Michael Psilakis

Michael Psilakis is an American celebrity chef, author, and restaurateur. He is best known for his Greek cuisine and appearances on television shows including ''Ultimate Recipe Showdown'', ''Iron Chef America'', ''The Best Thing I Ever Ate'' and '' No Kitchen Required''.''No Kitchen Required''
by Jay Tavare (Huffington Post, 4 April 2012) He has owned and operated a number of popular restaurants around New York City and has cooked for President Barack Obama at the White House.''Frommer's New York City 2011''
by Brian Silverman, Kelsy Chauvin and Richard Goodman (John Wiley & Sons, 2010)

Early life

Michael Psilakis was born in New York City, and is of Greek descent.

Restaurant and food career

From 2001 to 2004, Psilakis managed restaurant ''Ecco'' on Long Island.''Michael Psilakis is in a class by himself''
by Pearl Violette and Newfield Metzelthin (''Gourmet'' magazine, 2007)

The address of 222 West 79th Street in the Upper West Side, Manhattan has been home to many of Psilakis restaurants including ''Onera'' (from 2004 to 2007); ''Kefi'' (from 2007 to 2009); ''Gus & Gabriel Gastropub'' (from 2009 to August 2010); ''Fishtag'' (from 2011 to 2018); followed by ''Kefi'' returning to this same location from 2018 until 2020, after Kefi had relocated for a period from 2009 until 2018 on 505 Columbus Avenue.''Looks Like Michael Psilakis’s Huge Williamsburg Restaurant Is Back On''
by Hugh Merwin (Grub Street, ''New York'' magazine, 8 November 2013) Restaurant Kefi had been the subject of multiple employee lawsuits.

Donatella Arpaia and Michael Psilakis had co-owned ''Kefi'', as well as ''Anthos'' at 36 West 52nd Street (2007–March 2010), and ''Mia Donna'' (2008–September 2009)''.''

For his work at ''Anthos'', Psilakis was named ''Esquire'' magazine's ''Chef of the Year'' in 2006. In 2008, he received a Michelin Star for ''Anthos''. In 2008 he was named ''Bon Appétit's'' ''Chef of the Year''.

From April 2013 to 2019, Psilakis owned and operated restaurant, ''MP Taverna'' on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, Queens.

Television appearances

Psilakis served as a judge on ''Ultimate Recipe Showdown'' and was twice a contestant on ''Iron Chef America'' (2006 and 2010). He hosted ''The Best Thing I Ever Ate''.

When BBC America created '' No Kitchen Required'' in 2012, Psilakis was chosen as one of three participants and a co-executive producer for the first series. He has also appeared a number of times on ''Good Morning America'', and has been announced as a contestant on the "Superstar Sabotage" tournament of ''Cutthroat Kitchen''.

Books

Psilakis has struggled with his body weight and wrote the 2017 book, ''Live to Eat: Cooking the Mediterranean Way'' (Little, Brown) to highlight easier ways to modify diet without losing flavor.
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References

External links

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Profile
at BBC America

{{DEFAULTSORT:Psilakis, Michael
American chefs
American male chefs
American restaurateurs
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American people of Greek descent