ATHENS GASTRONOMIC FORUM 2026
Good morning, everyone.
It is a great pleasure and honor for me to be here today, in a space that brings together people with a shared vision: to highlight Greece’s place on the international gastronomic stage.
Because gastronomy is not simply food. It is culture. It is identity. It is sustainability.
And Greece has all the elements needed to stand confidently alongside the world’s greatest cuisines.
Today, I would like to share with you my own journey, and how simple Greek cuisine can become a meaningful international gastronomic proposition.
First of all, I would like to warmly thank the organizers and all of you who are here today.
Those of you who know me — or, to put it in a more modern way… those of you who “follow” me — know that my name has become closely associated with Kuzina à la Grecque.
The idea was inspired by the international culinary term à la grecque, which refers to cooking with olive oil, lemon, and aromatic herbs.
At that moment, I realized two important things:
- How deeply Greek cuisine has entered the global gastronomic language.
- How powerful the everyday, simple Greek cuisine truly is.
Through my work I have been fortunate to travel, collaborate with remarkable colleagues, and continue learning. I have encountered different cultures, techniques, and culinary philosophies.
And the more I traveled, the more my thoughts returned to my homeland — to Greek products and to the flavors of my childhood.
Taste memory is the foundation of the cuisine I represent. These memories are today my most valuable resource.
However, my role is not to simply copy and paste traditional recipes.
I reinterpret them through modern techniques, with the aim of highlighting them — not altering them. I seek to evolve their form without touching their essence.
Greek cuisine is not simply my passion. It is my path.
At some point, I realized that in our effort to create originality, we began to lose something essential: traditional Greek cuisine. Social media filled the world with endless recipes and trends.
And this often leads to an overload of information — and sometimes even misinformation. All of this made me appreciate simplicity even more.
People who visit Greece — and any place in the world — seek authenticity. And rightly so, simplicity is returning. Not as poverty, but as essence. Essence in flavor. Essence in seasonal products.
Luxury does not lie in excess; it lies in taste.
And today, with sustainability at the center of our thinking, the success of our cuisine must begin with tradition and meet the future.
My vision is clear: a return to our roots.
To remember that flavor is born from the right ingredients and the right sequence in cooking. Nothing complicated.
One of the strongest chapters of our cuisine is ladera — the everyday vegetable dishes cooked with olive oil that have long been present on Greek family tables.
With modern techniques, these dishes can stand proudly even in a fine-dining restaurant. That is why today I chose a purely traditional Greek dish: briam.
Let’s watch the video.
What I would especially like to say to the younger generation is simple: Greek cuisine, with its local products, should define us. It should distinguish us.
When we create authentic cuisine with character, we can truly share it with the world.
For me, this is high gastronomy: SIMPLICITY & AUTHENTICITY.
Our gastronomic culture is our products. It is our traditions and customs.
It is the Sunday family table. It is our grandmothers. It is the new generations who return to their homeland. This knowledge is passed from generation to generation, and it is our responsibility to evolve it without losing our character.
Greece does not need to imitate anyone. It has its own voice.
If we invest in quality and in our people, we can build a strong Greek gastronomic identity that will travel across the world.
Because true high gastronomy lies in the honesty of the dish.
Let us all become ambassadors of Greek cuisine. In this way, we can help Greece become a true gastronomic destination.
Thank you very much.
