First of all tell us about your life story, you are twins, you are staying in Sydney and…
We are identical twins. Vikki was born first and is 5 minutes older but Helena is definitely the one in charge. We grew up in South Australia with parents and our Yiayia and Papou growing us up. We went on to compete in one of Australia’s most popular reality TV cooking shows and we made it to the semifinals. This TV show absolutely changed our lives. We made sure that after the show we turned this into a career for the future. We both went into working as chefs and studying commercial cookery. Then Vikki did not want to work in a kitchen, so she went along to become a Photo Chef and work in publishing and magazines creating recipes for different publications and working on TV commercials as the Chef behind the scenes. Helena became a chef in some of Australia’s best restaurants and now she lives in London as she works as a content creator and recipe developer for different brands. Her Instagram series called “eat like a Greek” went viral and she received over 20 million views. Vikki lives in Sydney with her husband and daughter Billie and she works as a Photo Chef on different publications and develops recipes for magazines and works behind the scenes on TV ads.
What is your connection with Greece and how do you feel about this?
We went to Greece in 1996 for a holiday with our mum. Our Thea Christine (mum’s sister) has been living in Thessaloniki for 35 years so we have been visiting her for a long time. This is where we have built our connection with Greece, visiting so often and building relationships with our mum‘s family. Our Yiayia is from Halkidiki, her brother still lives there. Over the years we have been visiting family where they cook for us and we learn their recipes and we’ve spent enough time to really feel connected to Greece. This is where our inspiration has come to write our Greek books.
How did the idea of making your first book came up?
Our first cookbook we wrote in 2015. It was based around recipes that take you home. We wanted people to feel like they were eating at our kitchen table the recipes that we grew up with our Yiayia cooking for us. Our second cookbook Peináo has done really well and we sold worldwide including Harrods so this has been a very big achievement for us. The idea of calling the book peináo is we grew up saying this often, all the time to Yiayia. Peináo is a book of recipes to feed hungry guests, it’s the book you buy for your best friend when she gets married, it’s the book you buy for your friend that’s just moved out with friends or it’s the book you buy for anyone really recipes to feed hungry guest at a dinner party. It’s filled with recipes that we love to feed our friends and our family when we hold a party.
What were the difficulties and how did you managed to succeed
We are control freaks so we run the entire project. When we write books we will hire a photographer , a Food Stylist and a prop Stylist and we will make sure that we cook all the food ourselves. Our job is to make sure that we’re putting all the edits in for the recipes and having control of the final look of each recipe in the book. There’s definitely difficulties making sure that each page has its own style and that each recipe respects the recipe.
What was the feedback of your fans
We have had beautiful positive reviews on all our cookbooks. Greek food is one of the most popular cuisines in the world so we are so happy that we can bring these recipes to people‘s homes and make them feel as they are eating at a tavern.
What about Opa your last book, why is it so special?
OPA! has been out in the world for a month now and it is absolutely thriving. The world is loving it and we are so excited for it to be everywhere. It’s special because we visited some of Greece’s most beautiful taverns, places that share stories of the people, the food, the land and to have people go and visit. These places are going to be very special. We also provided a recipe from each place. These recipes have been handwritten by the Chef and owners so they’re very special.
How were you connected with the taverns? Have you tasted all the plates?
Of course all plates were tasted. We visited each tavern to showcase each tavern story. We were very lucky to sit down with the owner and enjoy the food along with hearing their stories. It was very inspiring.
❝ The preservation and promotion of Greek urban architecture should undeniably become an important part of Greece’s cultural heritage.❞
A great illustrated cover, tell us the story
In Victoria Australia there is an artist Gemma who collaborates with chefs to turn recipes into art. Her mission is to spread food joy while fighting food waste. Every poster purchase equals 10 meals donated to food rescue organisations so we thought it was a great idea to have her illustrate the OPA! cover. We shared a photo that we captured in Greece that would be the inspiration for her painting. We wanted to make sure that it was a place that we had been before so she painted it from inspiration. We gathered the colours that represent Greece and this is the whole idea to make sure you walked past the book and knew straightaway that it was a Greek cookbook.
Which one is your favorite dish?
Our favourite dish is a little hard to say. It’s impossible. We think every recipe has its own story and it’s like choosing your favourite child. Our soutzoukakia on page 155 is a recipe we ate a lot as children, the flavours take us to yaiyias kitchen instantly so we often eat this to remind us of her. Another favourite is our ouzo & citrus sorbet, we gave this recipe to our friends to eat on the day of photographing it and they absolutely loved it. It really is a recipe you must make straight away.
What’s next on your plans
Our next plan is to write book 4!!
What is your philosophy of life?
To eat good food with people that make us happy.
Would you like to live in Greece and how often are you coming?
We have been visiting Greece since we were 6 years old and Helena visits twice a year for the summer and the winter. Our auntie is a school teacher and she lives in Panorama Thessaloniki. So each year we visit the most beautiful restaurants and we feel like it is our second home, especially for Helena who sometimes thinks she is a local. If we can get our Greek passport then yes, maybe one day we’ll consider moving to Greece.
What is Greece for you?
Greece is our second home. It’s a place where we feel free. Whoever we want to be and we love that our yiayia was born there. We feel very connected to her when we go back. The air, the smell, the food, the people, everything about Greece is not like anything else in this world. The second we get off the plane that Greek smell hits our face and it literally is the best smell in the entire world.
How much proud are your parents about you both?
Our mum is our biggest fan, she is so happy and proud of where we are today. Unfortunately, our father passed away when we were 12 years old but we know he would be very proud of us..
Your dream project?
Writing OPA!
❝ Athens is a symphony of chaos with a pulse that defiantly refuses to be silenced. It’s a city that wears its imperfections like a badge of honor and its resilience is etched in the faces of its people.❞
Your best taverna ever?
It’s hard to choose our favourite one but we have to say and we think a lot of people would agree that Taverna Oikonomou in Athens is a vibrant, up and coming suburb known for its mix of old world charm and modern energy located south of the Acropolis. The interior is charming and rustic with simple decor that reflects the tavernas history which spans nearly a century. Home-cooked dishes focus on local produce and offer nostalgic taste with an unpretentious space.
The best bit of advice you ever received
We wouldn’t say it’s the best advice, but Yiayia would always say to marry a rich man 😂
The best book you read past year
The best book we read the past year would have to be peináo cookbook of course.
On your free time you…
In our free time, we love to swim in the ocean. We both enjoy painting and of course we love cooking!
In your fridge you’ll always find
In our fridge we always have feta, lemons and Greek yogurt
The last thing you bought and loved
The last thing we bought and loved was a copy of OPA! For our cousin’s wedding present!
