2000 years ago, in ancient Rome, there was no such thing as freedom of speech.

In the year 8 A.D., the famous Roman poet Ovid was exiled to Tomis, a village on the Black Sea coast in what is now Romania, by the Emperor Augustus Caesar. His crime was in writing an unflattering poem about Augustus, and for this he was banished to what at the time was the very edge of civilization. He died 7 years later.

The story of Ovid was passed down through the generations of Romanians that followed as a symbol of personal courage, freedom, and resistance to power.

Ovidiu (Ovi) Catanescu, owner and founder of Ovi's Pub and Restaurant, was born in Romania to Elena and Ioan Catanescu in 1954. Named for the Roman poet, young Ovi was taught the story behind his name, and the values it embodied.

Romania during that period was under the brutal rule of the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Ceausescu's Romania was a place of stark contrasts, where Communist Party leaders lived in opulence and comfort, while the people were close to starvation. Ceausescu held complete power, and anyone who dared to speak against him or his government was imprisoned or killed.

It was during those turbulent times that Ovi's father courageously sent a letter directly to the dictator, asking for basic human rights for his people. For this subversive act that Ovi's father was arrested, tried in a kangaroo court, and sentenced to two years in a mental institution. Fearing further persecution, Ovi's parents urged him to flee Romania. In 1982 Ovi's wife, Maria escaped from Romania and received political asylum in the United States of America. Ovi joined her two years later.

Those first few years in America were difficult ones for Ovi and his wife, but they fell in love with their new country, working hard and learning the language, eventually becoming a U.S. citizens. Ovi and his family have a very unique perspective on America, and the freedoms and opportunities it stands for.

"In America," says Ovi, "people can do anything their hearts can dream of, like opening a restaurant. We have the freedom to do that, and to speak our minds here. In naming my restaurant, I wanted to pay respect to people who speak out for what they believe, regardless of the personal cost."

Ovi's Pub and Restaurant, named for the Roman poet, is the true embodiment of the American dream. It stands as a symbol of freedom and opportunity, and a tribute to courageous men like Ovi's father.