I’m upstairs at Eleni’s Kitchen & Bar in Yarraville with Eleftheria Amanatidis. The room feels like a taverna: a criss cross of dark beams, low light, and the sense that food is at the centre of everything. Eleftheria has captured not just the dishes of her Yiayias and Papous, but the atmosphere too: the smells, the rituals, the family gathered around a table. Hospitality runs in Eleftheria’s blood: her family opened Yarraville’s first Greek restaurant opposite the Sun Theatre in the ’70s, back when Greek films screened on weekends and the jukebox played until late. That history of feeding Melbourne’s Greek community is part of what she carries forward now. Her recently launched book Ela na Fáme (Come and Eat) is both a collection of recipes and a love letter to that heritage; filo rolled thin with patience, pork and cabbage stew simmering on a winter’s day, and the call that anchored her childhood: “Come and eat.” While we were talking, her Yiayia Eleni wandered upstairs to look at old photos, a reminder that in Greek kitchens, the past is always at the table.
Hi, Eleftheria. It’s lovely to have you on the podcast. We’re sitting upstairs in Eleni’s Kitchen, which, as we were saying, is a lot bigger than it seems. It’s very narrow, but it goes back a long way. I do feel like I’m in a Taverna situation with what you’ve done with the ceiling. It’s beautiful. You’ve already created a great atmosphere.
Thank you. As you said, it is very narrow but long, and upstairs in this area we’re sitting in, we generally use it on the weekends for casual dining, but we do have a lot of private functions because we seat up to 80 people up here
I’d like to start with growing up in a Greek household. What was that like? Do you have particular food memories?
It was very busy, very loud all the time, always with family, with my Yiayias, my Papous who were very involved. If my Yiayia was doing something in the kitchen, me and my sister were always with her. So, I guess that’s where all my inspiration, everything comes from, even with the restaurant because she involved us so much in all that, we grew up and we learned about our food and our culture as something really special to us. And, yes, I do have a lot of memories surrounded by food; one would definitely be my pork and cabbage stew, it was one of my papou’s favourites, who I’ve named the deli after, and just the smell of it always reminds me of a really cold winter’s day coming home from school. My p\Papou would pick us up. We’d head back to Yiayia’s, and she’d be always cooking from the morning in the kitchen and smelling the stew and the pork and the cabbage. It always takes me back to after school days with them, It’s still so vivid. It’s unbelievable how much connection to that there is through the smell.
I really get the sense through the book and the little blurbs you have about each dish and the introduction and so on that food was very much at the heart of the love and the way your family connected.
It’s exactly how we connected, whether it was over Greek coffee, with biscuits, like the Koulourakia that are in my recipe book or a full on feast for Easter or Christmas or a Name Day. But there was always food involved. It’s so much more than just slapping some ingredients together and shoving it on a plate, it’s more like a journey from start to finish because we were always involved with it, always sitting around the table with family and food is so special.
It’s a really lovely part in the book where you talk about packing up your little suitcase and going to stay with Yiayia for two weeks and there was a real routine to the day of getting up and I got an image of Yiayia starting in the morning and preparing. What would a day look like?
We would always sleep at my Yiayia Eleftheria’s, who I am named after, my mum’s mum, and basically, me and my sister would pack up and we’d stay there for the two weeks on school holidays. We’d get up. My Yiayia would always make us weet bix and we were allowed to have that in bed with our robes, which was the best thing ever. It was felt so deluxe. We’d get up, but she’d already started cooking for my Papou before he would go out for the day, which would typically be coffee or tea with some toast and feta and olives, a full spread. And then, if she hadn’t already been shopping, we’d go grocery shopping with her to get things ready for the day, come back and then we’d start helping her cut everything up: onions or parsley, whatever it was, and that would be for the main dish, so if we were having Fasolakia me kreas, string beans with meat, we’d help her get all that ready and she’d cook it off, and then that was the main so she’d always make pita as a side dish, which is like a meal in itself really when I think about it now. But that was a side dish for us. So, we’d help her with the flour and make the dough, stretch it out over the table, get that ready, do the filling with her. And then once that went in the oven, we’d always time it perfectly, because my Yiayia would love to watch The Bold and the Beautiful. So we’d have to sit down to watch The Bold and the Beautiful. That would be like our break and by the time that was done, everything was ready to finish cooking. Come dinner time, we would help set the table up, call my Papou from outside, and then by the time we’d be ready, my mum and dad would have finished work and everyone would come over and eat. Then we’d help her clean up, which wasn’t really my sister’s thing, but I’d help my wash dishes and then it would be watching the Simpsons on Channel 10 when we finished.
