Paul & Zorka Bassil

PAUL BASSIL (TUPURKOVSKI)

Paul Bassil (Tupurkovski) was born in the village of Oshchima, Agean Macedonia, in 1908. His father Vasil was killed by the Turks at a young age and his mother, Sultana had to raise his brother, Spero, his baby brother Micho and sisters Velia, Sandra, Elena and Ilinka all alone. His mother was killed by the Germans during the second world war.

Oshchima Wedding

Wedding in Oshchima round the 1920's

 

Paul & Cousin

Paul Bassil (centre), cousin Petre (L) & Oshchima country man Tane (R)

Paul came to Canada to join his older brother Spero in 1930 at the age of 20.
A cousin gave him a job in his restaurant and he embarked on a career as a Restaurateur by borrowing $500 - $10.00 here and $10.00 there from relatives and friends and that same year he started his own restaurant. He opened Bassil's Restaurant at Bloor and Bathurst Street in 1937 and ran it for fifteen years together with partners, his brother Spero and cousin Peter Argyres.

First Store

 

Bassils Menu Cover      Menu

When the Canadian National Exhibition re-opened after the second world war, for ten years he operated a large restaurant opposite the Grand Stand serving 5,000 people daily.

CNE

CNE Restaurant opened after WWII

He was the sole concessionaire at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and its various outlets for ten years.

CBC 1

CBC Cafe

CBC 2

CBC Staff

He established Paul's Ranch House at Bloor and Sherbourne in 1952, which he operated 24 hours a day. When the neighbouring premises were gutted by fire, he established the Old Spain Tavern in 1965 and eventually sold out to retire.

Ranchouse 1Ranchouse 2

403 Bloor Street East

Rnachouse

Daughter Tanya at the Ranch House Restaurant

 

Old SpainOld Spain 2

Oldn Tavern 401 Bloor Street East

Retirement just did not sit well with Paul and Zorka. In 1982 he encouraged his wife to open Baba's Deli at Kennedy Road and Ellesmere in Scarborough so they could keep busy and prepare and sell Burek to Canadians at large.

Babas Deli

Paul was a founding member of the Canadian Restaurant Association and was its delegate to the Toronto Emergency Measures Association in 1965; a founding member of St. Alban's Boys Club, a member of the Masonic Order a founder of St. Clement of Ohrid Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral and the first Vice-President of our church. The Government of Macedonia recognized his services to the Canadian Macedonian community with a gold medallion.

In 1991 Paul passed away leaving to grieve: his wife Zorka of 49 years, daughters, Starr and Tanya, son Mark and five grandchildren, Carlos, Arthur, Tamara, Jessica and Kara, his sister-in-law, Dota Tupurkovska and many nieces and nephews. ZORKA BASSIL ( Pogontcheff)

 

ZORKA BASSIL (Yankoff Pogontcheff)

Zorka Bassil (Yankoff Pogontcheff) was born on December 5, 1921 in Sofia, Bulgaria of parents Yanko and Sultana Pogontcheff of the Village of Zagorichani in Agean, Macedonia. Her father Yanko together with his father, Constantin and brother Sterio owned and operated a general store in Istanbul, Turkey, As a result of the Balkan Wars they were expelled from Turkey and fled to Bulgaria, They resided in Sofia, Bulgaria where Zorka and her younger brother Bob were born, Her older brother, Metody was born in Zagorichani.

In 1919 to escape the turmoil in the Balkans, her father Yanko immigrated to Canada to seek a better life, In 1924 he sent for his family and they settled in Niagara Falls,Ontario, Life was hard for the immigrant family, both financially and culturally but they perservered. Zorka attended school and completed a five-year academic program and went on to complete a special one-year business program.

At that time she accomplished a level of education, which was not very prevalent amongst immigrant women, At school she excelled in languages, English, French and Latin, She was a member of the Girls' Basketball Team which won the Central Ontario Championship three years in a row.

In her graduating year of her academic studies she was secretary of the student council and was voted outstanding all-round girl of the year by the students from a list of names submitted by the teachers. After completing her intensive year of business studies, she worked for the Guaranty Trust Company and was the first female with a foreign name to be hired in a bank. Most children of immigrants had to anglicize their names to get work.

In 1942 she married her husband Paul, whom she met in Toronto at a friend's wedding, They settled in Toronto and from the very beginning of their marriage they worked side by side as a team, They started out with a small restaurant called Bassil's Restaurant at Bloor & Bathurst with his brother Spero and cousin Peter Argyris as partners.

They went out on their own to establish Paul's Ranch House and Old Spain Restaurants at Bloor & Sherbourne, For a few years together with her brother Bob, they operated a large and a medium sized concession at the Canadian National Exhibition when it first reopened after the war.

For a few years, Paul and Zorka ran the eating concessions at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporations on Jarvis Street and affiliates. Zorka served a secretary to the founding fathers and priests of St. Clements on a voluntary basis during the early stages of the church formation. She was a member of both the church board and the ladies auxiliary committee. When Bingo was first held in the church hall as a fundraiser she was a regular volunteer together with her daughter, Tanya for the weekly Bingo. She was also involved with the Caravan festival for several years.

She served as Treasurer for both the Flood Relief Committee and the Skopje Earthquake Committee. Together with her husband Paul, she has received recognition from Macedonia on several occasions for their contributions to our community.

Zorka served on the Canadian Multicultural Consultative Council at its inception in the 1970’s for three years. She was also a member of the Folk Arts Council of Metropolitan Toronto and of the Liberal Women’s Commission for a number of years.

For 15 years she held a booth at the St. Lawrence Market where she sold burek, home baked cookies and cakes. She was also instrumental in helping with the Canadian Macedonian Historical Society since its inception in 1991 to the present.

St. Lawrence 1St. Lawrence 2

St. Lawrence Market

She has three children, daughters, Starr and Tanya, son Mark and five grandchildren, Carlos, Arthur, Tamara, Jessica and Kara.

 


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