Grec Voyage welcomes nomad chef Andreas Lagos, who introduces us to tagathon, an inspiration from the ideal of Epicurean Good. An e-shop that aims to highlight the invaluable world of Greek quality goods, the authentic raw material and at the same time to introduce people to a culture of taste, bliss and healthy living.
Andreas Lagos loves good, Greek and simple food. The same goes for the philosophy that characterizes the collection of unique Tagathon boxes. The most exquisite products, in combination with the selected recipes, reserve for you every day an exciting gastronomic trip to the Greek land. At a time when we all need to meet our loved ones and discuss, dream and plan our next steps, Tagathon offers us the most beautiful boxes for unforgettable tables.
You are one of the chefs who were not satisfied with a professional kitchen, but chose to become a prefecture, “Nomad Chef”. You chose to travel and get to know people’s kitchens. How do people perceive your nomad philosophy?
My need for research and development led me to “travel” outside the narrow confines of a restaurant kitchen and I created my own philosophy for cooking and eating. Thus, the concept “Nomad by Andreas Lagos” was born. My Nomad philosophy takes me beyond the confines of a restaurant kitchen. I am a “wandering” person, I like adventure, discovery and creating new flavors. My choice not to be in the same place all the time, helps me to evolve and makes me happy. It allows me to “enter the houses of others”, to “cook” the personal moments of a group, communicating the philosophy and the ritual of taste to those who seek it.
You have traveled all over the world and have known the gastronomy of many countries. Can the gastronomic culture of Greece be extended to a global scale?
Of course it can, it has excellent raw materials and excellent colleagues, who can promote the culture of Greece all over the world. But in order to do that, there must be organization and will and a common approach and belief in this goal.
Do the influences you receive or your choices play the most important role in the development of your work?
Evolution is part of my life philosophy. Without it, I could not move on all these years. I am constantly looking for new things, for new data, for new trends and I adapt them to the data of each era. A practical development is the creation of Tagathon in such a difficult period. Because I believe that even through difficulties, the best result comes out.
Catering professionals and chefs include Greek traditional cuisine in restaurant menus, but with a more modern version. Do you think that Greek cuisine can be changed or should it remain intact?
Everything is subject to change and correction, as long as the base remains the same. People are evolving, conditions are changing, people’s choices are changing, so Greek cuisine cannot be left out. It needs to keep up with developments, without losing its identity.
At the beginning of March, you created a site that honors the gastronomy of Greece, Tagathon. Tell us a few words about your new venture.
Growing up in a rural family of Samos, I learned from a very early age to appreciate the pure raw material and to distinguish the best quality. From a young age, I learned to share the opinion of the elders, who considered olive oil, wine, herbs, fruits and vegetables of my place as excellent products. Through the professional path I have chosen, I consider it my duty and honor at the same time, to highlight the highest quality Greek products and to share the same vision with the most remarkable producers. Our common goal is to get the Greek product in the hands of those who want to try it, in its ideal version. The raw material itself taught me what Love means and this Love is my motivation to support Greek products, the “Good” of Epicurus, which means longing for travel, inspiration, exploration, healthy eating and fine, pure taste. Love for creation, passion for Greece.
What does tagathon mean?
Tagathon means Greece. Journey in memory, in time, in pleasure, in joy, in bliss, in happiness. Each choice helps you to initiate and support Greece, to get to know its unique nature and the works of its people.
The tagathon is an invitation from me to the whole world, so that we can all give the Greek products the place they deserve. A place at the top.
By what criteria did you choose the producers with whom you collaborate in your new project?
I feel great respect and admiration for all these people who have dedicated their lives to the proper utilization of the raw material, which is generously given by Mother Earth. Having grown up in a rural family, I can understand the effort, the difficulties, the struggle but also the joy and satisfaction that come from the primary sector, so that we can all enjoy the best in our diet.
In search of the best raw material and the most capable producers, I travel all over Greece, looking for the ideal product that I suggest to you through tagathon, which is essentially a community, where the most worthy of a newer local production participate. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to every producer who trusted their products to tagathon. Because tagathon is the Greece that we all deserve to know, love and support.
Food has a great place in the lives of people since ancient times, as it accompanies us in joys and sorrows and we always share it with our loved ones. In a new and so different era, like the one we are going through, do you think that the Greek will continue this tradition?
I really believe that it is perhaps one of the best and most authentic traditions that Greece represents with its manners and customs. Food unites people, families, friends and brings them together for better or for worse. My goal has always been and is to unite people with my cooking and that is one of the reasons I created tagathon. Trying to unite them, even when I do not have my own physical presence. We live and work in a global context, which is changing at a dizzying pace.
The suggestions of tagathon are suggestions for company, for coexistence. After all, how can one drink – for example – tsipouro alone with all the accompanying goodies that you suggest? Do you think that at the base of the pyramid of a proper diet is company, coexistence?
The basis of life is company, friends, family. You have understood extremely well the meaning of tagathon. The tagathon, as I told you, unites people, but also keeps company with people who want to enjoy quality in their lives. They believe that they deserve the best and they choose to enjoy the best, but also to offer them to themselves and their loved ones.
How do you imagine the world after the pandemic? What is the first thing you will do when the restrictions are lifted?
I do not need to imagine him, I see him, I feel him, I live him. It is a difficult moment, unexpected, that has changed the flow of the whole world. We live and will live even more difficult times. But I have confidence in the goodness, in the faith, in the values of the Greeks and I believe that in combination with perseverance and patience, we will all take our lives back. I feel that there will be many losses – and there have certainly been – but we must look to the future and with knowledge and determination we will rebuild it as we wish, only if we have a solid foundation of respect and love between us.
www.tagathon.com Τηλ: 2110170752 Email: info@tagathon.com
