Greek food has always been my reference point.
I’m Laertis Dedes, an executive chef and culinary consultant with more than 20 years of experience. After culinary school, I worked in Greece, Bulgaria, Dubai and the UK.
That career broadened my experience and the way I think as a chef, without changing where I start from.
The food I grew up with
Greek cooking is my foundation, not my boundary.
I am interested in understanding what gives a flavour its character and what is worth preserving when the context changes. That may lead to a distinctly Greek concept, but it can also mean bringing Greek elements together with another cuisine to create something new.
I am not interested in combinations simply because they are unexpected. There has to be a reason for two culinary directions to meet, and the result has to work as a whole.
Beyond cooking
Over time, my role grew beyond cooking itself. Leadership, responsibility and judgment became as important as technique.
I work directly and decisively. I want to know why each choice is being made and what it contributes. Experience has taught me that good judgment is visible not only in what you choose to do, but also in what you decide to leave out.
In consulting, that may be the most valuable thing I bring: the ability to see the restaurant as a whole without imposing my own style on it.
