It’s… the cliché that life writes the best scripts, but in the case of Nicholas Pulmentis, it’s reality. He sold a watch and a crucifix and moved to New York with his wife and two-year-old daughter to claim a place in the American dream. They slept on the benches, experienced the hard side of life, but the insistence of the cook from Kitira was justified. Today he is one of the best chefs in the Big Apple, he even reached Michelincooked in the White House, but the dreams never end. Big goal? Win more than one star with Greek cuisine Michelin and, in fact, in a particularly gastronomically demanding country.

Nick Poulmentis was born in America, but his family moved to Kythira when he was an infant. His family built a small hotel in “Cirigo the Beautiful” and Nicholas grew up with the tastes of the Greek land. From a small child, he learned to experiment with the herbs of the “island of Venus” and the fish that his father brought. His road … one way. He studied at StE Anavyssos and Le Gordon Bleu and turned his passion for cooking into a profession. But the crisis limited his goals. In 2012, with his wife and two-year-old daughter Nefeli, they decide to move to New York. The American passport, forgotten in his desk drawer since his parents returned from America, has become… the passport of his dreams. But the money was not enough … To pave the way for a transatlantic journey, he sold a watch and a cross.

Eleanor Roosevelt said “the future belongs to those who believe in their dreams” and Nick Poulmentis believed in his dream. Although he, his wife and daughter were forced to sleep on benches in Astoria until the chef found a job that would allow him to rent a house. Even if he went through difficult times, he has not yet established himself in this area.

“It took me several years to make certain dishes famous and influence other chefs. It also took the American public a long time to trust me and try new recipes such as black tarama (one of the recipes that created it) and grape leaf sushi, as well as classic recipes in which I replaced meat with fish. At first, the Greek restaurant owners hesitated, but when we saw that the public responded, we added other dishes. Gradually, I developed my own audience that follows me in any store where I work or whose menu I edit. After that, I was trusted by the owners of stores selling Greek products. I brought crits and capers while I was teaching Americans how to eat orange pie,” he told reporters. cathimerini.gr famous chef.

“Greek food will never die”

In 2013 and 2015, Nick Poulmentis cooked for the residents of the White House, he won reality cooking shows, his book “ New from Greek Kitchenbecame a bestseller, and this year he became the first Greek chef to take part in New York City Wine & Food the festival and, in fact, together with the famous American chef Carla Hall. When asked if the evolution of Greek cuisine is the cause of the loss of tradition, Mr. Poulmentis replied: “Greek cuisine will never die because it has good products. However, if we do not work on increasing the recipes, it will remain at the same level. It is worth going here with the taste palette of Americans. I put metsowone on a burger and melted it and they were delighted. As for the tradition, it will not be lost, because the Greeks who know the traditional recipes can confirm it. I treat the Peloponnesian goge (gogize) like dumplings. People want to see Greek recipes on their table in a new way.”

The recipe takes time and several products to complete. “It took me 1.5 years to make a recipe for black tarama, and to prepare a new recipe with fish, I can lose from one to 100 kilograms,” he emphasizes. Exquisite Greek cuisine has found its audience in the “financial capital” of the world. “American Greeks are better, and because of the fish, I also have a lot of Jews. Americans come for lobster, which I cook with noodles and feta cheese. This is how I promote our products both in terms of taste and practicality,” the chef tells us.

Nick Pulmentis’ accomplishments include a Michelin star, but his dreams go even further. “I want to put Greek food above a Michelin star. I know it can’t be done overnight because it’s not easy, but I’m willing to dedicate as much of my life as it takes to achieve it.”