Eirini Giorgoudiou

South Aegean, Greece

“Gastronomy is a fascinating art and we need to focus on its past and present in order to imagine its future” affirmed Eirini Giorgoudiou, the young talent that represented South Aegean, European Region of Gastronomy awarded 2019 at the European Young Chef Award 2019.

Eirini was born in 1994 in the family of a fisherman and a cook. After studying at culinary school, she upgraded her skills by travelling and participating in different gastronomy seminars all over the Europe, as well as volunteering in many gastronomy events. At present, she is working as a chef de partie in Esperos Village Blue & Spa, 5-star hotel in Faliraki, Rhodes Island.

A non-stop working young chef always looking for new experiences, techniques and ingredients, Eirini feels also deeply connected to her roots and the traditional ways of cooking of her region, as in her opinion “taste should bring back memories of the past, while the dish should be a transportation to joy.”

Motivated by the chefs she works with, Eirini wishes to open her own restaurant one day, where her guests could experience her idea of cooking based on innovation and local, seasonal and healthy ingredients.