Private Dinner | Γενιά του 30’

One of my first professional private chef/catering jobs and possibly one of the most challenging. It was a seated dinner for 12 and the occasion was a joint birthday, with all guests being around their mid-30s. So, we planned a themed dinner party in the spirit of the Athenian Avant guarde of the 1930’s. Each guest was assigned a character from that period such as composer Manos Hatzidakis, poet Odysseus Elytis, artist Yannis Tsarouxis and Elsa Maxwell. The guest had to read about their assigned personality, dress accordingly and get in character. The tricky part was the chosen location which was the Leto and Angelos Katakouzenos house (https://katakouzenos.gr/en/katakouzenos-house/a-house-museum/).

The Katakouzenos House Museum project deals with the revival of an historical Athenian house from a residential venue to a community-oriented and education-based institution, following the principles and expanding the possibilities of house museums. The former owners of the house, Angelos and Leto Katakouzenos, belonged to the intellectual elite of their times, the so-called “1930s generation,” and functioned as cultural ambassadors of their country abroad and arbiters of international tendencies to Hellas. The Katakouzenos House Museum belongs to a specific group of museums, the house museums hence we could not use the kitchen of the house which meant everything should be cooked beforehand and carried to the space. Also, we were provided with a table but we had to bring all the plates, glasses cutlery etc.

The menu was composed after reading a lot and studying a book with recipes and dinners that Maria Callas held at her house in Paris. Warming up the food, plating and serving were all extremely challenging, especially when done all on my own, but the end result was great and a huge experience for me in a professional level.