Category: GREEK DIASPORA

News about Greeks around the world

Greek sushi master among world’s 100 best chefs

Greek sushi master Antonis Drakoularakos, owner of Athens restaurant Sushimou, was named among the world’s 100 top chefs at the award ceremony of the first Chefs World Summit on Sunday night.

Organized by the prestigious French magazine Le Chef from November 27-29 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, the event included a stellar lineup of more than 500 two- and three-Michelin-starred chefs from around the world and other influential industry players.

The 37-year-old physicist-turned-chef came in last on the list that places him among the ranks of the legendary Alain Passard (first place) of L’Arpege in Paris and Martin Berasategui (second place) of the eponymous eatery in Lasarte Oria, Spain.

Drakoularakos trained in the demanding art of sushi making at the Tokyo Sushi Academy in 2014, returning to Athens to open Sushimou, located just off Syntagma Square, in November last year. In the year since it opened, the small, 12-seat sushi bar has attracted the attention of local critics and discerning diners alike.

(www.ekathimerini.com)

December 2, 2016
Nikolaos Panou, PhD, installed as tsantes endowed Professor in Greek Literature and Language at Stony Brook University

The Stony Brook community came together to celebrate the formal installation of Nikolaos Panou, Ph.D., the inaugural Peter V. Tsantes Professor in Greek Literature and Language.

“It is an understatement to say that I am delighted that Nikolaos Panou has been named to this distinguished professorship,” said President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. during the ceremony. “And we are grateful to Peter V. and Despina Tsantes for endowing this professorship. It will be a lasting tribute to the Tsantes family and enable us to continue to attract and retain prominent scholars in the field of Hellenic studies.”

As Assistant Professor of Comparative Studies in Stony Brook University’s College of Arts and Sciences, Panou’s current research focuses on the ways in which power and authority were conceptualized and represented in pre-modern philosophical discourse, with particular emphasis on moral and political works written from the 16th to the 18th century.

Nikolaos Panou received his Ph.D. in comparative literature from Harvard University and has been a postdoctoral fellow at the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies at Princeton University. Before joining Stony Brook in 2014, he was a visiting assistant professor of comparative literature at Brown University.

President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. explained that it is a Hellenic tradition of rigorous investigation of the hard sciences, social sciences and humanities that Stony Brook seeks to emulate, promulgate and celebrate.

“It is not only fitting, it is important that at Stony Brook — one of the top 62 research Universities in the country known for our emphasis on the study of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine — we also educate and nurture students with the values of Hellenic civilization,” he said.

Recognized for his long history of visionary generosity in providing valuable resources and leadership among Greek communities, Long Islander Peter V. Tsantes’ passion and enthusiasm was encouraged by Stony Brook’s own educational reputation and commitment toward advancing the study of Hellenic culture. He also noted that he and his family have dedicated the professorship to the memory of his adoptive mother who sponsored his trip to the United States in 1951, Aikaterini Spanou Haralambou Batuyios. “How can you forever show your love and remembrance?” Tsantes’ said of Batuyios.

Throughout Tsantes’ life, Batuyios encouraged him to give back, which led to his involvement in the American Foundation for Greek Language and Culture (AFGLC). Before long, he turned his philanthropic focus closer to home, where he formed the New York Chapter of AFGLC. He currently serves as treasurer for its executive board.

To Tsantes, the professorship was a fitting tribute to not only his adopted mother and homeland, he hopes it will spur others “toward an increased energy in philanthropy and education.” The professorship, he believes, will be the base for a plethora of Hellenic activities on campus, supported not only by his family, but also by the generosity of other members of the Long Island Hellenic community.

As holder of the professorship, Panou is invested in promoting scholarship, teaching and research in all aspects of Hellenic civilization, from Antiquity to the present.

One of Panou’s principal goals at Stony Brook is to build a stronger Center for Hellenic Studies that will serve as a forum for the study of Greek society, history and culture, and which will cultivate a comprehensive understanding of classical, post-classical and modern Greece.

“The vision is here, and so is the will, the determination and the expertise,” Panou said. “We now have to direct all of our effort — and with a great sense of urgency, I might add — to the creation of a robust, radiant, magnetic Center for Hellenic Studies that will serve as a hub for the study of Greek society, history, politics and culture that will become an indispensable point of reference within Stony Brook and beyond.”

This new professorship is yet another example of how endowed faculty build on the University’s dedication to excellence across campus. That’s why one goal of the $600 million Campaign for Stony Brook is to create a total of 100 endowed faculty positions by 2018, aimed to attract more eminent scholars and researchers and retain outstanding faculty across a wide range of disciplines.

Over the past six years, the number of endowed chairs and professorships at Stony Brook has increased more than seven-fold, to a total of 42 endowed chairs and professorships.

“At a time when the humanities are being increasingly marginalized, to say the least, the establishment of an endowed chair in Hellenic studies is an event and an opportunity of singular importance,” Panou said. “The truth is, what’s happened here at Stony Brook is the result of extraordinary actions that require inspiration, zeal, commitment, generosity and a lot of hard work.”

About Stony Brook University

Part of the State University of New York system, Stony Brook University encompasses 200 buildings on 1,450 acres. Since welcoming its first incoming class in 1957, the University has grown tremendously, now with more than 25,000 students and 2,500 faculty. Its membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) places Stony Brook among the top 62 research institutions in North America. U.S. News & World Report ranks Stony Brook among the top 100 universities in the nation and top 40 public universities, and Kiplinger names it one of the 35 best values in public colleges. One of four University Center campuses in the SUNY system, Stony Brook co-manages Brookhaven National Laboratory, putting it in an elite group of universities that run federal research and development laboratories. A global ranking by U.S. News & World Report places Stony Brook in the top 1 percent of institutions worldwide. It is one of only 10 universities nationwide recognized by the National Science Foundation for combining research with undergraduate education. As the largest single-site employer on Long Island, Stony Brook is a driving force of the regional economy, with an annual economic impact of $4.65 billion, generating nearly 60,000 jobs, and accounts for nearly 4 percent of all economic activity in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and roughly 7.5 percent of total jobs in Suffolk County.

