When asked what Greek food means to her, she defines it by its land, the sea, the produce, the sun, the versatility, and the tradition. “It’s the exquisite fish that we have… (in) a land where you see the sun almost 300 days a year.” That makes a difference in how the tomato, the cucumber, and the olive oil taste. A great example is the concept of ladera, which means “in oil.” It is a practice where vegetables, like okra, are cooked in olive oil for a very long time, similar to the French confit. “When it’s finished,” she says, “they melt in your mouth.” And one can never forget the historical tradition of Greece that stretches far, far back in history. For example, the Peloponnesian pop-up she did unearthed a few recipes from those long-bygone eras. Coming back to modern times and on the topic of gender equality, she believes that women are minorities in many fields, such as law, politics, and others. To her, it is because women’s priorities change after bearing children and giving birth. It is the same in cooking, where the crazy schedule makes things difficult. One has to stay in the kitchen and toil long hours while others are having fun. However, she does think that things have improved a lot. She often gets CVs from women, and most of her restaurants’ staff, both inside the kitchen and at the front of the house, are women. She thinks that the most important thing is to treat and respect all sexes the same way. While Chef Hiliadaki decides on the next step for Funky Gourmet, as it has been on hiatus since 2019, she is busy running her restaurants and Horeca, a full-service restaurant consulting company. She is also on the verge of doing something completely new, which she will announce on her Instagram. As successful as she is with presenting traditional dishes in new ways and bringing new audiences to Greek food, the new venture will surely be a smash. We cannot wait to see it for ourselves!
@GEORGIANNA_HILIADAKI @FUNKYGOURMETRESTAURANT @INOGASTROBAR
@PITTABUN @OPSO_LONDON @DIGITALWONG
Chef Georgianna Hiliadaki
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