While New Yorkers were busy preparing for the Greek Independence Day Parade down Fifth Avenue to share there Greek pride with the city, chef Maria Loi was busy sharing another aspect of Greece with the world— her food. The Greek-born chef who moved a few years ago to New York City scored a huge media triple play, appearing in Glamour Magazine, The New York Post and cooking on camera for CBS Channel 2.
In a hilarious spoof on the Last Supper, Loi was featured alongside Daniel Boulud (as Jesus), Eric Ripert and other top NYC chefs where she and the others were asked by the newspaper what they would want for their own Last Supper. While others selected ice cream and other delicacies, Loi kept it simple— and very Greek.
“I’d have freshly baked crusty bread with Greek extra virgin olive oil, feta cheese, dried Greek oregano from Mount Taygetos, a perfectly ripe tomato,” she says. “These were my favorite things to eat as a child,” she told the newspaper.
The New York Post piece was also picked up by the Daily Mail in London.
Glamour Magazine featured her homemade yogurt recipe that she serves for dessert at her Midtown Manhattan restaurant, drizzled with a bit of honey and sprinkled with nuts. The writer, Marissa Gold, called the dessert “delicious.” Media attention is nothing new for Loi’s famous homemade yogurt. It was featured in The New York Times recently, and People Magazine shared her recipe for grilled chicken that is first marinated in— what else? Greek yogurt.
Finally, capping a media triple play, Loi appeared on CBS Channel 2’s popular “Market to Table” segment with Stephanie Tantillo, where she cooked a dish made up of mushrooms and orzo. The segment shared secrets of selecting fresh mushrooms from the city’s countless markets and ended up in Loi’s kitchen where she shared her own Greek-inspired recipe.