Yorgos Koropoulis and his wife, Sophia Efemidis, owners of Osis and Maleas Olive Oil and their children
http://www.maleasoliveoil.gr

Imagine the spark that creates a pearl.

Several conversations over coffee and on Twitter between authors, entrepreneurs and investors on the global economy and Greece, sparked an idea. In fact, a challenge: why not have a Greek dinner around the world to share and promote Greek culture, heritage and the arts through the most tempting dimension of the intangible Greek heritage, the art of cooking.

In a matter of days, asking, sharing the idea with friends via Twitter, the idea went viral with hundreds of people around the world agreeing to take an action to either host a dinner at home or at a restaurant and share photos and stories via social media.

On January 15th (a date randomly selected), Greeks, the diaspora and friends of Greece connected and shared Greek cuisine, wine, music, literature and philosophy.

Greek Dinner Around the World Jan. 15, 2014

Greek culture is everywhere, from the outback of Australia to New Zealand to Tokyo to Kazahstan to Europe to Canada to all over America. The indomitable spirit of the Greek diaspora, those who touched the land of the ancients as well as those who live and breathe the air of Greece today joined forces to create a most unique opportunity.

Some of the first to join were business owners, chefs, authors and leaders in the campaign seeking the return of the Parthenon Marbles. Aleks, owner of Veranda on P; food writer and chef, Mary Platis; author, Marjory McGinn;  Nikolaos Chatziandreou and his family; Russell Darney; Dionysis and Rene Tritaris; author, Terry Douglas; Chef Jule in Alabama; chef and author, Peter Minakis; poet, Katie Aliferis; Niko and Oana, The Mediterranean Way; Global Greek World and Buy Greek campaign; Maria Dimitrakarakou; RideScoutDC; novelist, Anne Zouroudi and author, Alex Pattakos, The OPA Way!. From there, more than 52 cities, more than 80 hosts collectively with probably a thousand of guests; thousands of messages over Twitter, Google, Pinterest, YouTube and blogs. Take a moment to search through all of the photos and notes via #GreekDinner or see all of our partners on Twitter (@9musesnews/GreekDinner). Every day, I find one more new message. If you want to browse through a collection, take a look at this Storify collection.

Generations from the foundation of the family, the yiayia, to the grandchildren joined around the world.

The Philhellene Provincial Greek Cuisine in Melbourne, Australia offered free dinners to all children.

Cornelia Gracchi, in Columbus, Ohio, sent homemade Melomakarona into school with her granddaughter. One child remarked, “Hey, these Greek cookies taste like donuts dipped in honey” and another said, “Your grandma is the best cook in the world!”

Yorgos Koropoulis and his wife Sophia Efremidis, owners of Maleas Olive Oil gathered with their children to enjoy a special meal and draw art. The same day they announced that their olive oil was the first Greek organic extra virgin olive oil for sale at Harrods.

Honoring the start of the Greek presidency of the European Union, Konstantinos Pappas, Press and Communications Counselor at the Permanent Greek Mission to the European Union, hosted a diplomatic dinner at Koyzina Authentic in Brussels.

The ancient Silk Road presented itself when Julie Kissidi hosted her dinner in Almaty, Kazahstan.

An idea plus an economic action going viral. Imagine a new paradigm of consciously connecting the culinary dimension of Greek culture with the intangible Greek heritage that influences people around the world. The spirit of Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, both in private and public, revealed her nature and importance in Greek mythology and in the modern world.

“I dream of those Greek donuts (loukoumades) served at the end of dinner,”says Dodie Jones who attended the Greek Dinner at Veranda on P in Washington, DC.

The spirit of Hestia appeared with generosity, welcoming family and guests to the table to share a meal with fruits of the earth from olives to feta to a glass of wine went viral.

Opportunities abounded – connecting one business with another, authors with a larger audience and the secrets in the kitchen only the mother or yiayia knows – in effect revealing an undercurrent of love and appreciation of Greek culture that has been quietly flowing around the world.

Requests are pouring in with more opportunities,

Hestia’s pearl of the Greek Dinner Around the World grows even more beautiful as one friend asks another to celebrate Greek cuisine, culture and heritage while expanding the economic prosperity for all. Will you join us for the next Greek Dinner Around the World?

OPA!

By Keri Douglas, writer/photographer, Washington, D.C. (All rights reserved. Please ask permission to use any portion of article.)

Special thank you to everyone for sharing their photos and a very special thank you to Nikolaos Chatziandreou for creating the map of all of the cities that hosted a Greek Dinner party. 

Please see previous post for all partners – authors, chefs, restaurants, markets, businesses around the world. 

