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on the show. “I was super happy because
it’s all about her and the kids.”
The husband and father of two came to Astoria
from the island of Kythira in Greece six
years ago, after his country was undergoing
economic hardships. Growing up, the chef
worked in restaurants and received his culinary
education in Anavysos culinary school in
Greece and Le Cordin Bleu in Paris. To date,
the chef and Michelin Star winner has had
over 25 years of experience in the industry,
including his nearly four months at Akrotiri.
One reason the chef gave for wanting to
participate in “Chopped” was to push his
limits and see what he could produce with
ingredients given to him on the spot.
“It’s a difficult show, and I understood how
difficult it is, but I felt I needed to see my
power,” he said.
The chef said also wanted to test his English
skills, in addition to testing his culinary
prowess. Poulmentis recalls being afraid he
would not be accepted because “everyone
was speaking fluent English” on the show’s
set. He added that the show would be “big
exposure” for himself and the restaurant
whether or not he won.
“It was a beautiful process. I’m grateful
that I had the ability to do the show,” Poulmentis
said.
Poulmentis and Chris Kouvaros opened Akrotiri
Seafood Taverna back in March. “Akrotiri”
comes from an ancient Greek city on Santorini
that was buried in volcanic ash. The restaurant’s
menu features “inventive riffs on classic
Greek fare” including Htapodokeftedes,
which are breadless octopus croquettes with
parsley sauce and seared scallops with squid
ink linguine pasta in a white saffron emulsion
known as Htenia. They also offer natural wines
from using indigenous grapes from various
Greek regions.
Poulmentis mentioned that the entree
that he made on the show will also be
Photos courtesy of Akrotiri Images courtesy of Food Network
served in his restaurant as a special
after the episode airs, and will be
announced on the restaurant’s website,
akrotiritaverna.com.
Visit watch.foodnetwork.com to watch the
“Chopped” episode online.