10/03/2022
Lefteris Lazarou
Born in 1952 to a father who worked as a ship-chef, Lefteris Lazarou, never thought of following a different path. When he was 15, he started working with his father in ship kitchens during the summers. He travelled around many countries and worked with their national cuisine. However, working at cruise ships was where he learnt the most about cooking. Having to cook for different people daily, he had to adjust Greek cuisine to their own nutritional habits. As time went by, he decided to create a “boat” on land, a kitchen that will never get rocked by the waves.
Therefore in October 1987, he opens Varoulko in Piraeus, that does not get rocked by waves but is loyal to the memories of the sea as applied on creative cooking. Since October 2004, Varoulko has been moved from Piraeus to Pireos street downtown. In Varoulko, Lefteris Lazarou creates seafood plates made entirely of ingredients he comes upon daily, as he wanders through the various markets.
These past few years, Lefteris Lazarou, has travelled to Argentina, Japan and America, as well as most of the European capitals to promote Greek olive oil through presenting the Greek cuisine. In the U.S.A, he has taught Greek cuisine in one of the most famous cooking schools, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Since 1993, Lefteris Lazarou has been awarded the “Golden Chef Hat”, an award Athinorama, the leading entertainment guide for the city of Athens, gives out every year. In 1998, he cooked for the guests of the Greek Government, in the International Expedition HELEXPO in Lisbon, Portugal.
