Andromache Karakatsanis was born on October 3, 1955, in Toronto, Ontario, to Greek immigrant parents. Her mother hailed from Kastoria and her father from Thessaloniki, both in the Macedonia region of northern Greece. They arrived in Canada after World War II without family connections or English-language skills. Her parents opened and operated a Greek restaurant called Top of the Mall, located in the Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue area of Toronto, where Karakatsanis worked as a hostess and helped her father manage the establishment. She grew up in the Don Mills neighbourhood speaking exclusively Greek at home until she began kindergarten and started learning English. Her parents maintained strong cultural traditions, including summer trips to Greece and attendance at Greek school. They enforced strict household rules and placed a high value on education and ambition. Teachers attempted to Anglicize her name, but her parents refused, insisting she retain her Greek identity. She is fluent in English, French, and Greek.
