Chef Profile
Posted by estiator at 10 September, at 03 : 12 AM Print
Christos Christou
YEFSI, NEW YORK CITY; ANEMMOS, ASTORIA
Raised in a small town outside Nicosia, Cyprus, Chef Christos Christou learned to cook at the side of his mother and grandmother from a young age. After arriving in New York in the mid-’80s, he enrolled in the French Culinary Institute and took his first job at the Institute’s restaurant, L’Ecole, where he perfected his technique. From there, Christou ventured into his native cuisine at Molyvos as sous chef, earning his first three Michelin stars and, within months, took the Executive Chef position at Estiatorio Milos, where he earned an additional two stars. On his way to opening Yefsi, on York Avenue at 78th Street, a restaurant that is continually in top 10 lists, Christou helmed a number of new openings. Today his portfolio includes Anemos in Astoria, with a second Yefsi to open before the end of the year. In 2014 and 2015, Christou was invited to cook for President Barak Obama at the White House. In addition to his restaurants, Christou runs a restaurant consulting company and serves the consulates of Greece and Cyprus, cooking for visiting dignitaries and statesmen.
Age: 53
Hails from: Anayia, Cyprus Number of years in kitchens: 30
Education: French Culinary Institute (NYC); apprenticeship in Marseilles, France
Previous restaurants (as Executive Chef): Milos, Avra, Trata (partner), Ammos (partner, with Greek singer Anna Vissi), Aegean Cove (partner), Ethos
Mentors: Alain Sailhac, André Soltner, and Jacques Pepin (L’Ecole); Jim Botsacos and Rick Mooney (Molyvos)
Favorite dish: “I love making braised meats; particularly braised lamb shank. My lamb youvetsi is slow cooked for five hours with a light cinnamon tomato sauce, topped with baked kefalograviera cheese and served with hilopites [small Greek pastas].”
Favorite ingredients: “I love to cook with fresh herbs—rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, as well as with cinnamon, cumin, and garlic.”
Philosophy: “There’s an expression in Greek that says, ‘God bless the hands of the chef.’ It means that what you touch, you make delicious. It’s not just the seasoning. It’s the way you look at the food, how you stir the food. It’s the love you put into the cooking. I think that’s very important, whether someone is doing something for love or the money. There’s a big difference. The food won’t be the same.”
On the future of Greek cuisine: “There is still a great deal of room for more Greek restaurants. Over the last decade, Greek cuisine has been blooming in the city as people become more and more familiar with the flavors and freshness, as well as the fact that it is a very “clean” and healthy cuisine. I believe that as long as restaurants serving Greek cuisine stick to quality, fresh ingredients, Greek cooking will continue to grow in popularity. And this goes down to the details. When I am sautéing, I use Greek extra-virgin olive oil instead of an inexpensive vegetable oil. You can taste the difference. Maintaining high standards with consistency, then, is important, as is the great service and hospitality for which our culture is known. “
