Betty Alexandropoulou, Executive Director of Enterprise Greece and Member of the Board, talks to “The National Herald” about Summer Fancy Food Show 2023

Greece and Greek-Americans Shine at the 2023 Summer Fancy Food Show.

Betty Alexandropoulou, the Executive Director and Member or the Board of Enterprise Greece, the official investment and trade promotion agency of the Greek State, talks about the national pavilion, organized and supported by Enterprise Greece and the participation of the Greek companies, with  their high quality products.

Wonderful Greek Foods and Products Highlighted at Event at Loi Estiatorio
June 27, 2023

Chef Maria Loi event June 26 IMG_4872Chef Maria Loi addressed the crowd outside her eponymous restaurant, Loi, at the event which highlighted Greek products in this year’s Summer Fancy Food Show. Photo by Eleni Sakellis
NEW YORK – On the sidelines of the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center in New York City which ran June 25-27 this year, an event was hosted at Loi Estiatorio in New York City on June 26 highlighting Greek food and the impressive array of Greek products which were showcased in the Food Show.

Chef Maria Loi gave the welcoming remarks at the event, noting the presence of award-winning news reporter Juliet Papa of 1010 Wins radio among the attendees. Chef Loi explained that Papa “is Greek but doesn’t know it,” when she mentioned that her roots are in town near Naples, Chef Loi pointed out that Naples comes from the Greek for new city, since it was founded by Greeks in the first millennium BC.

Chef Loi then introduced Betty Alexandropoulou, the Executive Director of Enterprise Greece, the national trade and investment agency of the Greek state. Alexandropoulou thanked everyone for attending and especially the members of the Enterprise Greece team, including Antonis Gravanis, the Director of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Division, as well as Chef Loi whom she called “the Greek ambassador here.”

Chef Maria Loi and Enterprise Greece Executive Director Betty Alexandropoulou at the event on June 26. Photo by Eleni Sakellis
“We represent an exceptional selection of companies with outstanding products, that’s why we’re here today, because at the Summer Fancy Food Show, we have our Greek companies with our exceptional Greek products here and we have a great selection of these products represented in the foods you are tasting this evening,” Alexandropoulou said, noting the healthiness of the Mediterranean diet as well as Greece’s reputation as a trusted producer of high quality products which are increasingly in demand around the world.

She continued: “The U.S. imported around a half a billion euros worth of Greek products last year and we fully expect this amount to increase in the coming years and why is this? Because the love of the American consumers for the Greek products, but also our Greek exporters who continue to expand and refine their product lines and manufacturing capacity, so a big congratulations.”

“The continuous growth in the Greek food imports and last year it was 21% over the previous year goes hand in hand with the Mediterranean diet that took the world by storm,” Alexandropoulou said. “The Mediterranean way of eating has been endorsed for its health benefits by the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, the Harvard School of Public Health, and so forth and so on, that’s very important, but the best part about this is not just that it’s good for you, it’s just simply delicious, so it’s all about the taste which comes from the Greek earth where everything is produced so it’s not just about cooking, though we love the way that everything is made, but it’s also about where the products come from.”

The Greek products were on display at Loi Estiatorio for the event on June 26. Photo by Eleni Sakellis
“So we have exquisite products, olives, extra virgin olive oil, seasonal Greek sweets, vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, the cereals and our fantastic wines these are the foundation for healthy living and the traditional Greek cuisine for thousands of years,” she noted. “Adding to this we’re having millions of people experience this firsthand when they visit our country and just to say again that Greece currently welcomes around one million American visitors every year and when they return home, what do they do? They bring back the memories with them and along with the memories and tastes and flavors of Greece, these are happy memories, and they seek out Greek foods to bring it back home and to experience it.”

“Apart from that we have a huge Greek-American population with a long tradition in catering and in the last few years we have seen a growing number of Greek-American chefs, like Chef Loi, reinterpreting the Greek culinary tradition for modern tastes and winning new fans for Greek cuisine and products,” Alexandropoulou said. “So tonight you’ll have an opportunity to taste some of these products and together with all the team here we would like to introduce you to our talented Greek producers who embody the essence of Greek cuisine.”

The delicious Greek foods ready to be served at the event at Loi Estiatorio on June 26. Photo by Eleni Sakellis
Chef Loi then noted that she loves all the Greek companies and “I really admire all the products that they brought this year,” praising them in Greek that “they are, in fact, superb.”

She then introduced Nancy Papaioannou, Alma Bank Senior Executive Advisor and Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce (HACC) Advisory Board Co-Chair, who also shared her greetings, noting that Chef Loi “is the soul of the Greek food in New York… what I saw today at the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center really touched me because blue is Greece and thank you Chef Loi for continuing what we see today for the Greek food in New York.”

Chef Loi thanked Papaioannou who through her efforts and previous position as President of Atlantic Bank “has truly been the promoter because she was sponsoring everything through the bank… that’s why so many companies could be here.”

She also thanked the representatives of distribution companies who were present and encouraged them to meet with the Greek producers also at the event.

Attendees enjoyed delicious foods including dips and spreads, such as an olive spread made with excellent Greek olives, tasty cheeses, mini-dakos, as well as fresh Greek salads, cheese pies and spinach pies, stuffed eggplant, a light and flavorful fish dish, traditional pastitsio, chicken, and roasted lamb and potatoes. The wines included great Greek varieties like Assyrtiko and Agiorgitiko which perfectly paired with all the foods.

Among those present were Consulate General of Greece in New York Department of Economic and Commercial Affairs Head Nikolaos Thomopoulos, Greek Public Diplomacy Office Head Mary Vaxevanidou, Hellenic Lawyers Association President George Zapantis, Eftihia Pylarinou-Piper of Red Apple Group, and HACC Executive Director Alexandra Mitsakis.

Source:The National Herald