Partners:  

Mary Papoulias-Platis, chef & cuisine, California Greek Girl  @CalGreekGirl 
Keri Douglas, 9 Muses News @keridouglas 
Aleks, owner, Veranda on P restaurant 
Marjory McGinn, author, Big Fat Greek Odyssey @fatgreekodyssey 
Marlen Taffarello, travel PR, @MTravelsPR 
Nikolaos Chatziandreou, scientist/cultural heritage, AcropolisofAthens.gr @nchatziandreo 
Dimos and Vicky Chatziandreou @VickyChatziandr 
Russell Darnley, professor, @maximos62 
Rene' Tritaris, owner, www.mintlimeblue.com 
*
Dionysis Tritaris, owner, OramaCommunications.com.au @DionysiTritaris 
Terry Douglas, author of Ganymede: A Tale of Middle Eastern Intrigue 
Chef Jule, The Frenchman's Corner of Fairhope 
Peter Minakis, author & Greek supper club host, Kalofagas.com @kalofagas 
Katie Aliferis, poet, KatieAliferis.com @KatieA_SF 
Niko and Oana, The Mediterranean Way Gourmet Market, Dupont Circle, Washington,DC @TheMediWay 
Global Greek World, everything Greek news, @GGWorld 
Buy Greek campaign, @BuyGreek 
Maria Dimitrakarakou, @dimitrakarakou
RideScoutDC, www.ridescoutapp.com @RideScoutDC 
Anne Zouroudi, author, Greek detective novels, @annezouroudi 
*
Kiki Vagianos, The Greek Vegan, @TheGreekVegan 
Food, Culture & Travel blogger, Banana Wonder, @BananaWonder 
Alex Pattakos, The OPA Way, @TheOPAWay 
Cornelia Gracchi, @corneliagracchi 
Eumelia Organic Farm, @eumeliafarm 
Diana Moutsopoulos, All Recipes, @dmoutsop 
Greek American Girl, @GreekAmGirl 
Elizabeth Rynecki, Moshe Rynecki Art Search @erynecki 
Cinnamon Stephens, Art Law Firm, @Artantiq 
Annina and Daniel Wildermuth, children's book author & illustrator 
*
Good Greek Housewife, @GreekHousewife 
Kenton and Jane, Lemon and Olives, @lemonandolives 
Gaea Products, Greece 
Katina Vaselopulos, @KVaselopulos 
Sophia Dimitriadou, KOYZINA Authentica, Brussels, Belgium 
Effie Delimarkos, @EffieDelimarkos 
TasteGreece, speciality store, Duesseldorf, Germany 
Dourakis Winery, Crete, Greece, @dourakiswinery 
Krystina Kalapothakos,Kouzounas Kitchen, @KouzounasKitche 
Barb McGarvey, @vey952 
*
Mesto Artisan Olive Oil, @Mestooliveoil 
Smaragda Touloupa, YourGuideInGreece, @smarot 
Stayla Farm Honey, Evia, Greece, @stayiafarm 
Mariana Kavroulaki, History of Greek Food, @histofgreekfood 
Amit Bajaj with Sheba and Kam in Boston 
Hugh O'Donnell, @odonnellhugh 
Therese Sellers, author of Alpha is for Anthropos, @qerese 
Hellenic student association, University of Pennsylvania, @thegreekglutton 
Greek family owners, Nostos and Mykonos Grill 
Yanni Tsapos, wine expert, Dionysis Imports 
*
Souvlaki The Greek, London, England, @EatSouvlakiUK 
Sia Aristidou, Greek Weddings & Traditions & Greek Wedding Shop, @SiaAristidou 
Yorgos Koropoulis, Maleas Olive Oil, @MaleasOliveOi 
Heidi Skapentzis and Dimitris Paivanas, Babel Language Center Athens
Ekaterina Botziou, author, Greek Expectations: The Last Moussaka Standing, @ebotziou
Marios Bothos & Sophia Tsakiroglou-Bothou, Apollo Museum, Ancient Greek Games, @AncientGRGames  
Loukia Von Zlr Betriebsimperium, Myths Greek Jewelry Exhibit, Berlin 2013/Hamburg 2014
Alexia Warner, Flavor Teaze, @FlavorTeaze & @AlexiaWarner1
Mythical Peloponnese, timeless travel, @mythpeloponnese 
Lorna Paschakis, @LornaPaschakis
*
SouEllen Latridi and friends
Heather Skinner and friends
Maddie Grigg and friends @maddiegrigg
George Mavropoulos, The Asia Minor and Pontos Hellenic Research Center
Tsantali Wines, @TSANTALI_wines 
Diana Brown, 5MinutesMorePlease, and friends
Maria Verivaki and family, Organically Cooked 
*Philhellene Provincial Greek Cuisine, Melbourne* Kids (3-12) meals will be covered by owners
John Kyriazoglou and family, Ancient Greek Pearls of Wisdom, @jkyriazoglou
Katerina Georgallas, Baklava Couture, @BaklavaCouture  
*
GrecoTaste, shop GrecoTaste, @Grecotaste
Diana Carey and friends
Stella Pierides, author, Feeding the Doves, @stellapierides
Nine Live Greece, volunteer cat rescue in Athens, @NineLivesGreece 
Agia Marina Donkey Rescue, Crete on Facebook  
Julie Kussidi and friends
Elizabeth Gabay and friends
Tresor Hotels, Athens, Greece
Tim Schadla-Hall, Professor of Public Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London