Edible ‘Gifts from Greece’ to Tantalize NY’s James Beard Foundation

By Maria Paravantes

Five chefs from Mykonos and Rhodes will bring the tastes of Greece to the James Beard Foundation culinary arts organization in New York on Thursday.

George Stylianoudakis

Named in honor of James Beard — food writer, teacher and cookbook author — the James Beard non-profit culinary arts center will host:
Christos Athanasiadis from the Nice n Easy Restaurant Group, Mykonos; Panagiotis Diamantis of Rodos Palace Hotel, Rhodes; Ioannis Gavalas from Mykonos’ Bakalo; Stamatios Misomikes of Noble at Elysium Resort & Spa, Rhodes; and George Stylianoudakis of the Kenshō Boutique Hotel & Suites, Mykonos.

The five chefs will do their culinary magic transforming Greek ingredients into delectable dishes that carry an air of Greece and its islands accompanied by the finest Greek wines.

Christos Athanasiadis

Panagiotis Diamantis

Ioannis Gavalas

Stamatios Misomikes

“This is a wonderful way to promote our islands as destinations, through food. Honey, saffron, herbs, fish will be the ambassadors of Greece in New York on Thursday,” Aphrodite Dellaporta, strategic relationships executive at digital marketing agency .LifeThink, tells the Greek Travel Pages (GTP).

Aphrodite Dellaporta

Representing the ”Gifts from Greece” project, which has thus far included participation in Berlin’s ITB last week as well as a massive Greece in Miami event this week, Dellaporta adds that”Greece is all about delicious diversity”.

“The idea is to give a sample of what’s in store when traveling to Greece. But I am a firm believer that the secret is in exploring, discovering and being pleasantly surprised by the offerings of our islands. That is the actual experience. This is just a taste,” Dellaporta, an islander herself, tells the GTP.

Dishes to be prepared at the reservation-only event tomorrow include chickpea fritters with ‘tarama’ (fish roe) and traditional bread flakes, quail eggs ‘kagiana’ with Mykonos ‘lountza’ (ham), ‘Paschatis’ or lamb with dill, spearmint, bulgur, and extra virgin olive oil, honey- and soy-glazed sous vide octopus with mastic-mashed green fava beans and for dessert, among others, all-time favorite rice pudding with saffron, sesame seed candy, and pistachio ice cream.

For more on the event, press here.