Nicholas Emilios “Nick” Papanastasiou, the 66-year-old owner and co-founder of East Village Grille, has died following a single-vehicle crash on Tunnel Road in Asheville. Police say he suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel before his car left the road, struck a light pole and came to rest down an embankment.
According to Fox Carolina, officers responded to the 900 block of Tunnel Road around 12:52 p.m. on Sunday, October 25. Police said a 2025 Mini Cooper was traveling west when Papanastasiou experienced a medical emergency, left the roadway and hit a light pole before the vehicle came down an embankment. He was taken to Mission Hospital, where he later died, per the same report. As reported by 828 News Now, the Asheville Police Department is continuing its investigation into the crash.
A Longtime Face Of Asheville's Restaurant Scene
Papanastasiou was widely known in Asheville as the longtime owner and co-founder of East Village Grille, according to WLOS. The restaurant traces back more than 30 years, having been started by the Papanastasiou brothers, according to East Village Grille's own history.
The family's footprint in Asheville dining extended well beyond that first restaurant. The Papanastasiou family also owned Filo and was behind the opening of Post 25 in Arden, where Emilios Papanastasiou served as general manager, according to a 2016 report from the Citizen Times.
Funeral And Celebration Of Life Planned
A funeral service for Papanastasiou is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Thursday at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at 227 Cumberland Ave. in Asheville, with interment immediately following at Lewis Memorial Park at 415 Beaverdam Road. A makaria, or celebration of life, will follow at Post 25 Kitchen & Lounge. Morris Funeral Home is handling arrangements. East Village Grille, Filo/Post 70 and Post 25 Kitchen & Lounge announced his death in a social media post, describing Papanastasiou as a beloved father, leader, partner, mentor and legend.
Tunnel Road's Place Among Asheville's Riskier Corridors
The crash adds to a broader pattern of concern around some of Asheville's busiest streets. Tunnel Road is among the corridors that repeatedly surface as high-risk areas in studies and local reporting, alongside Patton Avenue, Merrimon Avenue and Hendersonville Road, according to 828 News Now. The outlet also reported that more than 140 crashes were logged at the intersection of Patton Avenue and New Leicester Highway between 2020 and 2024, and that a 2026 analysis of federal crash data ranked North Carolina 18th nationally for the likelihood of dying in a car crash, estimating a 1.12 percent lifetime risk, or about one in 89 residents.
