Contributor

Carol Malakasis

Greek-food lover, home-cook, storyteller.

If there is a place in the world where dreams come true, that place is NY. Even Frank said it “If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere” and who am I to argue with Frank. My dream was to find a venue to "run my mouth" about my two favorite things: Greece & food. My homeland and my passion. Even better, being able to combine the two. No, I have no formal culinary training and this passion did not come from wanting to wear the "foodie" crown, but rather from being an away-from-home hungry adult who misses her mom’s food very much. I was born and raised in Greece, a very skinny kid, with a very Greek mother, who was constantly worried about feeding me. She was a phenomenal cook and did express her, sometimes suffocating, love for others by feeding them. It is true that you appreciate something when you lose it, and I came to value my mom's food when I left Greece to go to college- like many spoiled Greek kids of my generation I never even peeled an apple. Coming to the States for school though and having taken my moms food for granted, I experienced misery first hand at the dorms. Many hungry nights followed, and going home for Christmas break seemed to me like what a juicy bone is to a dog (I think): I was salivating at the idea. When I got my first apartment I cooked and cooked and cooked. I deeply believed that “love goes through your stomach” so in order to practice self love and also to lure in whatever hottie I fancied, I trained myself to become master chef and make everything from moussaka to homemade phyllo. In 2011, through pure luck I moved to NY, and stereo-typically Astoria, the little Athens of the US. A place where you can find anything Greek-from olive oil, to old men with worry beads loudly sipping Greek coffee and acting as security cameras. In 2016 I still live in Astoria and love food even more. I am proud to say that living in this culinary capital called NY my taste buds have radically evolved but I am still a sucker for simple, homemade meals. In this column you will find the following: carefully executed Greek recipes paired with stories of a Greek mother and a stubborn as a Greek mule daughter, as well as everything Greek food related that’s happening in NYC. And as we start this great food journey let us switch from Frank to "sirtaki" and Zorba the Greek. Opa!