- By Christina Kousouni
“Food is perhaps the most direct and authentic way to get to know a place,” says the only Greek chef with two Michelin stars, summarizing the power of gastronomic tourism. In her interview with Tornos News, she talks about Greece’s prospects on the international stage, the challenges and experiences that shaped her, the sustainability and evolution of fine dining, highlighting how Greek cuisine can balance tradition and innovation, opening the path to the gastronomy of the future.
The full text of the interview is as follows:
– Ms. Chiliadaki, you have succeeded in putting Greek gastronomy on the international map. What was the biggest challenge on this journey, and what keeps you creatively restless to this day?
In 2009, when we created Funky Gourmet, and the financial crisis was just beginning to be felt in our country, gastronomy in Greece was at a fairly early stage, with fewer options and less room for experimentation. It was a time when the landscape of haute cuisine was just starting to take shape.
The greatest challenge was to prove that Greek cuisine can be both deeply meaningful and radical: maintaining a consistent level during the crisis, ensuring top-quality ingredients, training a team, and building an audience that believes in the experience. With personal risk and faith in our vision, we managed to become the first Greek cuisine restaurant to receive two Michelin stars, and I remain – to this day – the only Greek female chef with this title worldwide.
Through this journey, I believe Greece entered the international gastronomic map more dynamically, making Funky Gourmet a magnet for gastronomic tourism and attracting public interest. It was an avant-garde approach to Greek cuisine: modern, experimental, rooted in excellent technique, scientific execution, and theatrical presentation. A tangible “theatre,” as we used to call it, to open a new chapter in how we tell the story of Greece.
Of course, none of this happens alone. My strength is the team: my sister Argyro Chiliadaki, our long-time collaborator Erasmia Balaska, Danae Voridou – friend, chef, and co-owner of IODIO – as well as Haris Spyrou, partner and fellow traveler in the passion for quality, tradition, and evolution.
After Funky Gourmet closed, the next challenge was to surpass myself and expectations. IODIO (since November 2024) is my most mature step: a “marine Greece” in a purer, more direct language, with a sharing philosophy, where technique serves flavor. Sustainability is not a slogan but a practice: seasonality, collaborations with small producers, respect for resources, and minimization of waste.
What keeps me creatively restless? The responsibility of a dish that must “speak” to the guest, the producer, and the place. Dishes that remain etched in the heart and mind of the guest. Flavors that celebrate the freshness of ingredients and align with the deep sense of sustainability that dominates our time. There is a high responsibility when presenting a dish, and this alone drives me to continue creating and evolving.
– Your restaurant IODIO in Athens is considered a benchmark for fine dining. What do you think makes your gastronomic experience unique compared to other high-end offerings?
Let’s define fine dining! For me, fine dining means excellent raw ingredients, high-level and correct technique, creativity, all delivered with consistency, care, and aesthetics. It’s an experience with coherence, meaning, and personality. All these elements can be found at IODIO. There, our philosophy is based on respect for the sea and its ingredients, the purity of flavor, and the freedom of expression, in a relaxed and comfortable environment that embraces you.
We aim for our menu to reflect our philosophy. For us, gastronomy is not just food, but a form of expression, emotion, storytelling, and a balance between creativity and respect for the ingredients and our traditions.
At IODIO, fine dining moves away from the stereotypical cold and rigid environment to become simple, familiar, and shared, making you want to return again and again.
With a family-style menu and dishes meant to be shared, creating that warm sense of intimacy, where we first “target” the guest’s heart, invoking childhood memories, we believe this allows them to fully enjoy the dishes with an open mind, because many – although seemingly traditional – present a delightful deviation from the usual.
– Greek cuisine has a rich tradition. How do you balance authenticity and innovation in your dishes?
For me, balance begins with respect. Greek seafood is so pure that it doesn’t need much to shine – it’s the true protagonist. My first thought is to keep it as the main element, both in taste and visually. Innovation comes second, not to mask the purity of the ingredient but to highlight it: through an unexpected combination, an advanced technique, or a unique element, never at the expense of the product.
At IODIO, we honor tradition and the beauty of the sea while letting creativity bring something fresh and exciting. It’s important to know when to experiment and when to let the sea speak for itself. As we say, we pay homage to Greek ingredients, the sea, and our land.
Thus were born surprising dishes like “Melichloro Bottarga with White Chocolate,” or renewed ideas like “Amberjack Meatball Tartare.” At the same time, we maintain simplicity with recipes like “Daily Raw Fish with Olive Oil & Thyme,” honor tradition with “Charcoal-Grilled Octopus,” and play with international references, like “Cacio e Pepe Squid” with a strong Greek character.
For desserts, our philosophy resembles a treat at a tavern: from “Yogurt Mousse & Mandarin Sorbet” to the signature “IODIO Pistachio Ice Cream” with Aegina pistachios, evoking pages of Greek children’s literature.
– Gastronomic tourism is constantly growing. Do you think haute cuisine can become another strong “weapon” for Greece’s image abroad?
Gastronomic tourism is now a major reason to travel. We clearly see some cities built around strong gastronomic identities: Copenhagen with NOMA, Barcelona with Disfrutar, Stockholm with Frantz?n, and London with Brat and The Barbary. These restaurants are not just places to eat, they are destinations in themselves, attracting travelers from every corner of the world.
I’m happy to see the same starting to happen in Athens. Today, people don’t travel only for the sights; they want to experience the place, taste it, and feel it like locals do. Food is perhaps the most direct and authentic way to achieve this. In recent years, there has been a strong revival where traditional Greek cuisine meets modern techniques, creativity, and international influences.
Today, global gastronomy is undergoing a phase of balance. There is a shift toward simplicity, clean flavors, and authenticity. Fine dining is not disappearing, but it is certainly evolving.
This is what I try to incorporate into the projects I work on: whether in my own restaurant IODIO, where the Greek sea takes center stage through a modern, honest approach, or at Yaboo in Piraeus, in collaboration with chef Angelos Kotsiris.
Greece has all the prerequisites to become a top gastronomic destination. With excellent collaborators who become key supporters of the final experience we offer to guests, as well as in the restaurant scene outside the capital, Central Greece and many of our islands impress with their evolution and quality. All we need to do is continue investing in quality, our identity, and creating experiences that stay with visitors, not just in memory but in the heart.
– You also have experience with restaurants outside Greece. What are the most significant differences you notice in the audience, trends, and expectations between Athens and international markets?
Every city I have lived and worked in has left me something unique, which is reflected in how I understand the audience and their gastronomic expectations.
New York, a city of energy and pace that doesn’t allow complacency, constantly pushes you to find your limits and surpass them, aiming higher each day. Its audience is demanding but open. They want experiences, speed, but not without substance.
In Spain, what struck me was the intensely creative passion surrounding food. A certain intensity in taste, a theatricality in the experience. The audience there enjoys food with all their senses.
London, in turn, taught me how to “translate” Greek flavors into an international gastronomic language. There, I learned precision, the power of multiculturalism, and how to take risks without compromising my culinary identity. The audience is diverse, informed, and ready to try something new, as long as it is authentic.
And of course, Athens, where emotion dominates. People have memories, nostalgia, and a deep connection to food. The audience in Greece loves tradition but has started embracing modern gastronomy. Greeks are intense, showing pleasure and delight in a dish, but also the opposite!
In Athens, there is still a strong respect for classical flavors – and how could it be otherwise, with so many rich dishes and traditions? I believe the challenge lies in evolving the cuisine without losing the elements that make it unique and famous. And that is what fascinates me.
