How do you start the day?
Well I really like to make love in the morning…but in general with a glass of hot water with lemon and a matcha latte.
What is your food philosophy?
Еat colourful, varied and fresh local food. Carefully choose the sources.
What is the first meal you remember?
My Mom's mashed potatoes with fresh butter and feta cheese.
What's always in your fridge?
Green salad and fruits.
What’s always in your pantry?
Herbs, fermented foods, honey and nuts.
How do art and food intersect for you?
They are both forms of а creative expression and both require the courage to experiment. Cooking and creating art evokes pleasure and enjoyment of the feeling that you are alive and that you can share them.
Favorite kitchen tool?
The fork. We can do a lot of things only with one fork plus I like them. There is something very intellectual and elegant in them.
What do you turn to, to make you feel your best: food and all the other practices?
Movement, drinking plenty of water and green tea.
I usually prefer to eat twice a day, then I feel the best. if a had a breakfast it is just a fruit accompanied by matcha tea.
Тhe creative process (writing, painting) always helps me to overcome and transform all kinds of states and strong emotions.
Be positive, smile and do good, the universe always returns the invested energy sooner or later.
What are some of your favorite herbs?
Turmeric, Rosemary, Holy Basil, Thyme, Cardamom.
Lavender, Rose, Chamomile, Sideritis scardica: Mountain tea, Mexican Marigolds (Tagetes Erecta)
What ingredient are you most excited about right now?
Orange peel.
What music do you listen to while you cook?
I love listening music while I’m cooking, usually jazz (Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Chet Baker, Horas Silver) , opera or classical music (Wagner, Liszt. I love Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Philip Glass and Arvo Pärt) and sometimes when I’m in a more playful mood then Italian pop from the 60's and 70’s. I really like this music because it immerses me in a movie atmosphere. (Bruno Martino - Estate, Mina & Alberto Lupo - Parole Parole, Ornella Vanoni - L’Appuntamento,Volare - Domenico Modugno - Nel blu dipinto di blu, Julio Iglesias - Se Mi Lasci Non Vale).
Who is inspiring you in the food world right now?
I am inspired by the return and rethinking of the concept of local cuisine. To enjoy what is around us: simple and delicious fresh ingredients, produced by local communities.
You can experiment in the kitchen even with just one apple and a hint of salt. It is like in poetry, you don’t usually need ¨exotic ingredients to create a beautiful poem. You need just to find the perfect word, usually a very common and simple one, but close to your heart.
How do you end your day?
I love to watch movies and read in bed with a cup of tea. 
MATCHA ALMOND-COCONUT CAKE
Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free
3 large eggs you can use also ¨vegan eggs¨
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coconut butter
3 cups almond flour
1/2 cup of coconut flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon Matcha
1/2 teaspoon salt
30 drops stevia extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 T hot water
Preheat your oven to 300°F.
Butter a loaf pan generously or use a baking paper. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the Matcha and hot water together until smooth, and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the almond and coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until it’s smooth. Add the stevia extract. Beat in eggs one at time, making sure to scrape down the beaters and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Then beat in half of the almond flour mixture, afterwards beat in the almond milk. Beat in the remaining almond flour mixture until well-combined. Remove half of the batter to another mixing bowl.
With one half of the batter, beat in the Matcha mixture until well-combined. With the other half of the batter, beat in the almond extract. Alternate adding large spoonfuls of each batter into the prepared pan.Using a knife, “swirl” the batters together, and smooth the top.
Put in the oven and bake for 60 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown color and a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then put onto a rack to cool completely. I usually garnish it with fresh strawberries, fresh mint and coconut yogurt.
