Michael Psilakis is an American celebrity chef, author, and restaurateur. ^[1] He is best known for his Greek cuisine and appearances on television shows including Ultimate Recipe Showdown, Iron Chef America, The Best Thing I Ever Ate and No Kitchen Required. ^[2] He has owned and operated a number of popular restaurants around New York City and has cooked for President Barack Obama at the White House. ^[3]

Early life

Michael Psilakis was born in New York City, and is of Greek descent. ^{[1] [4]}

Restaurant and food career

From 2001 to 2004, Psilakis managed restaurant Ecco on Long Island. ^[5]

The address of 222 West 79th Street in the Upper West Side, Manhattan has been home to many of Psilakis restaurants including Onera (from 2004 to 2007); ^{[3] [5] [6] [7]} Kefi (from 2007 to 2009); Gus & Gabriel Gastropub (from 2009 to August 2010); ^[8] Fishtag (from 2011 to 2018); ^{[7] [9]} followed by Kefi returning to this same location from 2018 until 2020, after Kefi had relocated for a period from 2009 until 2018 on 505 Columbus Avenue. ^{[10] [9] [11]} Restaurant Kefi had been the subject of multiple employee lawsuits. ^{[12] [13] [14] [15] [16]}

Donatella Arpaia and Michael Psilakis had co-owned Kefi, as well as Anthos at 36 West 52nd Street (2007–March 2010), ^{[17] [13] [18]} and Mia Donna (2008–September 2009). ^{[19] [20] [21]}

For his work at Anthos, Psilakis was named Esquire magazine's Chef of the Year in 2006. ^[22] In 2008, he received a Michelin Star for Anthos. ^[23] In 2008 he was named Bon Appétit's Chef of the Year. ^[24]

From April 2013 to 2019, Psilakis owned and operated restaurant, MP Taverna on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, Queens. ^{[25] [26]}

Television appearances

Psilakis served as a judge on Ultimate Recipe Showdown and was twice a contestant on Iron Chef America (2006 and 2010). He hosted The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

When BBC America created No Kitchen Required in 2012, Psilakis was chosen as one of three participants and a co-executive producer for the first series. ^[2] He has also appeared a number of times on Good Morning America, and has been announced as a contestant on the "Superstar Sabotage" tournament of Cutthroat Kitchen. ^[27]

Books

Psilakis has struggled with his body weight and wrote the 2017 book, Live to Eat: Cooking the Mediterranean Way (Little, Brown) to highlight easier ways to modify diet without losing flavor. ^[4]

• Psilakis, Michael (2009). How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking. Barbara Kafka (contributor). Little, Brown. ISBN  9780316071734.
• Psilakis, Michael (2017). Live to Eat: Cooking the Mediterranean Way. New York City, NY: Little, Brown. ISBN  9780316308205.

References

External links

• www.michaelpsilakis.com
• Michael Psilakis at IMDb
• Profile at BBC America