The Food Store’s serious culinary art of living
Is the Greek capital finally getting its local version of New York’s Dean & Deluca? Or is Martha Stewart trying to get away from her tussles with the law and set up shop in Athens? Clean-cut and minimalist, a new culinary outlet is about to start making local headlines for its novel approach to the art of living and enjoying. Situated in Maroussi’s Aithrion shopping center, The Food Store is a fresh gourmet deli with a serious attitude and appetite. Do you enjoy culinary quality but are unable to execute complicated recipes? Homemade Greek pesto might be your solution to planning a home-made-looking meal. Looking for exceptional pans to concoct fine sauces? Take a look at French manufacturer Mauviel’s heavy-duty copper pans. The Food Store is part of The Food Group, which initially began developing in a 40-square-meter Kolonaki space. Led by Managing Director Stefanie Kasselakis Apostolidis, a staff of young gourmets spent the last two and a half years searching and developing the list of products. They came up with a multitude of top-rate goods, many of them award-winning products made by experts in different countries, without discarding Greek produce, where goods come from small, local, high-quality artisan producers. Having located the products in Europe and the United States, the next step was setting up a flagship outlet reflecting The Food Group’s corporate culinary culture. This was eventually accomplished at the Maroussi premises – inaugurated in December 2002 – where The Food Store is currently showcasing local and foreign goods, kitchen utensils and knives, bakeware, professional standard pots and pans – while the Food Style section offers French Pichon handmade plates, Couzon cutlery, wine accessories and kitchen linens. Among many other items, you’ll find Dragonfly tea, Lorina sparkling lemonade from France’s Vosges region (available in various flavors), traditional Scottish shortbread, Vino Santo from the Monte Vertine estate in Tuscany’s Chianti region, Lorenza de Medici balsamic vinegar, Coltibuono red wine vinegar, excellent Leblanc olive oils and condiments, Rustichella d’Abruzzo pasta, Mazet and Valrhona chocolate and Carnaroli rice. On the making and baking side, offerings include microplane graters, salad spinners, professional citrus juicers, Henckels knives, muffin pans, and practical, non-stick reusable baking mats, among others. Coming up The Food Store promises to keep prices competitive, while clients’ interest should be maintained through a variety of seasonal and novel products – coming up are things like Oxo kitchen gadgets. The exciting new gourmet deli will soon be joined by a restaurant and a cafe, currently under construction next door. The idea here is for goods to be offered at various stages: From the packaged items on sale to being available in a cooked version for takeout orders, or to be savored at the premises as part of Mediterranean cuisine. But that’s not all, for The Food Group’s real mission is to bring culinary expertise to as many areas as possible – plans include consulting services and specialized publications, among others. Whatever The Food Group has in store for its developing clientele, it will, no doubt, be focusing on promoting well-researched and much-loved culinary ideas. The Food Store is situated at 40 Aghiou Constantinou, at the Aithrio shopping center’s Platia Level in Maroussi. It is currently open Mondays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tel. 210.610.4890.
