More than 80 Mediterranean recipes and entertaining stories from life on the Aegean coast are assembled in the pages of “Kimon’s Greek Table: How to Cook, Cherish, and Reinvent Culinary Classics” by Kimon Riefenstahl and published by TeNeues.
Kimon Riefenstahl is an expert in hospitality and the owner of restaurants ranking amongst the best in Greece. He invests as much passion and love into cooking as he invests into his family-owned Danai Resort in Halkidiki, Northern Greece. In “Kimon’s Greek Table”, though, he is an adventurer on a culinary journey to his very own Greek roots which take him back to original Mediterranean flavors, to colorful markets and traditional barkeepers, not without an occasional detour to gastronomic peaks.
In “Kimon’s Greek Table”, the passionate chef –even if in the foreword of his newly-published book, he identifies himself as: “I am no accomplished chef you look up to by the end of this book. I am not someone to aspire to. I am also no tidy portrayal of myself. Instead I am planted in the same reality as the rest of you, with occasional chaos and messiness. I am accessible. I welcome you to the inner workings of my mind. You might assume that, for the publication of a cookery book, I would have required a professional education, revolutionary recipes or celebrity status. I would agree with you, but then we would both be wrong. What I required was true passion, patience and a bunch of great people who made me feel that I could be great too.”– he shares a very personal recipe collection, a mixture of culinary childhood memories, experimental cooking adventures, and Greek cuisine classics. The grandson of an experienced fisherman and slow food lover is not just interested in a great Greek meal in friendly company; the careful selection and origin of individual ingredients are just as important as the results. From breakfast to evening mains, the majority of his dishes are sourced from small local farms and markets, or indeed from his own vegetable garden and chicken coop.
Kimon Riefenstahl always carries the sun of Greece in his heart and its flavors on his palette. He knows exactly why the best Greek salad keeps its ingredients minimal, why high-quality olive oil makes all the difference, and why a proper Greek Meze can be the making of lifelong friendship.
In the book, Kimon shares his discoveries from beyond the borders of traditional food rules, his personal collection of recipes for new culinary creations and timeless classics. A road to indulgence, better attentiveness and slowing down. The Mediterranean way.
For experienced cooks and curious beginners alike, “Kimon’s Greek Table” is a beautiful cookbook of Aegean flavors and a rich inspiration for greater culinary pleasure, mindfulness, and deceleration.
Photo Credits: © Kimon’s Greek Table by Kimon Riefenstahl, published by teNeues, photos: © 2019 Christopher Kennedy
