Dimitris Kontaratos

MEET the CHEF:

Dimitris is a graduate of the Department of Food Technology at the School of Food Technology and Nutrition of the Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, as well as of the Public Vocational Training Institute (IEK) OTEK in Culinary Arts, Rhodes. He also holds a Master’s degree from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Food and Quality Assurance Systems, a field in which he was active for several years before shifting his career path toward Culinary Arts. Since then, he has gained valuable professional experience in hotels and restaurants across Rhodes.

In pursuit of knowledge and experience, he traveled to renowned gastronomic destinations such as Noma in Copenhagen and Kofler & Kompanie in Germany, working both in the kitchen and in food research and technology, alongside acclaimed chefs including Rene Redzepi, Nuno Mendes, Juan Amador, Adam Byatt, Tim Raue, among others.

He later returned to Greece, collaborating with notable restaurants, bars, and hotels such as The Black Adder Pub, Esperos Village, Rattan Cuisine & Cocktail, 10gr Wine Bar, Thalassinos Kipos, Lindos Blu Luxury Suites, Lindos Aqua Terra, as well as bars in an advisory and scientific capacity on matters of new technologies: Baba Au Rum (Athens), Kuchiko (Syros), and Home Sea Side (Crete). Since April 2024, he has been Chef Patron of the urban dining restaurant Lakaní – Culinary Workshop.

In the field of research, he is active through his laboratory “Giafka R&D Studio”, collaborating both in Greece and abroad with distinguished chefs and bartenders. He has published two books, “TH3_GastroBook” and “The Relativity th/t Inside a Bag”, and has produced a wealth of unpublished manuals and guides, such as “Liquid Gastronomy” and “Applied Culinary Arts.”