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<\/p>\nHe sees gastronomy with the clarity of someone who has lived it from the inside. He knows very well how it works abroad, he has seen how it operates in Greece, both from the perspective of a cook and as an entrepreneur, and he speaks about it with emotion but also realism. His path through kitchens \u2013 from the three-star Geranium in Copenhagen to Delta at the SNFCC, the only Greek restaurant with two Michelin stars and a Green Star for sustainable gastronomy \u2013 demands big dreams and a strong stomach. Thanos Feskos, one of the most acclaimed Greek chefs of his generation, talks to us about food and dining in Greece (and in the south) today.<\/p>\n
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How does a chef who has worked abroad for almost two decades, in some of the world\u2019s most demanding kitchens, see contemporary Greek gastronomy?<\/strong><\/p>\n I like that we start with this question. But I believe there is no comparison with abroad, for many reasons. Gastronomy in Greece is currently at a very high level. From street food to comfort food, to gastropubs, to fine dining \u2013 everywhere. We have amazing cooks, a lot of talent, incredible products. Unfortunately, though, the restaurant industry is going through a crisis in terms of management on the part of the state.<\/p>\n You mean taxation?<\/strong><\/p>\n Certainly. But not only that. We talk, for example, about sustainability in dining in 2025, yet there are no laws to support sustainability in gastronomy. To achieve sustainability, you need to use specific cooking techniques, so that you don\u2019t throw things away, so you have low waste. Most zero-waste cooking techniques, however, are illegal in Greece: fermentations, pickling \u2013 that is, making pickles \u2013 or making minced meat in-house from leftovers that would otherwise be thrown away. All these are illegal. There is no recycling. No composting. So, from an operations perspective, there is no support for sustainable gastronomy. Also, I believe dining is not approached realistically: food constantly increases in price. We try to put workers into a legal framework, but the state keeps increasing payroll costs, which is the most significant cost for restaurants. If you add taxes, it simply doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n So restaurants still \u201cdon\u2019t make it,\u201d despite the price increases we\u2019ve seen in dining? Right now prices are so high that, for most people, a good meal out is unaffordable, or at least very rare.<\/strong><\/p>\n The truth is that this applies in general, and not only to good restaurants. Even if you want to eat souvlaki twice a week, the cost is high. By the end of the year, souvlaki will reach 5.5\u20136.0 euros. But when you take on a business partner \u2013 because in Greece taxation is so high that the state becomes a partner in every business \u2013 and whenever that partner wishes, it raises or lowers its percentage with any excuse, then we have a problem. We must look at labour cost, we must look at taxation, we must look at working hours, and we must consider other matters as well, such as laws for people with disabilities, so they too have the right to dining. We need to look holistically not just at restaurants, but hospitality as a whole.<\/p>\n You were head chef for nine years at the three-star Geranium in Copenhagen. I won\u2019t ask what it\u2019s like to cook in one of the world\u2019s most iconic restaurants. Instead, I\u2019d like you to tell me how it feels to eat there.<\/strong><\/p>\n For me, it is the ultimate experience. Whether it\u2019s in Greece, Denmark, Hong Kong, or New York, it\u2019s worth travelling there to eat at such a restaurant. And I say \u201cexperience\u201d because it\u2019s something you will remember for a long time. Geranium is one of the most beautiful restaurants in the world and has an incredible vibe: it\u2019s one of the happiest restaurants I have ever seen, something that radiates from the team outward. As for the food, if I had the opportunity, I would want to eat it every day. Of course, that\u2019s something I obviously cannot do, since it costs 670 euros per person, just for the food \u2013 with wine, it reaches about a thousand. But I believe it\u2019s among the most flavorful, conceptually interesting food ever created. So for me, it\u2019s a culinary investment that\u2019s 100% worth it.<\/p>\n\r\n\r\n