Three Greek Sisters Interview

Everyone needs good recipes. Whether you are preparing a feast for your family and friends or feel like cooking a delicious snack for yourself, it always helps to have a cookbook to consult to ensure nothing less than deliciousness.

One of the most newest and smartest cookbooks taking the foodie world by storm is “Three Sisters Around The Greek Table” by Betty, Eleni and Samantha Bakopoulos. The three sisters grew up and lived in the Danforth area of Toronto where they enjoyed an authentically Greek life, filled with the language, laughter and light of a Greek family living in Canada.

After the sisters moved out of their family home, they realized they wanted to continue cooking and enjoying all those delicious Greek recipes they grew up eating. With a balanced and combined effort, they put together a tasty and healthy Greek cookbook that can be enjoyed by people all across the world.

Their cookbook was an instant success and even took home an award at the 2011 New York Book Festival in the cookbook category. GreekGateway.com had the opportunity to chat with the Sisters and we have included part of the conversation in this article.

If you would like to buy “Three Sisters Around The Greek Table”, you can visit 3greeksisters.com , which lists all the stores that carry the book.

If you would like to meet the sisters they will be at the Greek Festival in Ottawa, between August 11–16 cooking for the crowds and signing books.

Greek Gateway:

What sort of maternal or familial influences did you have in your life that made cooking food (Greek food specifically) so important?

Betty:

Our mom came to Canada in 1970, leaving behind all her family. She came to Canada with our dad, George, and began a new life in Toronto. She became a mother of 3 daughters and had to quickly teach herself how to cook. Our mom made cooking seem effortless. At the same time, she instinctively chose healthy cooking techniques and taught us to respect our bodies and what we put into them. Above all she taught us how important it is to make a meal for your loved ones. The Greek kitchen makes meeting all these objectives possible. The cuisine is easy and rustic and so good for you. So many Greek dishes have little prep time. Not all dishes are as time-consuming as Moussaka! You simply put good quality, seasonal ingredients together with good olive oil and the rest is easy.

Now that I am a mother of 3 girls myself, I find I share the same desires as my mom did many years ago. I too, want to pass on this passion for food and for eating well.

Greek Gateway:

How busy was your kitchen at home when you were growing up?

Eleni:

The kitchen was always the best place to be in our home when we were young (it still is). The kitchen table was our family’s meeting spot. We would all sit around the table and help with odd jobs related to cooking. We would snack, talk about our day; talk about food and all sorts of topics. We were bonding as a family while learning how to cook, without really knowing it was happening. The three of us enjoy spending time in the kitchen with our own families in the same way now. It is priceless.

Greek Gateway:

Congratulations on being a New York Book Festival winner in the cookbook category. Was winning awards an objective set out when you put these recipes? How have your objectives changed as your success continues to grow?

Samantha:

Thank you so much. We can’t really say that winning awards was an objective, but putting together a book that was worthy of awards was. We didn’t just throw together a book; we put our heart and soul into it. The fact that a panel of judges saw that and felt that and chose our book amongst hundreds of other books is very flattering and validates our efforts.

We found very early on that we were very passionate about promoting Greek food and the Greek diet as something that everyone should be cooking in their homes. We can’t understand why a cuisine that has been around for thousands of years and that has been studied as the healthiest diet is not more popular than it is right now. Our goal is to change that and to make Greek food a staple cuisine in every home. If winning awards helps promote that message, then we are happy to receive awards!

Greek Gateway:

Why do you think people are enjoying your cookbook so much?

Betty:

Our book is offering exciting, healthy and easy Greek recipes to real people with busy lives. The response we have received from people who have bought the book has been overwhelming. They are excited for many different reasons.

There are people who simply grew up in a Greek household, but never had a chance to learn how to cook those traditional Greek dishes. Greek moms are known for only telling their daughters “a pinch of this” or “a pinch of that”. So for some, this book has helped them make a great bowl of “Fakies” or “Lentil soup” like their mom or yiayia. It simply brings back memories and it really hits home for them.

People are also enjoying the book if they are not Greek, but have been to Greece. People traveling through Europe often find that the food in Greece is fabulous. This book is a great way to come back to Canada and recreate those dishes one fell in love with when in Greece.

Many have also enjoyed the book because the layout is so easy to follow, the recipes are not complicated, the ingredients are easy to find, and best of all, there is a beautiful colour photograph to accompany each recipe.

Greek Gateway:

What is each of your favourite recipes in the book?

Betty:

There really are so many dishes that I love and it changes all the time. Some of my favourites are simple seasonal dishes, like “yemista” or stuffed tomatoes and peppers. This is my favourite if the tomatoes are fresh from a garden or market. The vegetables are then stuffed with caramelized onions, rice and mint. This dish is fabulous with rustic bread, a dollop of yogurt and a glass of wine. It does not get more Greek or more delicious than this!

Eleni:

Greek food is so summery and wonderful I can’t possibly pick a favourite summer dish. But, in the winter, nothing beats Stifado. This classic meat and onion stew made with fragrant Mavrodaphne wine smells divine as it cooks and tastes even better. I serve it on a bed of skinny fries and nothing is quite so comforting and yet so elegant at the same time.

Samantha:

I love Pastitsio in the winter months and a simple Village Salad over the summer months. I think that I probably eat a Village Salad just about every day for lunch. Good quality olive oil and some fresh bread to dip into it finish this salad off quite nicely and you can beat the freshness of it.

Greek Gateway:

Can you talk a little bit about the benefits of a Mediterranean diet for Canadians?

Samantha:

We were talking about objectives earlier – one objective is to talk about the Mediterranean diet as the Greek diet, because that is what it is. The Greek diet has been studied and is key to longevity for Canadians. Greek food is rich in fish, meat, good quality olive oil, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Incorporating the Greek diet into your everyday repertoire is easy to do. The recipes are simple and they offer you the nutrients that you need. In fact, we have had many people write us and tell us that they’ve lost weight when eating solely from our cookbook and we know why. You can’t gain weight when you eat fresh dandelion greens or a big plate of elephant beans! But you’re also doing your body so much good. It’s a win-win situation.

By Staff Writer: Cory Sterling