competition, one source said.”

Angeliades beat out others for the properties “after approaching George Filopoulos of Metrovest Equities, who co-owns Gurney’s Resorts with BLDG Management’s Lloyd Goldman, about the possibility of opening a new resort, sources said,” the Post reported, adding that “Angeliades did not have ties to Montauk and is not a boat owner,” and since he is in Greece, he “could not be reached for comment.”

The Post also noted his “three popular Greek restaurants”- Kyma in Roslyn and the Flatiron district and Elea on the Upper West Side, could bring “a flavor… to his Montauk resort.”

“No one really knows about his involvement with Kyma and Elea. He is the main financial investor, the money behind the restaurants. But he keeps his ego out of it,” said the source involved in the deal, the Post reported.

Angeliades is also one of the original founders of the Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church in Roslyn, NY, and a member of the AHEPA Gold Coast Chapter and Leadership 100.