Rooted in kindness,
inspired by nature

Chef Elleni | The Green Greek

I’m Elleni, half Greek Cypriot, half English, chef. My love of food began my family kitchen, learning to cook from the women in my life. Summers in Cyprus shaped my soul - long lunches under the shade of olive trees, cooking with my Yiayia, as the summer sun dances across plates of food. Trained in Michelin-starred kitchens, I now focuses on seasonal, plant-forward cooking rooted in sustainability, simplicity & soul. My food is a celebration of memory, connection & care. What we Greeks call ‘Meraki’: doing something with so much passion that you leave a part of yourself in it.

‘Spending years travelling and working across the world, learning from many chefs, Nonas and Yiayia’s, I found something we all have in common. No matter your background, colour or race, food is something that always brings us together. The older I got the more I started to fall in love with hosting, the ability to bring joy and show others how much I love them through gorgeous, long lunches, opulent dinner parties and late night antics around the dinner table. I finally understood the ancient greeks. The magic of bringing strangers together over a shared love for good food. I felt a spark ignite within my soul. Over a decade in cooking and I still showing my love through food. In greek we have a word ‘meraki’ it is one of my favourite words, it means you do something with so much passion and creativity that you leave part of your soul in it. Food is so much more than just food, food is nourishment, pleasure, medicine, love, art. Food is a way of practicing mindfulness, gratitude and love to others and yourself.’

An Extract from ‘XENIA’ | Cookbook by Elleni Katalanos