Giorgos Hatziparaskos: One of Greece's last authentic phyllo makers

At 86 years old, Giorgos Hatziparaskos is one of the last bakers in Greece making phyllo pastry by hand. With the help of his wife and son, he keeps the business going thanks to tourists visiting the Greek island of Crete.

 

Act of kindness to wine expert goes a long way for Paxos seller

The smallest acts of kindness can go a long way. A recent example comes from world-renowned wine critic and journalist Jancis Robinson, who had been planning a week-long family vacation with her children and grandchildren on the Greek island of Paxos in the Ionian Sea.

Robinson had booked a villa and arranged all sorts of activities when she came across the Paxos Wines electronic store on the Internet. She selected various wines and was assured by the company’s owner, 37-year-old Andreas Diamantis, that they would be delivered to the villa. “They will be there waiting for you,” he told her, adding that she could settle the bill when she arrived on the island.

Hours before departing, she received a text message informing her that her flight had been cancelled. The next available flight for Corfu was three days later and had just two seats left. She cancelled the villa, her children changed their holiday plans and Robinson off for Paxos with her husband, Nick Lander, a food critic, staying at a simple hotel.

In the confusion, she almost forgot about the wine that was on its way to the villa. When she sent an email of apology to Diamantis, she was surprised by his answer.

Two Athens Eateries Among 31 Places to 'Eat at Before You Die'

An Exarchia eatery where waiters invariably forget some part of an order and a restaurant in Metaxourgeio where no dish ever exceeds 7 euros are among "31 places around the world you should eat at before you die," according to BuzzFeed. The popular news and entertainment website recently asked a group of professional globetrotters to share their favorite culinary destinations around the world.

Ode on Grecian White Wines - a Modern Success Story

Once synonymous with idyllic island vacations and now with irresponsible debt, Greece has acquired a third identity: a great white-wine producing country. From the crisp Assyrtikos of the island of Santorini to the aromatic Moschofileros and Malagouzias of the Peloponnese, dry Greek white wines are lively, dynamic and very well-priced—albeit saddled with some rather challenging names.

As more and better Hellenic wines have arrived in American shops and restaurants in recent years, wine drinkers are learning to value their charms and even how to pronounce their names. James Tidwell, beverage manager of the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Dallas, Texas, said most of his customers recognize and confidently state the names Assyrtiko and Santorini on his wine list, and he knows this is true at other Dallas restaurants as well.

Loux takes aim at Australian market!

The Greek industry of beverage and 100 percent natural juices, Loux Marlafekas, is hoping to boost sales in Australia and capitalize on the large Diaspora market there as well.

The company participated in Australia’s leading trade event for the food industry Fine Food Australia which took place in Sydney on Sept. 9-12, as part of the company’s general strategy to further develop exports to 10 new countries.

White Wines as Greek as the Sea!

The white wine grapes of Greece — with names like moschofilero, roditis and assyrtiko — sound a bit scary, like alien beings. But I think of them as the constituents of a parallel universe in which crowds of people embrace these wonderfully refreshing, intriguing whites, rather than default to generic summer white wines like pinot grigio. I imagine this for the assyrtiko, especially.

Actor Billy Zane to Launch Greek Olive Oil Company (video)

Billy Zane is getting ready to launch a Greek olive oil importing company in the U.S. The Greek-American actor plans to import olive oil from the Mani area of the Peloponnese in Greece, where his family descends from. “What Coppola did for wine [from Italy], I would like to try to do it for Greek olive oil. While in the modern world, Greece is really known for tourism, I really see a future in eco-tourism and bio-dynamic farming and the exports of its agricultural products. This is some place that I think a new economy can be born,” said the actor, who plans to donate part of the proceeds of his company to charities in Greece. A Greek online store – Doromu.com - embraces the same philosophy of giving back to Greece and was recently launched by Greek-Americans.

«gaΣtronoμία@Bruxelles»: Greek gastronomy travels to Brussels!

