The People Behind the Brand
Greek owners, born and raised in Athens, are linked by their sincere interest in safeguarding local regional culinary traditions, their enthusiastic approach to individual local farmers and their quest for top quality standards, innovation and taste. Their love of travel has inspired this new venture, described as a gastronomical journey throughout Greece, from its northern frontiers to its continent, peninsulas and islands.
Our Chef Jerome Serres
Jerome Serres was born in 1968 in Toulouse France, where he completed his studies in École hôtelière de Mazamet. After working in several renown Paris restaurants next to prominent French chefs, during the 80’s-90’s, he opened his own award winning restaurant in Lautrec France. Later, in 2002 he moved to Greece, where he pursued an awe-inspiring professional career, becoming one of only five chefs in Europe who have one three times one Michelin star (2003, 2006, 2007) in less than 5 years. Spondi becomes the first Relais & Chateaux in Greece under his supervision and Pil Poul earns a Michelin star just 4 months after Jerome undertakes its kitchen.
Jerome, known for his discipline and French temperament, creates fine and refined cuisine where seasonality is its key ingredient. He loves to use citrus aromas & infusions, along with extra virgin olive oil, instead of butter, to create a fusion of Mediterranean flavors. An ardent supporter of “une cuisine franche et pure”, he believes that success in the kitchen lies in the details and the precision of execution.
Repeatedly earning distinctions such as Premier Prix de la Grande Cuisine Européenne, Championnat de France de Dessert à l’assiette, Best Chef in Greece, Best Restaurant in Greece, Gault et Millau, Relais et Chateux honors, Jerome has undeniably marked the mediterranean gastronomic scene of the 21st century with his personal seal. For the past 10 years, he leads successful consulting for famous restaurants in the Middle East, while his innovative cuisine in the iconic Athenian restaurants Spondi, Eridanus and Pil Poul, has determined an entirely new era for many generations of Greek chefs, for whom Jerome always remains the grand master. Jerome proudly states Greece is his second homeland.
Our Chef Giannis Baxevanis
Giannis Baxevanis was born in 1962 in Athens Greece. After completing his culinary studies in Greece and France, he returned to his home country to work in Crete. He there encountered a true “treasure”, the incredible knowledge of the local flora and cretan herbs by old ladies in the villages. Baxevanis rediscovered forgotten products and introduced their health benefits along with their gastronomic value in modern Greek cooking. Picking up his wild greens from the mountains, gathering the salt and the kritamo from the rocks on the beach, he reestablished products such as carob, mountain or sea greens, or even goats meat and fresh sheep yogurt, as essentially local to the Greek cuisine.
Baxevanis’ culinary working experience includes some of the most prestigious restaurants and hotels in Greece and in the Emirates. From the United Nations to Fouquet’s in Paris, from the Greek Presidency to the Culinary Institutes of America, from Lausanne to Gstaad and Dubai, he has been a fervent gastronomic ambassador of Greece abroad, often travelling along with the Hellenic Organisation of Foreign Trade. For the past ten years, he has been successfully promoting Greek Gastronomy in Switzerland, where he currently serves as a member of the jury of the Swiss competition "Grand Prix Joseph Favre".
His sophisticated approach to Greek cuisine has earned him numerous accolades and stellar reviews from critics on both sides of the Atlantic: Silver Medal at Strasbourg European Championship in France, ‘’Chef de l’Avenir’’ at Académie Gastronomique Internationale, “Chef of the Year" Greek Public Award, “Best Greek Gastronomy’’ at Toques d’Or. The "aroma magician" of Greek cuisine inspires many generations of young chefs, as he preaches sustainability and safeguarding of our culinary traditions through the return to local and natural products.
Our Oenologist Panos Zouboulis
Panos Zouboulis was born in Athens. One of the first oenologists of his generation, Panos studied food technology in Athens and then pursued his studies in oenology at the University of Bordeaux, while he later worked at several châteaux in France. With a thirty-year experience and presence in the field of wine and counseling wines in Greece and abroad, Panos is a specialist in organic and biodynamic cultivation of vines and olives. His true passion lies in rare and unique vines in the world, which remain unspoiled and intact from the phylloxera catastrophe. A true pioneer and perfectionist, he works today as a Consultant Oenologist in Greece and Argentina, with many of his creations having received major distinctions.
Our Bar Manager Alexandros Gkikopoulos
Alexandros Gkikopoulos was born in Athens and studied accounting. During his first years of professional life, he worked as an accountant in the morning and a bartender in the evening. At the age of 26 he decided to devote himself to bartending. Since then, he has prepared cocktail lists for numerous hotels and bars around Greece, emphasizing on the quality of first ingredients such as the ice or the fruits used for the drinks. In 2015, the international cocktail guru Gary Regan selected his drink "Supernature" to be included in his famous "101 Best New Cocktails Volume". Today Alexandros represents one of the most talented Greek mixologists, participating in numerous international seminars and awards. Known for his humor, auto-sarcasm and bluntness, he sees himself as a crazy bartender who likes to communicate with people in front of the bar.
