CREDITS
Argiro Barbarigou
Chef
It is a great pleasure for EXPOTROF – The Greek Fine Food Exhibition to announce the continuation of its collaboration with the distinguished, award-winning chef Argiro Barbarigou who remains Ambassador of EXPOTROF for the second consecutive year. From 24 to 26 January 2020, Argiro Barbarigou, assisted by a team of acclaimed chefs, will be presenting culinary creations inspired from every corner of Greece
A few words about Argiro Barbarigou
She has undoubtedly won the love and heart of the world with her passion for cooking and has succeeded in upgrading Greek cuisine. In her own authentic way she has conveyed to us all her love for home-cooked food.
Argiro Barbarigou was born and raised on the island of Paros. She took her first steps in cooking with her mother, Constanza, realising very early on that the kitchen will become her base and kingdom. She grew up among scents, flavours and images full of Greece and these are the priniciples that she adheres to throughout her recipes.
She has been in the culinary profession for the past 22 years, bringing along her talent and experience, studies in French cuisine at Cordon Bleu Cooking School in London and pastry workshops at Stelios Parliaros and Valhrona Pastry School. In recent years, she has traveled and promoted Greek cuisine and Greek products in many cities in Europe and America, participating in major events of global interest with a huge impact.
COSTAS BOUGIOURIS
Chef
For one more year, our beloved chef Costas Bougiouris will be in charge of the kitchen for the successful culinary event “Cooking Greece”.
He is responsible for organizing and coordinating a marathon of preparations and cooking leading to the ultimate culinary destination.
A few words about Costas Bougiouris
He studied Culinary Arts at CHEF D’ OEUVRE, F&B Food & Beverage Management.
He has worked in the restaurants Iliovasilema, Belle amie, Piu Verde, Psarades, Barbalazaros, Drawbridge, Club Med and as a culinary art instructor at the Public Vocational Training Institute of Syros.
After having worked in major restaurants in Greece and abroad, he opened the “Iliovasilema” (Sunset) restaurant in Galissas, Syros, in 1992.
There, every summer, he recommends a collection of original recipes, passionately using local ingredients. He also recently won an award in the “Greek Cuisine Awards” contest.
Eva Parakentaki
Presenter
The major presenter in the 7th EXPOTROF – The Greek Fine Food Exhibition 2020 is our beloved Eva Parakentaki. She will be hosting acclaimed chefs from all over the country who will be cooking live for the public in the kitchen of “Cooking Greece”.
A few words about Eva
Eva was born and raised in Athens by parents who came from Crete. She took her first steps in the family Pastry Shop.
She grew up between four bakeries and two Pastry shops – you see, she came from a large family who constantly kneaded and baked.
She would do her homework next to a stainless steel counter where the scent of chocolate melting in a Bain-Marie was filling her nostrils, while on Christmas Eve she slept on top of the sacs of icing sugar because the family never made it home on time…
And then she grew up… and went to college and had a career in public relations and communication… but always something inside her was screaming “Crete, Family, Sea, Nature, Aromas”!
So in 2005 she made the big decision to move to the place where she wasn’t born but where she wishes to grow old.
She abandoned her career and the office in a glass building of Athens and has been living in Rethymno, Crete ever since, with her big loves: her children, nature and cooking. She wanted her children to have a childhood smelling of cinnamon and spice and tasting of chocolate, like hers.
Now she is the Eva that she always dreamt to become.
Foodlover and foodbloger ..mama mia…a hunter of joy and well-being, in love with nature in Crete, collecting food like the primitive man, and passionately pursuing the transmission of Cretan gastronomic culture to the new generations!
HARIS TZANNIS
Culinary Journalist
It is with great pleasure that EXPOTROF – The Greek Fine Food Exhibition, announce the collaborartion with Haris Tzannis in the new section Greek Dish Challenge.
For the first time in the context of the 7th EXPOTROF – The Greek Fine Food Exhibition and the first Greek Dish Challenge, renowned Greek chefs are asked to feature one particular ingredient after accepting a unique invitation / challenge. One chef, one producer, one ingredient, two dishes.
On the central stage of the new EXPOTROF, each one of the chefs invited will be able to create two different dishes with one ingredient presented to him shortly before the beginning of the exhibition, using his knowledge, imagination and technique. The jury, made up of gastronomy experts and lucky visitors among the exhibition’s public, will vote for the dish that brings together all those features but also brings out the basic ingredient.
Haris Tzannis with his multifaceted knowledge in gastronomy will be responsible for this culinary challenge.
A few words about Haris Tzannis
He was born in Athens in 1971 and studied Digital Multimedia Applications while pursuing a graduate degree in Paris in Digital Content Production and Management.
He has worked with major digital content companies in various fields while professionally combining technology with gastronomy and culture. Thus, in 2003 he founded the “White Word of the Day”, while also publishing linguistic dictionaries, and in 2011 in collaboration with Marianna Kavroulakis he published the first Greek gastronomic dictionary entitled The Language of Taste. In 2012 he worked as a chief editor at the Pathfinder.gr portal, where he started producing online gastronomic programmes on the history of food. That same year, he began collaborating with the culinary guide The Food and Leisure Guide [FNL-guide] where he designed and presented a series of highly successful online shows such as The Chefs, The Bartenders and The Cocktails.
In 2017 he launched www.productoftheday.com, that is, the daily presentation of Greek products on the Internet while at the same time started collaborating with Athinorama Umami.
