I learned about Greek cooking at a young age by helping my mother and yiayia in the kitchen. I marked the seasons, days. and holidays by what we were cooking. Sweet bread at Easter, Baklava at Chrismas, Greek Avgolemono soup (Greece’s answer to chicken soup) meant it was Sunday

When I wasn’t actually helping - I was pretending to help in my sandbox or with a dough set. Back then, it was enough when people would pretend to eat and declare my creations delicious.

Now, when I sit and cook my favorite Greek foods, I can tell that things are going right or wrong by using my senses. I know when I’ve mixed the dolmades just right because of the interplay between the spearmint and onions. Same goes with the honey and sugar syrup for the baklava -  the key to that is the balance between fresh squeezed orange juice and cinnamon. Too much or too little of each and my nose will pick up on it.

So, I have all this experience with the Greek foods of my youth. This knowledge is further rounded out with my adult travels to Greece and my obsession with staying current. Food trends occur in Greece just like they do here, but the traditional elements of the cuisine stay the same. Fresh food is always king - but the cook may take some creative liberties.

It’s these liberties that fascinate me the most. Recipes differ from village to village, family to family, and as the collective palate changes, so do the popular foods. I doubt baked creations like chocolate baklava, where chocolate is incorporated into the filo, existed in the Greece of yesterday, for example. Then again, anything is possible.