greek chemist in the kitchen
food education
"Akis Liokatis is a lover of chemistry, cooking, travel, the sunny south and..bread"
my story
I was born and grew up in Ioannina, a beautiful city in the northwest of Greece, surrounded by mountains and wilderness.
There, I studied chemistry, and then felt that science is what I want to do. I went on obtaining a Master and a PhD in lipid and protein biochemistry. On 2008 I moved to Berlin to pursue a scientific career working until 2019 as a researcher in a molecular pharmacology institute.
I was always fond of cooking and while in Berlin I had the chance to experience, for first time, food styles from all over the world.
I got deeply inspired by people sharing common interests, and quickly food became my true passion.
I became seriously interested with everything related to it: traditions, recipes, stories, people, science, cooking. I studied, learnt, travelled, tasted, but most of all I cooked a lot, spending hours and hours in my kitchen.
In simple words food changed my life. I could do something I really enjoyed, it helped me keep in contact with my country and provided me a means to communicate and share my life passion with everyone, something that I couldn't achieve with my work in the institute..and here I am, as greek-chemist-in-the-kitchen!
my aim
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to introduce and share my Greek and Mediterranean food culture
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to inspire people to see home cooking and sharing as an important component of a healthy and joyful life
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to communicate and demystify basic food science
what I do
When not in my kitchen, you will find me in Pastamadre and other places running cooking workshops, giving food science seminars, cooking for people in pop-up events. I communicate my passion also through writing.
And because to properly appreciate the Mediterranean food culture you need to be in its natural environment, I love organising culinary retreats to visit my country with guests and explore its great food tradition.