Today, in addition to Product Of The Day, he teaches Gastronomy Communication at Metropolitan College while studying and presenting development models based on gastronomy and tourism.
GIORGOS PITTAS
Culinary Journalist
Valuable partner and supporter of EXPOTROF – The Greek Fine Food Exhibition, presenting the section “Gastronomic Communities of Greece”
A few words about Giorgos Pittas
Giorgos Pittas was born in Athens in 1954. He is a furniture and interior designer.
Between 1977 and 1980 he studied political economy and sociology in the university of Paris 8 (Vincennes). Since 1980 he is a founding member of the team “Neo Katoikein” the pioneers of Greek furniture design for 20 years, with design furniture production and distribution
Since 1995 he has been dividing his time between Athens and Paros where he manages the model hotel unit “Lefkes Village” in the mountainous village of Lefkes.
He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises and the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels with action in the field of culture and alternative tourism.
Since 2010 as a member of the Board of Directors of the Hotel Chamber of Greece he has been in charge of the “Greek Breakfast”, a programme aimed at linking the hotel experience to the culinary wealth of each region. For this reason he travels throughout Greece creating local “Greek breakfast” models with the most representative flavors and products of each region. προϊόντα κάθε περιοχής.
Sylvia Koumentaki
Marketing Manager
For the second consecutive year, EXPOTROF – The Greek Fine Food Exhibition organises the section EXPOTROF Masterclass, which has been designed so as to promote the exceptional greek products to the fine food aficionados. Aided by renowned chefs, sommeliers and conoisseurs, visitors will enjoy culinary journeys to Greek products through different categories of masterclasses aimed at enhancing the quality and specificity of each product.
The experienced Sylvia Koumentaki will be responsible for the EXPOTROF Masterclass section, working together with her associates Evgenia Koutouvela and Nana Zygoura.
A few words about Sylvia Koumentaki
Sylvia Koumentaki started with studies in advertising (in Greece and London) and a career in marketing and advertising (Boutaris wine company, advertising agencies, media shops, publishing firms). In 2007 together with her sister Eleni, they created Chef stories, a Boutique company for catering & consulting that offers high gastronomy and event organising services. Along the way, production of handmade gourmet products was added to their activities. These are distributed both in the greek market and abroad and contribute to consumers becoming acquainted with raw materials, production processes and points of sale. At the same time, the business was strengthened through organizing culinary events and participating in the planning and organizing of special events (Thessaloniki Food Festival (2011 to present), exhibition side events (Detrop – Oenos, Hotelia, Gourmet Exhibition), and festivals, as well as by providing consulting services to organizations, institutions and businesses. Today, both activities of producer and organizer of gastronomy events are equally important and systematic, always aiming at the creation, discovery, promotion and enhancement of gastronomic wealth and its contributors.
COSTAS BASSIS
Βartender
The experienced and established bartender Costas Bassis with his team on the “DRINKING GREECE” section, has been a permanent collaborator of EXPOTROF – The Greek Fine Food Exhibition.
When Greek traditional distillery meets the latest trends in mixology, the result is intoxicating. Talented bartender Costas Bassis and his experienced team create subversive cocktails based on Greek national drinks by “marrying” the old to the new. Special spirits, Greek herbs and liqueurs are blended to create unique recipes with products from the producers of EXPOTROF – The Greek Fine Food Exhibition.
A few words about Costas Bassis
Costas Bassis has been a bartender and bar manager in some of the best (if not the best) nightclubs of Athens, in the time period when nightlife was at its best. From Villa Mercedes toBalux Cafe and Apsendi and from there to other trendy night clubs mainly in the southern suburbs such as Rich, Family and Fifty Seven, Costas was responsible for the cocktail list, for training the bartenders and organizing food and cocktail pairing events.
A lot of seminars, innovations and first place wins are featured on his CV, proving that he could only be described as a restless spirit.
GEORGIA VASSILIKI SIKOPETI
Presenter – Actress
Presenting “COOKING GREECE” for one more year is the talented actress and presenter Georgia Sikopeti.
A few words about Georgia Sikopeti
She was born and raised in Giannitsa (Pella prefecture). She is a graduate of the Athens School of Drama Art “Act Seven” and a graduate of the Kapodistrian University of Athens – Department of Turkish and Modern Asian Studies.
She has participated in several theatrical, television and film productions.
At the same time she worked as a radio producer while a special place in her curriculum is the presentation of Pella TV news at a young age.
In recent years, she has been participating in TV commercials and event presentations. Currently, and since she is fluent in English, French and Turkish, she is working on the original material of a new project with features that will cause a sensation.
She is directly connected to EXPOTRPF -The Greek Fine Food Exhibition as the presenter of the event “COOKING GREECE”
DIMITRIS PLYTAS
Chef
EXPOTROF-TheGreek Fine Food Exhibition continues its collaboration with the talented chef Dimitris Plytas in the kitchen of “COOKING GREECE”
A few words about Dimitris Plytas
Dimitris Plitas combines the cooking of the island of Syros and the Cyclades with his own imagination and high-end cooking techniques. As the owner and chef of the “Peri Tinos” restaurant on the sea front of Ermoupolis, he prefers the creative cuisine and the high quality local and traditional products of the Cycladic islands. Searching for flavour combinations, Dimitris creates with his team menus of Greek creative cuisine with modern touches, highlighting fresh local produce.
