Meet Krystina Kalapothakos | Chef-Author- Owner of Kouzounas Kitchen

We had the good fortune of connecting with Krystina Kalapothakos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Krystina, what are you inspired by?
Kouzounas Kitchen is dedicated to my yiayia Stavroula Kouzouna Kalapothakou. Yiayia was from Mani, Greece, and was a fantastic home cook. I learned many of her traditional Greek recipes and now I share them through my blog. (I hope yiayia is looking down upon me smiling as I share many of her delicious recipes with my very own twist.)

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a professional chef, author of two cookbooks, food blogger, and business owner. I oversee my parent’s website; Friends of the Earth Lavender company and help them with marketing.

I guess you can say I am a jack-of-all-trades kind of gal. I was raised by two entrepreneurial parents, both of who work really hard. After helping them with their businesses, I then decided to become a professional cosmetologist and at 21 years old I had my own business. I then followed my heart and I went to become a pastry chef at Le Cordon Bleu in Sacramento. I graduated with my professional degree but realized I need more than pastry. I branched into the culinary field and worked as a sous chef in Greece on the island of Skiathos, and then in Las Vegas as a sushi chef in the Luxor casino.

Challenges:
Many challenges I faced as a self-employed chef and author. I realized that the food industry as a chef is extremely competitive! Not everyone will appreciate your field of work, but that is okay. You have to believe in yourself, stand strong and keep going down the path your heart takes you.

Most excited about:

Currently, I am catering Greek food in northern California, or cooking up virtual classes via Zoom. My latest and most exciting news is launching my new business: Travel Mazi Mou. Travel Mazi Mou is a travel adventure company focusing on small curated Greek “live like a local” trips.
Travel Mazi Mou literally walks the adventures before they take place. This ensures a beautiful experience for each of our participants; all the while, building positive relationships with our vendors. We make sure to create an unforgettable experience with memories to last a lifetime.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend came to visit me from afar, I would explore many different places in California. California is huge actually and I myself haven’t seen many places yet.

Sample Itinerary:
When I think of California there is always one place that comes to mind that I love. This place is in San Francisco! Many unique gems to explore, and this place is filled with so many different ethnic foods. Although I live about 3 a half hours north of San Francisco, it is worth the drive and visit.

Places to visit in San Francisco:

We would stay in the Marina district, and perhaps start our day in North Beach. North Beach is your “Italian” style town with many pizzerias, cafe shops, and great restaurants.

We would go check out the famous pier 39 and walk over to the open-air market for some good eats. One of the best times I had as a kid going to San Francisco was getting a big bowl of clam chowder and walking the pier. Then, we would walk over to the seals and chill with them while watching the ferry boats come in.

A great place to hike is Twin Peaks, check this place out during the day and night. You can get a view of the entire city.
If you love Greek food you must check out a restaurant called Kokkari! The menu is really good, and they do a very good job with the food.

Have a walk at the Palace of Fine Arts, and stroll around the area for a lovely peaceful day.

I can suggest many places to see in San Francisco, but that will be a neverending book. You will have to go visit this famous city for yourself,

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my “thank yous” to all my readers and viewers around the world! Most of my readers have sent me beautiful comments about the stories and recipes in my cookbook “A Drop of Ladi & My Greek Soul”.

I would like to thank Ellen Karis for connecting me to this website, and for believing in me. She is one of the best people, a kind soul, and a great comedian.

Website: www.kouzounaskitchen.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kouzounaskitchen/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kouzounaskitche

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KouzounasKitchen/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzZbZqdQRWR3bNafgbvYRRw

Other: If I can share my new travel website and links that would be amazing! Travel Mazi Mou: www.travelmazimou.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelmazimou/?hl=en Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travelmazimou

Image Credits
Credits to Krystina Kalapothakos (owner of Kouzounas Kitchen) & Nestor Zaharopoulos (photographer)