GEORGIA KOUTSOUKOU

I was born in Kalamata to an excellent mom and dad who, due to the circumstances I will describe, disturbed my taste buds as a child. My father, a sailor, always brought us strange flavors after every trip.

My grandfather had a butcher shop in the central market of Kalamata, in white robes served the customers with the best techniques. He always sold pork respecting the land, the suppliers and above all the customers. That’s how I grew up. I fell in love with the Messinian food and the traditional ways of producing dishes. I was mesmerized by everything inside the market, walking around and getting to know everyone. With this fortune I began to travel in cooking and taste. I studied interpretation-translation in Rome and did a PhD and some cooking seminars abroad, I graduated from the Gastronomy school in Athens where I am now a professor of gastronomy. I was awarded overall work for my food waste menu by the European food recycling organization in 2018. I am the Slow Food chef leader of the Peloponnese and I try together with the brigada producers to create correct farming practices so that the raw material that comes to our plate is correct in terms of quality and taste.

I put all my love in my kitchen because I want dignity, is the first thing you learn when you sit at the family Sunday table. I travel and cook and worry about what we will all eat tomorrow.