If you happen to be in Brussels between March 29 and May 2 2013, you can savour Greek-Belgian gastronomic co-creations as part of the action “gaΣtronoμία@Bruxelles”, a project of cooperation between the Greek National Tourism Organisation’s office in Belgium and the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises.

Financial Times: Mazi restaurant - authentically Greek but not predictable

When Christina Mouratoglou opened a Greek restaurant in London last summer, her father found himself doing her a curious favour. On the rocks by the sea near his house outside Thessaloniki grows kritama, a green salty plant that is “half way between seaweed and a herb”. Mouratoglou, who with her partner and co-founder Adrien Carre spent months in Greece combing for fine producers, wanted to put this unusual ingredient on the menu: “My father hand picked it and sent it in boxes … there was a great demand but he came back and said there isn’t any more, I picked it all!” It won’t make a return to Mazi, the Notting Hill restaurant run by Mouratoglou and Carre, until June, when it’s growing again on the rocks.

NY Times: Ikaria - The Island Where People Forget to Die

In 1943, a Greek war veteran named Stamatis Moraitis came to the United States for treatment of a combat-mangled arm. He’d survived a gunshot wound, escaped to Turkey and eventually talked his way onto the Queen Elizabeth, then serving as a troopship, to cross the Atlantic. Moraitis settled in Port Jefferson, N.Y., an enclave of countrymen from his native island, Ikaria. He quickly landed a job doing manual labor. Later, he moved to Boynton Beach, Fla. Along the way, Moraitis married a Greek-American woman, had three children and bought a three-bedroom house and a 1951 Chevrolet.

Try some fabulous Tentoura from Patra!

Last weekend we were with friends at 'Dia Tafta' in Plaka.  After dinner, the owner offered us each a glass of Tentoura. 

 

It is a fabulous cinnamon liquer that none of us had every heard of.

Beyond ouzo: Greek barrel-aged grape distillates

Tsipouro, the Greek grape distillate, just went upmarket. Many of you may have sampled tsipouro, or its cousins, the Cretan raki and tsikoudia, on visits to Greece or in Greek homes. It’s our “fire water,” the Greek answer to grappa, a grape distillate that Greeks have been making and enjoying for generations.

Greek tea ‘Tuvunu’ to be sold in the USA

Traditional organic tea with honey and lemon coming from the mountainous areas of Thrace will be sold in the USA at the same time it will appear on shelves in the Greek market in July.

Papa Cristo's, a -delicious- taste of Greece in Los Angeles! (video + photos)

Whenever you want authentic ethnic food, it is always a good idea to ask someone who is actually from the region for their favorite place to eat. My favorite restaurant, Vanilia, in Santorini was recommended by a Greek, and the same Greek recommended Papa Cristo's here in Los Angeles as the place he goes when he yearns for the comforting food of his homeland.

Green Olives from Chalkidiki to Become Protected Designation of Origin Product

The olive producers of Chalkidiki received good news on Tuesday recognizing their work and promoting their agricultural activities and economy, since the particular variety of olives growing in the Northern Greek peninsula will soon be registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product by the EU. In this way, the brand name “Green Olives of Chalkidiki” will get a higher value added tax.

The health benefits of FETA cheese

Traditionally produced in Greece from goat's milk, feta cheese has gained considerable popularity in the United States, partially due to its abundant tangy flavor, but also because of the potential health benefits it offers. Today, many varieties of feta-like cheeses are made outside of Greece, some made from cow's milk or a mixture of cow and goat's milk. True feta is a product of Greece and should contain at least 70 percent goat's milk.

Ben and Jerry’s joins Greek yogurt craze

Earlier this month, Ben and Jerry’s decided to capitalize on the Greek yogurt craze by rolling out a new line of frozen Greek yogurt in four flavors: strawberry shortcake, banana peanut butter, raspberry fudge chunk, and blueberry vanilla graham. With sales of Greek yogurt up more than 100 percent over the past three years, Ben and Jerry’s was banking on the fact that -- in spokesman Sean Greenwood’s words -- “Greek yogurt is just going crazy.”