Let us know a few things about you...Where have you worked in the past before joining the kitchen of Aqua Blu boutique hotel?

My name is Stamatis Marmarinos and this is all you need to know!…(laughs). I have been working as a chef for the past 12 years and have passed from various restaurants and hotels such as Varoulko, 1800, Sea u Up, Grand Resort and the Myconian Ambassador.

You have been busy…What does cooking mean to you?

Art, passion and a way of life.

What brought you to Kos island and Aqua Blu?

My collaboration with Mr. George Venieros and his firm FoodMask which has undertaken the hotel gastronomy-wise over the past two years.

The new chefs usually create with more modern cuisines leaving Greek cuisine as their last resort. Why do you especially choose Greek cuisine?

Because Greek cuisine is very rich in ingredients and recipes and in recent years I have observed several other new Greek chefs trying to make it known internationally.

But, I have noticed that you use many new techniques in your cooking. New techniques in a cuisine with a tradition in simplicity and in purity of flavors…Don’t you think that this way the essence is eventually lost?

I would support that on the contrary, new techniques reveal the essence.

How do you mix and match traditional with modern?

I search for traditional recipes across Greece and reproduce them in the use of contemporary ways without losing the traditional elements in the process.

Which are your favorite ingredients in Greek cuisine?

Fresh tomatoes, olive oil and fresh herbs because they are all products that typically represent Greece.

Do you ever come out of your kitchen in order to talk to your customers and possibly ask their opinion?

Yes, I usually seek the opinion of my customers in order to correct my mistakes and offer them the best.

And how about at home? Do you cook for friends and family or you want nothing to do with the kitchen when at home?!

I think that in spending so many hours in the kitchen for work, when at home I prefer to stay clear from cooking and I do like to eat out with friends in favorite and new restaurants.

Favorite dish and favorite recipe?

Spaghetti with minced meat and lamb with cheek pea salad.

Oh, you just whetted my appetite! Let's change the subject! What are your plans ahead?

Holidays! (laughs)

Where do we find you when not in the kitchen?

Trying new flavors in other venues and watching my team play football!!

From the other young chefs -who are many in number and very talented- which ones do you value most?

Nikos Boukis, Alexandros Tsiotinis, Nikos Karathanos -who managed at a very young age to be awarded with the Michelin star- and Komninos Mouflouzelis.

Which are the significant people from the sector that helped you to evolve successfully in your career?

Dimitris Dimitriadis who was the first chef I looked up to and -even still- turn to for advise, Lefteris Lazarou next to whom I spent 4 valuable years at his restaurant and George Venieris for giving me the opportunity to work at Aqua Blu boutique hotel in Kos island.

Before I let you continue with you tantalizing creations, I want you to tell me one more thing! I want you to share with me a secret about a dish that everybody loves!

You know moussaka….it is best eaten cold!

Interview by Zenia Polymenakou

From: Eva Kanellopoulos

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