Such a vivid memories. So great. Did she use certain pots or utensils that might be a bit different?
They still have them, the really heavy dishes, and wooden spoons or her rolling pin, which she still has that’s so long and it’s not so wide, but I’ve never been able to get that anywhere. So if I ever need that, I’ll make sure I get it from my Yiayia because I can’t find it anywhere. It has been passed down through generations in her family. Even the cutlery, her glassware and her kitchen table, you don’t come across things like that anymore. It’s retro, you know.
What part of Greece were they from?
Northern Greece. On both sides, my Yiayia and Papou were both from Kastoria, Kozani and Kilkis. We are from Northern Greece, but our family migrated originally from Pontus, which is the population exchange when the Pontian genocide happened with the Ottoman Empire. They left there and then came to Northern Greece.
What are the food specialties from that area?
Pontian people, and people that in northern Greece are very well known for their pitas, so spanakopita, tiropita, which is just the cheese filling, spanakopita is obviously spinach. And even pumpkin pita, but we do it a little bit differently. Mainland or even people from the islands, they’ll make a kolokythopita, which is pumpkin pita, but a sweet version with cinnamon, whereas we do it savoury, and it’s not sweet. I didn’t even know about that myself. It’s only when we opened the restaurant and our head chef is from Lefkada, which is an island, I’d made pumpkin pita and he said, “Oh, did you put cinnamon in?” And I said, “Why would I do that?” And he said, “Don’t you have it sweet?” And I said, “No, I’ve never heard of that.” So it’s very different, but we’re very well known for the pitas. Opening the filo and all that is in the book as well. It’s something that not a lot of younger people, our younger generation has taken on because they all have the ready made filo. And I’m happy to say I’m the only person in my family that’s learned that from my Yiayia, so no one else knows how to open filo.
It seems like it must be really difficult to make.
It’s more that it is time consuming. But for me, there’s nothing better than homemade filo, the texture, the smell, everything.
I bet it doesn’t even compare to shop bought.
Not a chance. Beautiful, flaky, buttery.
I chose that title because I’d hear it all the time. Whether we were in bed or outside playing my Yiayia and my Papou as well would always call Elana na Fáme, come and eat, food was ready, and we’d drop everything to go eat because food’s food, it’s the best. When they said Elana, you had to be at that table ready to eat.
Eleftheria Amanatidis, Eleni’s Kitchen & Bar
The book is called Come and Eat, and it has a Greek name. Can you say the Greek name for me?
Ela na Fáme.
And what does that that phrase mean to you?
I chose that title because I’d hear it all the time. Whether we were in bed or outside playing my Yiayia and my Papou as well would always call Elana na Fáme, come and eat, food was ready, and we’d drop everything to go eat because food’s food, it’s the best. When they said Elana, you had to be at that table ready to eat.
It’s interesting for me, coming from a more British background. I feel like, obviously everyone loves to eat, but there’s just not that cultural pull that food has in Greek culture or on Sunday, I did a food tour of the Springvale Market with a Vietnamese food presenter and just the passion for good quality ingredients, fresh, and going to the market and getting all those things, I feel like that’s a little bit lacking in my background. It is amazing that just that sense of love, passion and provenance is really important to you; where the recipes come from, but also where the produce comes from as well. How do you go about sourcing the produce here?
