In February of 2009, Alex Gallis opened his own restaurant, Cypress on the Hill, on Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Gallis, a Chapel Hill native, has had a long and sucessful career in the restaurant industry. He worked as the Chef de Cuisine previously at the nationally acclaimed Magnolia Grill in Durham. Though the current recession caused some hurdles in the opening of the new restaurant, Gallis, the owner and Executive Chef, opened his doors to a welcoming community and the restaurant is prospering.