Stefania Luxenberg
About Greek Cooking My Way, Syros, the first port of Greece, is the capital of the Cycladic Islands. A four-hour boat trip from Athens will take you to a “mecca of culture.” On this small island in the Aegean Sea a future chef was born several decades ago into a household with a very special vivacious room.They say the kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where nutritious meals are crafted, where guests often socialize, and where countless hours helping mom prepare holiday dinners have transpired.We have memories of our mothers working tirelessly over crowded counter tops and glowing stoves, preparing delectable, filling and wholesome meals that the family savored together.Thus, a young Stefania became a culinary student learning the craft of cooking, and the joy of preparing family meals. It is a rite of passage when a child is entrusted family recipes to be enjoyed for years to come. As Stefania grew older, her pallet hungered for the diverse wonders of food from other cultures.Chef Stefania’s culinary odyssey began taking her throughout Europe and from coast to coast in the United States living up to her motto, “Have Spatula – Will Travel.” As a personal chef, this exciting journey provided her the opportunity to prepare cuisine for clients in locations such as Syros, Greece; Palm Beach, Florida; Bridgehampton, New York, Rancho Santa Fe and Laguna Beach, California. Her clients and their guests have included some of the most renowned and particular entrepreneurs, executives, politicians, entertainers, sports personalities and an Academy Award winning screenwriter.While in Greece, Stefania was the owner of two restaurants where patrons enthusiastically consumed dishes made from her family’s recipes enhanced with her special touch and personal recipes infused with world flavors. Patrons often commented, “You taught us how to eat.”As each restaurant rose in popularity, newspapers and magazines gave Stefania praise and recognition. This admiration resulted in Stefania becoming a guest chef on Greek television shows. Later, she was selected to be a member of the Greek Culinary Presentation Team for the “Flavors of the World Conference” held at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, California.An entrepreneurial client, who has employed Stefania for the last nine years, and is responsible for the success of a major book distribution chain, urged Stefania to write a cookbook. His dinner guests thoroughly enjoyed her cuisine, and wanted to know when they could purchase Stefania’s cookbook. Their comments and requests triggered the genesis of “Greek Cooking My Way.”This enthusiasm launched Stefania’s cookbook creation pilgrimage. She assembled numerous traditional family recipes handed down to her through generations. Next, Stefania fused her own Greek recipes with world flavors she discovered on her frequent trips throughout the Mediterranean, Europe, South America, and the United States. The result is a clear step-by-step recipe roadmap with tips to enable the reader to perfectly recreate her cuisine.Stefania’s clients have bestowed on her phrases like: “You make us happy”, “We love you”, “Cook for us for life” and “You’re a member of our family.”Stefania hopes that you will also enjoy her creations, the food that has delighted her family and friends for generations.“Stin eyasu” (“To Your Good Health")