(hellenicnews.com)

December 2, 2016
Greek Native Offering Language Lessons in Jasper: ‘I Just Want to Share my Culture’

Greek native Kostas Souliaris moved to Canada from Greece five years ago. He settled in Jasper, Alberta, where there is a healthy Greek population and decided that it was about time that Greek language lessons were offered in the town.

Although the details are yet to be finalized, so far he has put together a loose syllabus for his classes and Souliaris has organized a meeting to further discuss the classes and see if there are enough people interested in learning Greek in the community to kick-off his lessons. The meeting is taking place at the Jasper Municipal Library on November 26 at 11:00 am and is open for anyone interested in attending and learning more about the Greek language lessons.

“We’re trying to see if there are enough people and then we can start to move forward,” he said to Jasper’s Independent Newspaper, The Fitzhugh, adding, “The course will basically be free” adding that he will volunteer as the course’s instructor.

Souliaris also noted that prospective students might be asked to contribute a $10 monthly fee to help cover the cost of renting a classroom for lessons to be taught at the Habitat for the Arts.

So far, Souliaris has had inquiries about the Greek lessons from both Greeks and non-Greeks. He says that he is very pleased about the interest generated in the town. “We welcome everyone. I just want to share my culture,” he commented.

(canada.greekreporter.com)

December 2, 2016
Greek restaurant ranked amongst the world’s best

For the fourth consecutive year, Athenian restaurant Funky Gourmet has been included in the list of the world’s best fine dining restaurants according to TripAdvisor.

Based on reviews and opinions from travellers around the world, the restaurant, located in the ancient neighbourhood of Keramikos, was the only Greek fine dining business to make the prestigious list of Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2016, with 884 reviews overall from international visitors.

Funky Gourmet opened its doors in 2009 and by 2012 chefs Georgianna Hiliadaki and Nikos Roussos were awarded with their first Michelin star, followed by two Michelin stars in 2014.

Blending gourmet food with innovative presentation within a relaxed yet modern environment, Funky Gourmet gives traditional dishes a contemporary twist using alternative creative tools that turn food into edible art.

According to its two chefs, “it’s all about the taste and the visual pleasure that activates the senses, engaging the guests in a stimulating, exciting and unconventional way”.

Neos Kosmos speaks to chef and co-owner Georgianna Hiliadaki about Greek cuisine, food evolution, experimenting with textures and tastes and turning food into fine art.

How do you feel to be ranked among the best fine dining restaurants in the world?
We are very proud that our efforts have been rewarded and that Greek cuisine seems to have international appeal.

What attributes make a good restaurant, in your opinion?
A good restaurant is the one that honours its guests. In Funky Gourmet, we constantly thrive to produce a dining experience for the people that honour us with their presence. We want to provide them with top hospitality, food, ambience and service. The same effort we expend not only in Funky Gourmet, which is a two Michelin star restaurant but also in our other restaurant Opso in London, which is a more casual Greek place where one can enjoy Greek tapas − mezedes − in a more laid-back way.

Why do you think you were the only restaurant in Greece selected? What is it that you offer that makes your customers want to come back?
We offer, as the restaurant’s name suggests, a funky and gourmet experience. We want our cuisine to activate the senses and spur emotions, a type of culinary experience that is like a theatre that you can eat! Our degustation menus also reflect our own point of view of a refined Greek cuisine influenced by local ingredients.

With such a vast choice of classic Greek recipes and traditional food fare, what ideology and vision do you use to reinterpret these and how much experimentation is involved?
We get inspiration by many things, including our tradition and classic recipes, i.e. re-invention of the classic pastitsio dish or based on unique local products, such as the Greek bougatsa that we combine with white chocolate − an unusual combination that strangely enough works very well together!

Experimentation is a vital process in the creation of new dishes and the re-invention of classic ones. Sometimes experiments come successful easily but sometimes − actually most of the time − it takes a lot of effort and testing for a dish to appear on the menu.

Do you have a signature dish that you are particularly known for?
Our Greek salad is one of the signature dishes that never leaves our degustation menus. It’s the traditional taste of a Greek salad, i.e. tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, oregano, capers, but in the form of a white ‘granita’ sorbet!

How much has Greek cuisine evolved over the years?
Hopefully a lot and we would love to believe that we have contributed to this evolution even for a bit, by spreading the local cuisine and our point of view of modern Greek cooking.

There seems to be an artistic approach to each dish. Are you a ‘food artist’ and where do you get your inspiration from?
We definitely look at food as an edible form of art! Aesthetics play an essential part in making a new dish. But we draw inspiration from everywhere and everything. For example, a new dish in our menu is Funky Gourmet ‘ntolmas‘. This plate was initially inspired by the classic Greek recipe but its presentation is very much influenced from the Scandinavian naturalite and aesthetics.

What types of wines do you stock in the restaurant and do you support Greek produce in food and wine?
We really appreciate the evolving Greek wine industry. Many local producers have presented very interesting wines of unique Greek varieties, such as white assyrtiko and red mavrotragano from Santorini or xinomavro from Naoussa region, or agiorgitiko from Peloponnese. But we love wine from many different regions of the world. Who can resist a French barrel-aged good Burgundy, or a full-bodied bin from California?

(neoskosmos.com)

December 1, 2016