Oh, so we make sure in the restaurant, and even in the deli, we’re very particular about who supplies us and especially with fruit and veg, and the fish and meat, everything is always delivered fresh every day. We’ve been here at Eleni’s going on almost eight years. This is our eighth year. So, whoever’s supplied us from day one, we still have really special relationships with them and they’re our same suppliers. We are very particular about who we deal with, and for that reason, because we know it’s fresh and good quality and that’s what we want to provide to our customers. That’s what they’re paying for in our service. We wouldn’t have it any other way. And that’s something growing up, it seemed different to me, where you’d go to the supermarkets and you’d see people buying all their fruit and veg, but I didn’t really know about that because with my Papou, he had a garden, the backyard was just full of anything and everything you can imagine. And that’s what we grew up eating.
Did he have beehives as well?
Beehives, no. My mum’s cousins did, which I thought I was too much for me. I would freak out with bees. But my Papou had everything from the fruit and veg, even chickens, rabbits, everything. It was unbelievable seeing that growing up. It was huge. Even to today, he’s 89 and, obviously he has slowed down a little bit, but he still tries to do it as much as he can. He rings us and says he’s got cucumbers and tomatoes or different types of lettuce. It’s unbelievable. It’s not unheard of, but not many people will manage that now with how busy everyone is, it’s just easier to go to the grocery store.
But then it probably speaks to longevity of people living healthy lives into their 80s and 90s. It’s the same as back in Greece looking after vegie gardens and fruit trees and so on, you’re having to think about them and be out there and you’re getting exercise and fresh air and eating food that’s fresh from the garden.
It’s physical and mental because my grandfather I named the deli after, my Papou that’s passed away since, up until he had Parkinson’s and he really couldn’t manage much, he still made sure he was outside, even just watering the vegies or whatever he could, but it helped a lot, not just physically, being able to get out, but mentally. I think it really does help them as well, because it’s that purpose, they have something to do, they are nurturing something. When we were little, that was their purpose, helping to raise us and I feel like it was the same for their gardens.
You have three venues, the restaurant, the deli, and cakes?
I have my cakes in the shop front of Jimmy’s Deli. But it is my third business.
And your family has had businesses in Yarraville since the seventies?
Yes, correct. So my Yiayia and Papou opened the original Eleni’s in 1971, which is now the Yarra Lounge, so it’s just down the street and opposite the Sun Theatre, the cinema. That was when all the Greeks came here from Greece, it was like their little hub, their little hangout, you know, Yiayia with her sister-in-law, they’d cook and my Papou would be there as well with his brother. And then my uncles had a couple of pizza shops here, one was featured in the first Wog Boy film. We’ve got a bit of a name for hospitality and venues in Yarraville.
Did you always know that that’s what you wanted to do, that you wanted to keep it going?
No. I always had the passion to because I love food so much and it was something that I always, even with the cookbook, I always wanted to be able to showcase that to people, but not to this extent. I didn’t think I’d ever do a restaurant as big as what we’ve done and the deli and now my cakes. I had initially started in hair and makeup, so something totally different, but still with that one-on-one client customer interaction. I was doing a bit of hair and makeup for short film sets, and then when this place came up for lease in Yarraville, it was 2017, we thought, well, we’ll go for it. So we jumped in, not knowing what we were doing. But I have to say, I’m happy that we did. We’ve had our challenges and all that, and it’s been a fun journey. At the time I was working in a salon in West Footscray. My boss at the time, Andie, who was amazing, said, Look, Thierry, do whatever days you want, it’s fine. Before this opened, I was helping with the construction of it. I got very hands on with it, painted these beams as well. I thought, OK, well, I’ll get involved in it and I’ll work a few days in the restaurant when we open, and then we’ll find staff. We got so busy. We never found staff and to cut a long story short, it’s eight years later, and I never went back to hair and makeup. I’ve been here full time, which I’m happy about. I do miss hair and makeup a little bit, it’s still a passion of mine that one day I hope to open a salon of my own. But, it was a very interesting transition and change of career and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
So, it was important for you, to learn technique from the chef, Christo Katopodis?
