Michael Psilakis
{{Short description|American celebrity chef, author, and restaurateur}}
{{Infobox chef|name=Michael Psilakis|birth_place=New York City, New York, U.S.
| restaurants = MP Taverna, Irvington NY
|prevrests={{plainlist}}* Ecco, Long Island (2001–2004),
* Onera, New York City (2004–2007),
* Anthos, New York (2007–2010),
* Mia Donna, New York City (2008–2009),
* Kefi, New York City (2008–2020),
* Gus & Gabriel Gastropub, New York City (2009–2010),
* Fishtag, New York City (2011–2018),
* MP Taverna, New York City (2013–2019)
{{endplainlist}}|television={{plainlist}}* Iron Chef America (2006, 2010, 2011),
* Ultimate Recipe Showdown (2009–2010),
* Beat Bobby Flay (2014–2016, 2019),
* Chopped (2015, 2017),
* Tournament of Champions (2022)
{{endplainlist}}|website={{url|http://www.michaelpsilakis.com}}}}
Michael Psilakis is an American celebrity chef, author, and restaurateur.{{Cite web |last= |date=March 31, 2015 |title=Michael Psilakis in Greece |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/news/michael-psilakis-in-greece |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Food & Wine |language=en}} He is best known for his Greek cuisine and appearances on television shows including Ultimate Recipe Showdown, Iron Chef America, The Best Thing I Ever Ate and No Kitchen Required.[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/no-kitchen-required-bbc_b_1395210.html No Kitchen Required] by Jay Tavare (Huffington Post, 4 April 2012) He has owned and operated a number of popular restaurants around New York City and has cooked for President Barack Obama at the White House.[https://books.google.com/books?id=fEfHkqPhgbwC Frommer's New York City 2011] by Brian Silverman, Kelsy Chauvin and Richard Goodman (John Wiley & Sons, 2010)
Early life
Michael Psilakis was born in New York City, and is of Greek descent.{{Cite web |date=2017-03-14 |title=Michelin star chef whips up weight-loss success in the kitchen |url=https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/michelin-star-chef-whips-up-weight-loss-success-in-the-kitchen |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}
Restaurant and food career
From 2001 to 2004, Psilakis managed restaurant Ecco on Long Island.[https://books.google.com/books?ei=HTIsU7WLJYiakAX61oDoBA Michael Psilakis is in a class by himself] by Pearl Violette and Newfield Metzelthin (Gourmet magazine, 2007)
The address of 222 West 79th Street on the Upper West Side, Manhattan has been home to many of Psilakis restaurants including Onera (from 2004 to 2007);{{Cite web |last=Plant |first=Adam |date=January 27, 2005 |title=Onera, New York Magazine Restaurant Review |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/food/reviews/restaurant/10935/ |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=New York Magazine (Nymag) |language=en-us}}{{Cite news |last=Sifton |first=Sam |date=2011-03-01 |title=Fishtag |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/dining/reviews/02rest.html |access-date=2022-04-11 |issn=0362-4331}} Kefi (from 2007 to 2009); Gus & Gabriel Gastropub (from 2009 to August 2010);{{Cite web |last=Rosner |first=Helen |title=Michael Psilakis Will Replace Gus & Gabriel With New Concept |url=https://www.grubstreet.com/2010/07/gus_gabriel_is_closing.html |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Grub Street |date=20 July 2010 |language=en-us}} Fishtag (from 2011 to 2018);{{Cite web |date=June 7, 2018 |title=Kefi Has a New Space, But Now Fishtag Needs a New Home |url=https://www.westsiderag.com/2018/06/07/kefi-has-a-new-space-but-now-fishtag-needs-a-new-home |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=West Side Rag}} followed by Kefi returning to this same location from 2018 until 2020, after Kefi had relocated for a period from 2009 until 2018 on 505 Columbus Avenue.{{Cite web |last=Upadhyaya |first=Kayla Kumari |date=2018-06-06 |title=Kefi Is Relocating to a Smaller Space On the UWS [Updated] |url=https://ny.eater.com/2018/6/6/17433746/kefi-greek-restaurant-closed-nyc |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Eater NY |language=en}}[http://www.grubstreet.com/2013/11/michael-psilakis-beer-hall-williamsburg.html Looks Like Michael Psilakis’s Huge Williamsburg Restaurant Is Back On] by Hugh Merwin (Grub Street, New York magazine, 8 November 2013) Restaurant Kefi had been the subject of multiple employee lawsuits.{{Cite web |last=Morabito |first=Greg |date=2015-07-27 |title=Dinex Group Servers Settle Class Action Wage Suit Against Boulud For $1.4 Million |url=https://ny.eater.com/2015/7/27/9046795/boulud-lawsuits |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Eater NY |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=2010-04-27 |title=Donatella Arpaia Is Putting Chef's Whites Over Her Prada |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/dining/28dona.html |access-date=2022-04-11 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |last=Morabito |first=Greg |date=2012-03-15 |title=Kefi is the Latest Restaurant Hit by Employee Lawsuit |url=https://ny.eater.com/2012/3/15/6604869/kefi-is-the-latest-restaurant-hit-by-employee-lawsuit |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Eater NY |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Jenny |title=Kefi, Casa La Femme Are the Latest Restaurants to Get Sued |url=https://www.grubstreet.com/2012/03/kefi_casa_la_femme_are_the_lat.html |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Grub Street |date=15 March 2012 |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |last=Chung |first=Jen |date=2012-10-02 |title=Popular UWS Kefi Restaurant Fails Health Dept Inspection. Twice. |url=https://gothamist.com/ |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Gothamist |language=en}}
