Downtown Toronto gets contemporary Greek restaurant – Introducing Volos

July 4, 2011 - PRLog -- Toronto, ON – Gather around the large celebration table at Volos for a taste of Greek hospitality and contemporary Greek cuisine. In the former Mediterra space, the new restaurant presents an elegant look, a distinctive concept and enticing lunch and dinner menus.  Volos joins forces with Greek food guru, Diane Kochilas, and renowned interior designer, Marc Kyriacou, to create an authentic but modern expression of Greek dining that takes guests beyond typical Greek clichés.

“I have devoted my professional life to promoting Greek cuisine in North America,” says Kochilas, Athens-based chef consultant.  “The Greek diet has it all—indulgence and health. It speaks to the modern needs for real food that is good for you and good tasting.”

Fresh, healthy flavours and emphasis on beautiful presentation please both the appetite and eyes at Volos.  Modern twists on traditional Greek dishes and Greek twists on local Canadian ingredients create a contemporary culinary experience rooted in authenticity. The restaurant sources the highest quality local produce, superior quality cuts of meat and the best fish, delivered daily.  Like the menu, the interior plays with different Greek elements and motifs. Natural wood and stone combined with artful and ambient lighting lend a seductive and comfortable atmosphere.

“As a Greek-Canadian, I was driven to bring Toronto the type of modern Greek restaurant it has been missing,” says Marc Kyriacou, interior designer.  “Volos is designed to make guests feel like they are dining in a premiere restaurant in Greece.”

Volos owner, Andreas Antoniou, uses a Greek word to describe his restaurant’s philosophy: Philoxenia, which means guest-friendly or hospitable. Servers have been exhaustively trained on both the food and unique Greek wines offered at Volos.. The pièce de résistance in the dining room is the twelve-seat celebration table, where guests will soon be able to sample a prix-fixe menu of Volos’ signatures in a warm, convivial setting.

About Volos:  Continuing the family restaurant legacy, the youngest of the Antoniou sons brings Toronto his vision of contemporary Greek dining.  Introducing Andreas Antoniou. The Richard Ivey Grad spent the last five years working at the highest level in the financial services industry in Los Angeles, New York and London for Oaktree Capital Management and Credit Suisse.  Restaurants, however, are nothing new to Antoniou, who worked extensively at Little Anthony’s and Mediterra for more than eight years.

“Having had the opportunity to live and work abroad, I’ve experienced many of the world’s best restaurants as a customer which has given me a new perspective on dining.  Returning to Toronto, I felt strongly that I could build a strong team to deliver a contemporary Greek experience with the type of service, presentation and ambience that one would expect in any premiere restaurant.  We’re committed to achieving that goal.”

The restaurant is named after the port city in Greece where Antoniou’s father was born.  The branding of the mythic centaur, Chiron, reflects both the region of Volos, Greece and the restaurant’s mission. Beyond pleasing guests with great food and service, Volos strives to educate guests about the exotic and unique wines from one of the world’s oldest winemaking regions.

Philoxenia: Philo meaning love and Xenia meaning stranger, translates to love of strangers. This is the mantra at Volos. Volos incorporates this spirit into everything from design to food to service.

Estiatorio: A Greek restaurant, especially one that is more upmarket and elaborate than a taverna.

About Diane Kochilas: AKA The Greek Food Guru, Diane isan internationally known food writer, cookbook author, culinary teacher and Greek food consultant. She appears regularly on North American television, including recent appearances on the Food Network’s “Throwdown with Bobby Flay,” and “Foodography,” Discovery Channel’s “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern,” and the PBS News Hour. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Travel & Leisure, Saveur, Food & Wine, Eating Well and in other food and general-interest publications.

In Greece, she is the weekly food columnist and restaurant critic for the country’s largest newspaper, Ta Nea. She has written 17 books in both English and Greek on Greek and Mediterranean cuisine, including the award-winning The Glorious Foods of Greece. She is the owner of the Glorious Greek Kitchen cooking school on the island of Ikaria, Greece. She is consulting chef for several restaurants in the United States as well as retail consultant for Hellenic Gourmet, the duty-free food shops at the Venizelos International Airport and around Greece, for which she helped upgrade the store’s product selection. Her knowledge of Greek regional foods, wines and culinary lore is extensive.

About Marc Kyriacou: Kyriacou specializes in hospitality and retail interior design. He worked for some of the most respected interior design firms until forming MarcKyr Design in 2002. His independent projects include: The Spoke Club, Toronto; Maro, restaurant and nightclub; Brant House, restaurant and nightclub. Upon opening MarcKyr Design, Kyriacou has become one of the leaders in the downtown Toronto market for bar and restaurant interior design.

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