VASILIKI VOURLIOTAKI

I am located in NYC and i serve as an executive chef in one of the most famous Greek restaurants in New York “OUSIA”, the latest concept from the Livanos Restaurant Group, which is located in the heart of Manhattan. OUSIA is a Greek-focused Mediterranean restaurant that brings the dynamic flavors and textures of land and sea to life on each plate and in every glass.

My hope is for guests to indulge in Greek food with some familiarity, thanks to Greek ingredients, that help them to connect to and understand each dish. My culinary style combines modern techniques, regional influences with a focus on the Greek tradition and my Cretan heritage.

VASILIKI VOURLIOTAKI IS CERTIFIED AS AN OFFICIAL AMBASSADOR FOR GREEK GASTRONOMY 2020

She enrolled in the Le Monde Institute of Hotel and Tourism Studies (Greece), earning her formal degree in culinary studies in 2008. With a solid foundation, Vourliotaki moved on to a five-star Small Luxury Hotels Collection property, Rodos Park Suites and Spa, building her practical skills and gourmet techniques. She also cut her teeth alongside acclaimed Greek chefs at fine dining restaurants including Kiku—the first Japanese restaurant in Athens, Vasilainas, and Gaspar Food and Mood. By the fall of 2011, Vourliotaki’s expertise caught the attention of the “MasterChef Greece” television series, which brought her onboard as a food expert. Hungry to learn more, Vourliotaki traveled to Germany in November 2012, spending a year as chef de partie at Freihaus Brenner Restaurant, located south of Munich. She then relocated to the city to study under Michelin-starred chef Alfons Schuhbeck at Schuhbecks Südtiroler Stuben. Come spring 2014, Vourliotaki set her sights on the U.S.A. The chef’s first experience in New York City came at highly regarded seafood-centric Oceana, at which chef Ben Pollinger taught her countless lessons in the kitchen. Roughly one year later, Vourliotaki hopped back across the Atlantic, this time landing in Paris at Michelin-starred Hélène Darroze. Working under its eponymous chef, who earned recognition as “Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef” at The World’s 50 Best in 2015, empowered Vourliotaki like nothing else before, with an ambitious environment and mostly female kitchen staff. Leaving Hélène late in 2015, Vourliotaki picked up a restaurant post in Monte Carlo, Monaco, before heading back to Greece by way of Mykonos. She returned to the U.S.A. to join the Ousia team in early 2017, eager to unleash her multi-faceted, yet homegrown approach to cooking in The Big Apple!