Haute cuisine at SNFCC through collaboration with Dipnosofistirion

A fine-dining restaurant, featuring contemporary Greek cuisine, is coming to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens in June 2021. With a focus on sustainability and culinary excellence, the SNFCC and Dipnosofistirion catering, with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), are creating a gastronomic destination that fits the values and character of the SNFCC.

The creation of a pioneering restaurant at the SNFCC complements SNF’s vision for the cultural institution, which is a public space for visitors from Athens and around the world, but also a model of environmental sustainability in terms of design, construction, operation, and footprint in the wider ecosystem.

Commenting on this important new project, SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos said, “Staying true to the vision and tenor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), we are planning, together with the SNFCC, Dipnosofistirion, and Dimitris Skarmoutsos, to create an international gastronomic destination. The restaurant will be a unique landmark in fine dining, in accordance with the precedent of quality set by the SNFCC for public spaces globally. From its architecture to its taste identity, the new venture will come to fruition through robust cooperation between leading professionals who—with team spirit, innovative thinking, deep expertise, and, most importantly, outstanding creativity—will enrich the already special experience of visitors at the SNFCC.”

Following a “nothing lost—nothing wasted” philosophy, the restaurant will adopt an operational model that respects natural resources, while simultaneously raising public consciousness around the importance of sustainability and foodways. In this context, collaborations with small producers from all over Greece will supply the kitchen with authentic, original, and uncommon ingredients, with an emphasis on organic products.

The restaurant will also host educational programs, activities, and workshops, which will promote concepts such as sustainability, sustainable development, and responsible management of natural resources. It will also offer food and wine tasting seminars.

SNFCC Managing Director Elly Andriopoulou emphasized that “Gastronomy is an important element of culture, and this pioneering project will round out the identity of the SNFCC as an international cultural landmark.”

With a philosophy that has focused on quality, reliability, and a high level of service and mastery for over two decades, Dipnosofistirion catering will see this new venture through to success. Dipnosofistirion has enthusiastically adopted the vision shared by SNF and the SNFCC and aspires to create a restaurant that will attract foodies and gastro-travelers from all over the world.

Thanos Feskos, who will serve as Head Chef, was previously Assistant Head Chef at Geranium, a Michelin 3-star restaurant in Denmark. He has been immersed in the dynamism and avant-garde experimentation of Scandinavian cuisine and is a lover of Greek cuisine and a connoisseur of the local, farm-to-table approach. He will work with an R&D team, led by George Papazacharias, with previous experience at the Michelin 3-Star restaurant Maaemo in Oslo and at Under, also in Norway. Additionally, a new bar concept will be developed as part the restaurant, in collaboration with Thanos Prunaros and the Baba Au Rum team.

Takis Christofileas, entrepreneur and President of Dipnosofistirion, remarked, “We are honored by the trust shown to us by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. We are committed to contributing to this great initiative, to the full extent of our capabilities.”

The design of the restaurant has been undertaken by award-winning firm Kois Associated Architects. With modern Greek culture as a starting point for the architecture of the restaurant, which will be located near the Greek National Opera, the proposal is in direct harmony with the design of the SNFCC and the vision of Renzo Piano. In a cultural center that brings together a diversity of experiences and environments, the design approaches “Greekness” through contemporary art, music, and gastronomy—concepts that exist in everyone’s minds, consciously or subconsciously, through memories of architectural structures, sounds, smells, flavors, and atmospheres.