“Greece Serves Itself Through Its Flavor” | Dina Nikolaou in Tornos News

Dina Nikolaou, one of the most recognized Greek chefs abroad and ambassador of Greek cuisine in Paris, speaks to Tornos News about the power of flavor as a carrier of culture and authenticity. She explains how Greek food can become a reason to travel, how Greek products conquer international markets, and why ethical, local, and seasonal cuisine is the new competitive advantage for Greek tourism, emphasizing that “if we stop treating gastronomy as a decoration of tourism and highlight it as the main protagonist, then Greece will stand proudly alongside the great powers of gastronomic culture.”

The full text of the interview is as follows:

From your experience, how can a good Greek dish become a travel desire? Can the gastronomic narrative function as a reason to visit rather than merely a complementary experience for the visitor?

A dish is not just food; it is a message. It carries the land, the sun, the people, the seasons, culture. When I cook a dish with roots, humility, and respect, I can see in the eyes of the person tasting it the desire to discover the place it came from. I have countless times witnessed the moment a French customer in Paris tastes Santorini fava with caramelized onions and asks: “Where is this island? I want to go.” At that moment, the food has worked its magic; it has become a travel ticket. Taste, when genuine, is not advertising—it is memory and promise.

A good Greek dish does not just satisfy hunger; it arouses curiosity: to see where the tomato grows, where the cheese matures, how the thyme smells in its land. It is therefore not a complementary experience; it is a pure reason to visit. Because in taste lies the entire soul of the place. And when offered with honesty, the visitor does not merely want to taste it again—they want to live it.

Which stories, techniques, or ingredients do you consider best capture the identity of Greek gastronomy internationally? What else is needed to convey the message that Greece is a top gastronomic destination with the same intensity as its sun and sea?

Greek cuisine is a study in simplicity. It does not try to impress; it moves you. The stories it carries are human: the grandmother who makes pie without a recipe, the fisherman who grills whatever the sea brings, the housewife who cooks with whatever her garden yields. This authenticity is our strongest “weapon.” The techniques that define us—stews, clay pots, slow cooking, cooking “by eye”—hide centuries of wisdom.

Our ingredients—olive oil, wild greens, legumes, cheeses, herbs, fava, mastiha, honey, wines—are treasures that have not been fully exploited. What is unfortunately missing is a unified voice. We often speak about tourism and less about culture. Yet taste is the most sincere way to say who you are. We need consistency, respect for the product, and people who speak about Greek cuisine with passion, not with ready-made phrases. If we stop treating gastronomy as a decoration of tourism and highlight it as the main protagonist, then Greece will stand proudly alongside the great powers of gastronomic culture—not just as a country with beautiful views, but as a place that cooks with soul and light.

Which Greek products travel most easily and find the greatest acceptance abroad? What are the main challenges, and what would you recommend to further strengthen Greece’s position in international markets?

Products that carry identity, history, and purity travel easily. Olive oil, honey, olives, cheeses, herbs, mastiha, bottarga, our wines—they are ambassadors that need no translation. Wherever you taste them, you understand they are Greek. Our biggest challenge is inconsistency. Many producers work with love, but alone. There is no common line, no unified voice, and little professional outreach.

We also tend to “sell” cheapness instead of quality, which is a mistake. Greece will never win in quantity, only in quality. I propose investing in collaboration: producer associations, local networks, regional product collections—not just based on origin, but based on vision. To speak clearly about our values: pure ingredients, ecological awareness, honesty. To create packaging that respects the content, not distorts it. And above all, to stop treating foreign consumers as easy. A foreigner respects one who respects themselves. If Greek products stand with confidence and authenticity, they will find their place on the best shelves in the world.

What do French customers prefer when tasting Greek cuisine at Evi Ev?n? Do they seek more classic flavors or favor modern, creative interpretations? Which dishes, in your opinion, serve as the best ambassadors of Greece in Paris?

The French love authenticity. They want to understand what they are eating and why it tastes that way. They are not impressed by elaborate dishes; they want to feel the sun, the soil, and the sea on their plate. That is why at Evi Ev?n they love the classics: fava, dolmadakia, Greek salad, charcoal-grilled octopus, pies with phyllo opened in front of them, meatballs with mint, and galaktoboureko with the smell of cinnamon and childhood memory. Of course, there is also an audience that loves modern interpretations, as long as they remain true to the soul of Greek cuisine, such as lamb with wild greens in crispy phyllo or raw sea bream with lemongrass and Aegean herbs.

If you ask me which dishes are the best ambassadors of Greece in Paris? Santorini fava with capers and caramelized onions, charcoal-grilled octopus with lemon potatoes, daily pies with seasonal greens and cheeses, and finally a dessert that winks at memory: loukoumades with honey or a light galaktoboureko. With these dishes, the French understand that Greece is not exotic—it is genuine. And that its deliciousness lies not in complexity, but in generosity.

How critical is the triad “local – seasonal – ethical” for the image of Greek cuisine to travelers? Can consistency in ingredients and supply chain become a competitive advantage for Greek tourism in the coming years?

This triad is not theory; it is the essence of our cooking. Local shows who you are, seasonal shows respect for nature, and ethical shows respect for people. When these three coexist, your dish has soul. Today’s traveler is more discerning than ever. They want to know where their food comes from, whether the producer is paid fairly, whether the environment is protected, whether the food has a reason to exist. It is not enough to say “it’s tasty.”

You must be able to look the customer in the eye and say: “I know who produced this olive oil. They are a person I respect.” This can become our greatest competitive advantage. Greece is small and human-scaled, and that is a strength, not a weakness. We can ensure quality, transparency, and consistency if we decide to work with dedication and organization. Then the tourist will not come only for the sun and sea; they will come because they know that in Greece food is not a set, it is a way of life.

Greece does not need to prove it has cuisine. It needs to believe in it. Greek flavor is truth, light, and emotion. It is the grandmother baking bread, the fisherman shaking the net, the cook who does not measure but “feels.” If we continue to cook with love, respect, and consistency, gastronomy will become our strongest form of tourism. Because in the end, people may forget a hotel or a beach, but never a taste that moved them.