About |
I was raised in a small town in Greece. Spending my childhood watching my mom cook lamb on an open fire and my grandmother make fresh bread in her clay oven gave me a true love of food, family and community. I began cooking professionally while I was attending high school in my home town of Lamia and started dreaming of someday opening my own restaurant.
I continued to develop my culinary passion when I came to America to attend the University of Kentucky. When I wasn’t studying I took the opportunity to learn from my aunt and uncle, both accomplished chefs, and began working in Lexington restaurants.
After transferring to Florida International University I remained in Miami for 10 years gaining experience in local kitchens and solidifying my dream of owning a restaurant.
Now, with the help and support of my friends, family and community my dream is becoming a reality. This project is, of course, a chance to satisfy a need in Lexington for authentic Greek cuisine but for me it is also a way of honoring my uncle George who helped me learn not only how to cook but how to serve a community. George was a wonderful, happy person who loved meeting new people and making them smile with simple things like a really great piece of spinach pie. It is in this spirit that I am opening the Athenian Grill.