Chefs Dina Nikolaou, Panos Ioannidis, Nikos Thomas and Gikas Xenakis at Athena IOOC!
In addition to tasting the competition samples, the Athena International Olive Oil Competition hosted four top chefs, Dina Nikolaou, Panos Ioannidis, Nikos Thomas and Gikas Xenakis, with the main aim of familiarising them with the quality characteristics and tasting techniques of olive oil.
The director of the event, Maria Katsoulis, wishes to thank Panos Ioannidis and Nikos Thomas, who, despite their heavy schedule amid preparations for the shooting of the final of #MasterChef, managed to attend the ΑΤΗΕΝΑ ΙOOC even if it was just for one day!
As chef Dina Nikolaou mentioned, with this experience in the competition, chefs will gain knowledge to stand out and use better quality olive oils. "An olive oil contest in a country such as Greece is the foundation, not only for the olive oil product but also for our diet. The more we can influence producers to make better olive oil, the better for our country. Now, as a professional, as a chef, I am completely connected to olive oil both abroad in the restaurant that I have in Greece in everything I do. So, it's a great experience for me to be at a competition, as I'm gaining knowledge that will definitely be useful to me and for what I'm doing. Especially when I'm close to people who have been doing this job for years and can evaluate characteristics other than just taste, as I have been doing."