Donatella Arpaia and Michael Psilakis had co-owned Kefi, as well as Anthos at 36 West 52nd Street (2007–March 2010),{{Cite web |last=Leventhal |first=Ben |date=2007-03-12 |title=Eater Inside: Anthos |url=https://ny.eater.com/2007/3/12/6818295/eater-inside-anthos |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Eater NY |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Kludt |first=Amanda |date=2010-09-28 |title=Donatella Arpaia Sells Anthos Space to Steakhouse Family |url=https://ny.eater.com/2010/9/28/6717491/donatella-arpaia-sells-anthos-space-to-steakhouse-family |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Eater NY |language=en}} and Mia Donna (2008–September 2009).{{Cite news |last=Sifton |first=Sam |date=2010-05-19 |title=Mia Dona |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/dining/reviews/19rest.html |access-date=2022-04-11 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |last=Kludt |first=Amanda |date=2010-03-11 |title=Michael Psilakis OUT at Anthos as he Considers the Burg |url=https://ny.eater.com/2010/3/11/6740577/michael-psilakis-out-at-anthos-as-he-considers-the-burg |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Eater NY |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Kludt |first=Amanda |date=2009-09-14 |title=Divorces: Michael Psilakis OUT at Mia Dona |url=https://ny.eater.com/2009/9/14/6759425/divorces-michael-psilakis-out-at-mia-dona |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Eater NY |language=en}}
For his work at Anthos, Psilakis was named Esquire magazine's Chef of the Year in 2006.[http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/12/19/kitchen-superstars-michael-psilakis-is-greek-god-comfort-food/ Kitchen Superstars: Michael Psilakis' quest to make Greek go mainstream] by Elizabeth Saab (Fox News, 19 December 2013) In 2008, he received a Michelin Star for Anthos.{{Cite web |last=Gordinier |first=Jeff |date=2020-03-20 |title=Cooking to Cope: Why MP Taverna's Michael Psilakis Is Still in the Kitchen |url=https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a31815261/chef-coronavirus-response-michael-psilakis/ |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Esquire |language=en-US}} In 2008 he was named Bon Appétit's Chef of the Year.[https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945429_1945420_1945414,00.html Top Chef, Meet Biggest Loser] (TIME magazine)
From April 2013 to 2019, Psilakis owned and operated restaurant, MP Taverna on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, Queens.[http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/celebrity-chef-opens-mp-taverna-astoria-article-1.1330327 Celebrity chef Michael Psilakis opens MP Taverna in Astoria] by Clare Trapasso (NY Daily News, 30 April 2013){{Cite web |title=Greek restaurant MP Taverna closes in Roslyn |url=https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/restaurants/mp-taverna-roslyn-w53237 |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=Newsday|date=29 March 2019 }}
Television appearances
Psilakis served as a judge on Ultimate Recipe Showdown and was twice a contestant on Iron Chef America (2006 and 2010). He hosted The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
When BBC America created No Kitchen Required in 2012, Psilakis was chosen as one of three participants and a co-executive producer for the first series. He has also appeared a number of times on Good Morning America, and has been announced as a contestant on the "Superstar Sabotage" tournament of Cutthroat Kitchen.{{Cite web|url=http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2014/09/alton-brown-cutthroat-kitchen-superstar-sabotage/|title=Top-Notch Chefs to Turn Evilicious in Cutthroat Kitchen's First Superstar Sabotage Tournament}}
Books
Psilakis has struggled with his body weight and wrote the 2017 book, Live to Eat: Cooking the Mediterranean Way (Little, Brown) to highlight easier ways to modify diet without losing flavor.
- {{Cite book |last=Psilakis |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zaM5AQAAQBAJ |title=How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking |publisher=Little, Brown |others=Barbara Kafka (contributor) |year=2009 |isbn=9780316071734}}
- {{Cite book |last=Psilakis |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sgxMCgAAQBAJ |title=Live to Eat: Cooking the Mediterranean Way |publisher=Little, Brown |year=2017 |isbn=9780316308205 |location=New York City, NY}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{url|http://www.michaelpsilakis.com}}
- {{IMDb name|3611458}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20140322011544/http://www.bbcamerica.com/no-kitchen-required/contestants/chef-michael-psilakis/ Profile] at BBC America
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Category:American restaurateurs