What happens when two of the world’s top chefs, a rooftop with one of the most breathtaking views in the world, and a cause rooted in service come together? Magic—Athenian style.
The Greek America Foundation hosted its first-ever fundraising dinner in Athens on October 13, 2025, at the stunning Olympias Rooftop, overlooking a scaffold-free Parthenon gleaming in the night sky. The sold-out event brought together friends, supporters, and new allies from Athens’ local community, all united by a shared belief in philanthropy and cultural connection.
The culinary centerpiece of the night was a four-course collaboration between Chef Cat Cora, the first female Iron Chef and the first woman inducted into the American Culinary Federation’s Hall of Fame, and Chef Iosif Sykianakis, one of Greece’s most acclaimed chefs and culinary consultants. Though working ten time zones apart in the lead-up to the event, the two created a menu that seamlessly blended Greek inspiration with global finesse.
Guests began with savory squid ink loukoumades with tarama and Osetra caviar, followed by crispy baby calamari, zucchini carpaccio and tagliatelle with mint, lemon, and aged Naxos graviera, a roasted lamb loin with black figs, ouzo-buttered chanterelles, and potato pavé, and a deconstructed white chocolate baklava with pistachio tuile and honey-orange blossom syrup.
Hosted by Gregory C. Pappas, founder and chairman of the Greek America Foundation, alongside a local host committee of Achilleas Voutsinas, Steve Tsaropoulos, and Alexis Galanopoulos, the evening raised vital support for the Foundation’s Greek America Corps volunteer program.
This initiative brings young people from North America to Greece each summer to serve in orphanages, refugee shelters, and community organizations—creating meaningful impact while nurturing lifelong ties to Greece.
Eleni Anagnostopoulos, director of the Greek America Corps Volunteer Program in Greece spoke to guests about the program’s impact on both the communities served, as well as the volunteers coming from North America.
The evening wasn’t just a dinner—it was a homecoming. For Cat Cora, it marked a return to her ancestral homeland, and for many guests, it was a reaffirmation of shared values that transcend borders: hospitality, service, and community.
As the Parthenon stood radiant in the distance, the message was clear—philanthropy, like great food, brings people together.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
