EGIDIO GUERRERI &NIKOS NANOU

Egidio Guerreri was born in Rome, Italy in 1966 and he graduated in law from the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy in 1990. After his Master degree in European Law at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium he worked for a year as a lawyer for the law firm Chiomenti e Associati in Brussels and then between 1992and 2002 as a legal counsel specialized on copyright, trademark, patents and intellectual property issues for the European Commission in Brussels. After two sabbatical years during which he decided to follow his dream in Mykonos he finally resigned his post in the European Commission in 2004.

Nikos Nanou was born in Xanthi, Greece in 1968 and he graduated in psychology from the Aristotelion University of Thessaloniki, Greece in 1992. He also obtained a journalism degree from the Journalism College of Athens in 1993. He never practiced any of the above though, as since May 1992 got involved into the restaurant business in Mykonos. First at the Yves Klein Blue restaurant between 1992 and 1997. Mykonos being a seasonal destination, he has had working experiences during his winter travels back then in different places around the world i.e. London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Melbourne, always in the restaurant field and always as front of the house. Then in January 1998 he opened his first restaurant in Brussels, in the European District close to all the European institutions. A mediterranean concept called Balthazar that became an instant hit between the high rank “eurocrats” and diplomats. He managed this place until March 2002 and eventually sold it in 2005.

Nikos and Egidio met in Brussels through common friends in October 1997 and they started their first professional adventure together back in the island of Mykonos, Greece in 2002 with the opening of the Italian Trattoria Aqua. A cosy everyday place in a beautiful but “touristic” location that served traditional Italian food and managed to attract the not “touristic” crowd.  It took Aqua just a couple of months to get established and it became, during the five years that they run it before selling it in 2006, a point of reference for the Greek and international crowd of Mykonos.

In 2005 a very interesting proposal for a consulting job on the F&B department of the Londa hotel in Limassol, Cyprus turned out to be a great experience, kept them busy for 10 months and resulted to to a successful reopening of the hotel after its complete renovation. 

In 2007 they moved a step forward in Mykonos with the opening of the high end Italian concept of Gola (www.gola.gr). An amazing lounge bar restaurant in a stunning location with views over the sunset and the sacred island of Delos. The size, location and design of the venue was ideal for big scale events and private parties and it catered to lots of similar activities.

In 2010 the moment had come for a Greek restaurant and Bakaló (www.bakalo.gr) was born as a revisited Greek eatery. Traditional Greek grandma’s recipes adjusted to the new era standards. 2011 another Italian concept is born. Catarí (www.catari.gr)  is going back to essential! Authentic Italian food, all the classics plus a real Neapolitan pizza served in a beautiful garden of an old Mykonian villa that could easily be on the Amalfi rivieraThe common element of all these different places that they have created through the years (apart from the open kitchens) is the “hospitality concept”. They love working in an international environment and interacting with people from all around the world, speaking different languages (5 each) and making new friends through their clients at the restaurants.
No matter how big or small or expensive or design the restaurant is, what really makesthe experience of dining in their places unique is the attention to the smallest details and the personalized service

YANIV COHEN

Yaniv  Cohen the creative director and VP of  Shiraz Events an international catering and event company renowned for creative cuisine, impeccable service  standard and fashion forward décor. Yaniv has been spending most of his life in kitchen, from his grandma's kitchen to NYC restaurant .Working for numerous chefs, celebrities and restaurants, Yaniv developed an extensive familiarity in creating impeccable dishes that attract an exclusive clientele.

In addition,  in recent years Yaniv has become known for his work as The Spice Detective, a blog about food, spices, herbs and everything in between.