Ribeye Club Chefs
The Ribeye Club supports, sponsors and works alongside some of the most adventurous, creative, and talented chefs in the industry. We’re constantly in awe of the innovation and inspiration our partners and associates bring to the culinary landscape.
Yiota Leonidou
What was the first food-related job you ever had?
My first job was at Bastione bar and restaurant as a trainee, where I had my first experience as a cook.
Why did you want to become a chef?
As a kid I was almost all the time in the kitchen watching my mother cooking and watching all the cooking tv shows and contests. At that time I realized how much I love cooking and how important the taste was for me.
What’s your favourite thing about being in this industry?
I love working under pressure, creating beautiful and unique plates, playing and experimenting with flavors and making other people having a nice experience.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Work smart, not hard.
What’s your favourite ingredient?
Garlic.
What is your personal favourite dish?
A traditional Cypriot dish called “Kouneli stifado” which is a slow cooked rabbit with lots of onions and tomatoes.
What are the qualities of a good chef?
Having cooking perception, multi-tasking, attention to every detail and loving your job.
In your opinion, what is the future of the culinary experience?
Old traditional dishes, cooked in different ways and with new techniques. Cooking becomes better and better, year by year. Chefs nowadays want to satisfy the customers by using all their senses and their fantasy.
Kyriakos Malekkides
What was the first food-related job you ever had?
My first job was in Bastione joining the experienced kitchen staff and i was making the preparation for the salads.
Why did you want to become a chef?
Because i love to combine flavours and colours in order to present something innovative and exceptional. Cooking is like art. A dish should be like a painting.
What’s your favourite thing about being in this industry?
The constant need of discovering new things and create different courses.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
To always have two guidelines. Devotion and humility.
What’s your favourite ingredient?
Olives.
What is your personal favourite dish?
A traditional Cypriot dish. Slow cooked beef with peas.
What are the qualities of a good chef?
Innovation, imagination, consistency, leadership, teamwork.
In your opinion, what is the future of the culinary experience?
Every year, every week, every day culinary experience evolves to something different and new. I think that in the next years we will come up with a lot of new techniques and ideas in order to satisfy our constant will to make gastronomy even better.
Stavros Damianou
What was the first food-related job you ever had?
My first job in food was a consulting at Biodeli, an organic restaurant and i was helping the Chef with the preparation of the buffet.
Why did you want to become a chef?
Because I’ve always like the combination of colours and flavours in a dish.
What’s your favourite thing about being in this industry?
My favourite thing about being in this industry is that there is no perfection and there is always a way to be better.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I’ve ever gotten is to learn to be objective in all situations in the kitchen and in human interaction.
What’s your favourite ingredient?
Tomato. it is an ingredient with multiple purposes and uses. You can use it in sweet and savory forms.
What is your personal favourite dish?
My favourite dish is a traditional Cypriot dish, called ‘Gemista’.
What are the qualities of a good chef?
Leadership, imagination, teamwork, dedication and consistency.
In your opinion, what is the future of the culinary experience?
The Food and Beverage Industry is something infinite. Every day we discover new flavours, new combinations, new techniques, and we develop new ideas, in time the world is realizing that the culinary experience is not only cooking, but also a lifestyle.
Yiangos Ioannou
What was the first food-related job you ever had?
My first job in food was at carob mill restaurants.
Why did you want to become a chef?
Because I have passion with food from young age.
What’s your favourite thing about being in this industry?
My favourite thing about being in this company is to make the customers happy and make them to enjoy and love the food that I make.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
To respect all ingredients (nature).
What’s your favourite ingredient?
Tomato.
What is your personal favourite dish?
My favourite dish is one dish from my grandmother, its poulles with wine and coriander seeds.
What are the qualities of a good chef?
Creativity, leadership, humbleness.
In your opinion, what is the future of the culinary experience?
In my opinion the cooking experience is evolving everyday with new ways and techniques. I think in Cyprus the culinary future is limited, but it’s up to us to change that!!
Daniel Spanos
What was the first food-related job you ever had?
My first job was in Stoa Catering.
Why did you want to become a chef?
Because as a chef you must learn to work with your mind and heart in order to please your customers.
What’s your favourite thing about being in this industry?
Sharing ideas and thoughts with colleagues. Also a good feedback from customers.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Always be humble.
What’s your favourite ingredient?
Butter.
What is your personal favourite dish?
Fresh Fish in grill with olive oil and lemon.
What are the qualities of a good chef?
Being organized and creative, staying humble and respecting the ingredients.
In your opinion, what is the future of the culinary experience?
Culinary experience involve every day,but the future of cooking will be the reconstructing of the past in a way we never see we the help of technology and science.
Stavros Soteriou
What was the first food-related job you ever had?
It was in a hotel in Ayia Napa where I was peeling and cutting vegetables all day long.
Why did you want to become a chef?
Food is so important in our everyday life, I simply love and appreciate food as a way of life.
What’s your favourite thing about being in this industry?
The adrenaline that comes with it.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Low, slow and love.
What’s your favourite ingredient?
I like all ingredients, especially whatever is in season since you can taste the maximum of each flavour.
What is your personal favourite dish?
I have a lot of but one of them is the potatoes and eggplant yiaxni.
What are the qualities of a good chef?
Of course, the most important quality is striving for perfection. But to be a really great chef you must have the whole package.
In your opinion, what is the future of the culinary experience?
Tasting before seeing and understanding what you just ate only after trying it.
Konstantinos Chrysostomou
What was the first food-related job you ever had?
My first job was in Alati By The Sea in Protaras joining the experienced kitchen staff, there I was making the preparation for food and salads.
Why did you want to become a chef?
Plating up food and creating new dishes is an art in itself, so a great profession for those that are creative.
What’s your favourite thing about being in this industry?
People love eating out, so whether you are helping make a special event happier or lunchtime meal more delicious, it’s good to know your work is being appreciated.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Τhat you must always create with passion.
What’s your favourite ingredient?
Vanilla.
What is your personal favourite dish?
Italian tiramisu.
What are the qualities of a good chef?
Imagination, leadership and teamwork.
In your opinion, what is the future of the culinary experience?
Always culinary experience evolves to something different and new. So I think that in the next years we will come up with a lot of new techniques and ideas in order to satisfy our constant will to make gastronomy even better.
Antonis Avouri
What was the first food-related job you ever had?
In a 3 stars hotel for my first internship.
Why did you want to become a chef?
I fall in love with cooking since I was a young kid ,and I wanted to see the people enjoy my food as a Chef.
What’s your favourite thing about being in this industry?
Working with dedicated, disciplined and extraordinary chefs.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
The thought of today is what you will become tomorrow.
What’s your favourite ingredient?
Herbs and spices.
What is your personal favourite dish?
Cypriot breakfast and ramen.
What are the qualities of a good chef?
Dedication, organization, cleanliness, attention to detail, discipline, creativity, imagination, thinking outside the box.
In your opinion, what is the future of the culinary experience?
Culinary experience is more than just cooking, techniques and flavours. It is combined with chemistry, psychology, neurogastronomy and more. All of these together take the culinary experience a step further.
Andreas Panagiotou
What was the first food-related job you ever had?
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