What were your favorite foods growing up?
My mother's Greek cooking and her homemade yogurt with honey

When did you decide you wanted to be a restaurateur?
Being born into the business, I always felt that I was supposed to be a part of it

Where and when did your career in food begin?
After working in my father's restaurant for five years, I left home at 17 to join the Navy. I was a cook and a baker on an aircraft carrier for 3yrs, 10 months and 17 days, then off to the CIA. After that I did my apprenticeship at the Greenbrier Hotel and received the Valet Club Trophy for all around excellence. Then I worked in the Palace Hotel kitchen in Gstaad for one season. That solidified that I made the right decision.

If you didn't become a restaurateur, what would you be?
An architect

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
By being around and working with food in my father's restaurant as a young boy and also in my mother's kitchen. We even had a victory garden and raised chickens as well.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
My son Pano converted me to a cake tester. It's the perfect tool to test doneness in all foods large or small, grilling, sauteing or roasting it's even easy to keep on you, making it really handy.

What influences your cooking style?
Cutting edge techniques, plate presentation, innovative food combinations

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Different grades and flavors of sea salt

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
To be honest with our guests and that we have no right to disappoint our guests in any way.

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what should I order to eat?
Fresh fish. We are proud of our procurement, handling and storing of our fish. We never say no, so ask for it prepared in a small amount of olive oil with fresh lemon juice.

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
Personally catering my own wedding, buffet style with ice carvings and then running across the street in time to get married in a full church with sweat beads on my face.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
In my small restaurant, when an oven blew up in my face knocking me back five feet, put butter on my face, now a no-no. That same restaurant had a total fire loss and really launched my career. Timing is everything.

What is your least favorite food?
Asian fish sauce (Nam Pla)

What is your beverage of choice?
Wine, wine, wine.

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
I was never sold on the latest modern technology. However as time moved on and over recent time observing, reading and tasting I have changed some of my perception and can see that some of the technology will have a permanent and broad effect on food trends moving forward.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
Now that my evening shift has freed up from Pano's & Paul's, I will visit new restaurants that have opened in the area that I haven't had time to try. But first and foremost I will make more frequent visits to BLRG restaurants.

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
France

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
At Jamin in Paris

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Learn to master the cake tester when testing for doneness of all meats and fish, large or small, except braises.

What do you eat when you are home?
Roasted chicken, fish and salads and Irish steel cut oatmeal.