Aris Vezenes, a chef and founder of the innovative hospitality investment group Green Garlic Management, will be one of the speakers at the major conference organized by Travel.gr on Greece and Tourism, scheduled for November 16th at the SNFCC Lighthouse. “I am present in any discussions and think tanks that concern the qualitative evolution of our hospitality and gastronomy,” he says.
“I hope the Travel.gr Greece Talks conference will identify and present through its speakers’ thoughts all those (many) details that will make the difference. It’s certain that this will become an institution,” says Vezenes characteristically. At conference, Vezenes will take us on a journey through time and place, presenting the evolution of the Greek restaurant in Greece and abroad through a series of questions. What is the image of Greek gastronomy within the country, and how do our visitors perceive us? What is the role of the Greek restaurant abroad? Is there progress?
With Greek roots and born in the US, Aris Vezenes likes to present – without any hesitation and with a self-depreciating but kind sense of humor – the Greek reality, while hoping for a future where every Greek restaurant has the right to write its own chapter, to express itself without limitations and barriers, always with ethos.
Vezenes was born and raised in New York City to Greek immigrant parents. He is a self-taught, non-conformist chef and the founder of Green Garlic Management, a rapidly developing, innovative hospitality investment group based in Athens. The brands under Green Garlic Management’s portfolio include Vezené, Birdman, Ekiben Kitchen, and Ikigai Market.
Vezenes is regarded as the first chef to introduce the modern bistronomy movement to Greece in 2008, pioneering concepts like Open Fire cooking, and was the first to talk about provenance, sustainability, and whole animal butchery in the country. He and his projects have been featured in prestigious publications such as the Michelin Guide, Worlds 50 Best, Financial Times London, Travel and Leisure, Condé Nast, GQ, Monocle, Esquire, and Elle. Furthermore, he has served as the Greek ambassador for Krug Champagne, a voting member of the World 50 Best, a mentor for the Greek team at the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, and as a guest chef on Master Chef, where he showcased the principles of full utilization of meat in a restaurant setting.
Today, Vezenes occasionally addresses both academic and general audiences, speaking on topics like culinary heritage, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and restaurant management. Through Embrace, a series of events aiming to introduce some of the world’s most significant chefs and culinary personalities, Vezenes offers a platform to present Greece and the new generation of Greek gastronomy globally. These events also have a philanthropic aspect.