I spoke about this briefly on the night of my book launch, Obviously, you know, I was able to do the book because being raised by my Yiayias and Papous, they were always involved in cooking, even my Papou who passed away. He actually taught my Yiayia Eleni how to cook. She was a seamstress in Greece and my Papou loved cooking and loved food, and I think that’s obviously where that comes from for us, but as much as what my grandparents taught me, it’s on a very different scale, obviously in a hospitality venue. So, I was lucky enough Christos came and started working for us. It wasn’t until the COVID lockdown, and we kept everyone on and everyone was doing deliveries for us, but I worked really closely with Christos in the kitchen, and it was amazing. I can’t thank him enough for it, and I’ve learned so much working with him and even till today, there’s so much still you can learn.
And you learned butchery as well?
No, so butchery was my Papou’s expertise. I would have loved to have learned and my Papou did have a butcher shop, but that was unfortunately before my time. But I’m very involved, very hands-on. I know how to cook the giro and cut it fresh from the spit and I learned all that from Christos. It’s probably safe to say I’m one of the only Greek women in Greek kitchens that knows how to cook on the charcoal and the spit. That technique is a dying technique. There’s not many Greek chefs left from Christos’ age. He’s been amazing.
There’s a lot of wisdom from my grandparents, but I would say one thing I think about all the time, and this is mainly because we’ve had to face a few challenges in the last couple of years here, that it doesn’t matter what happens and how bad it is. Everything will always come good. My sister and I were raised that it doesn’t matter how bad anything is, you just keep going and you keep your head up and everything will work out. And that’s something that they always said to us from little; you keep going and everything will be alright.
Eleftheria Amanatidis, Eleni’s Kitchen & Bar
I feel like often food writers will write about Melbourne as the most Greek city outside of Greece and there’s definitely waves of Greek restaurants opening, periodically, probably once a year, Broadsheet or Good Food or Delicious will do the top five Greek Restaurants. Do you think Greek food is evolving or is it better that it stays traditional?
I definitely think it is evolving, especially, as you said, there’s so many new restaurants or little hubs or cafes that are opening up over the last few months as well. We’re here and we provide our traditional Greek cuisine. There’s a lot of other places that are more fusion, very different, something we’re not used to. But I’m all for it. If that’s what people like it keeps people coming back, then why not? And I think it definitely, all these new places opening up as well, they’re putting Greek cuisine back on the map for us here in Melbourne. I feel like there was a bit of a decline and I think it’s been great that there’s so many write ups now for different places, and we’ve been in a few of those as well, which is good to be recognised. as one of Melbourne’s top Tavernas, which is great. I don’t think it’ll ever just be traditional Greek cuisine. There’s always going to be some chef that’s going to put their own spin on it, and that’s great.
As you say, you do a lot of traditional recipes in your book and on the menu, things like Moussaka, Baklava, Spanakopita. Are there lesser known dishes or ingredients that you wish people knew about?
Not an ingredient, but the Greek kitchen as a whole. Greek cuisine is so much more than just meats, and I feel like everyone thinks of Greek like Souvlaki, skewers and giro. There are so many vegetarian dishes and we get a lot of customers coming here asking about gluten free. The majority of our menu is gluten free. I would say that a some people aren’t so aware that there are stuffed peppers, stuffed zucchinis, eggplant halves that are filled with vegetables and things like that.
Is there a piece of advice or wisdom that you have gained from your Yiayias or Papous, that you hold close to your heart?
There’s a lot of wisdom from my grandparents, but I would say one thing I think about all the time, and this is mainly because we’ve had to face a few challenges in the last couple of years here, that it doesn’t matter what happens and how bad it is. Everything will always come good. My sister and I were raised that it doesn’t matter how bad anything is, you just keep going and you keep your head up and everything will work out. And that’s something that they always said to us from little; you keep going and everything will be alright. My Yiayia, both of them actually, would always say to us, “O Theos megalos,” which means, God is big. So, everything does happen for a reason, but everything will come good. It doesn’t matter how bad it is.
Eleni’s Kitchen & Bar, 28 Anderson Street, Yarraville