Theo Kostoglou

Influenced by summers spent in the Greek Islands, award-winning executive chef and owner of Kouzina, Theo Kostoglou, shares his passion for Greek flavours with a modern take on Hellenic food.

Theo’s lifelong passion for food began at the age of twelve when he began work in his family’s take-away business. After completing his high school and university studies, Theo travelled to Greece to learn the art of traditional Greek cooking and further refine his skills. In 1989 he began working at Nobel restaurant on the island of Rhodes, before moving to Coral restaurant and finally to Platanos on the island of Kos, his parents’ birthplace.

In 1993 at the age of 26, Theo returned to Australia to open his first restaurant, introducing traditional tavern style food to the Melbourne dining scene. Faced with a never-ending struggle to find skilled Greek chefs, Theo trained his own team of apprentices, building a strong staff-base to produce his award-winning cuisine. The restaurant was a success and in 1998 Theo moved forward, opening further restaurants in suburban Melbourne.

At this time, Theo began to fuse traditional Hellenic cooking with other Mediterranean influences to create a modern style of Greek cuisine. In 2004, Theo travelled to Greece and Turkey on a culinary journey, meeting with chefs and restaurateurs to trade cooking secrets. Two years later Theo and his architects designed Mykonos, a restaurant recreating the ambience of the Greek Islands.

After the success of Mykonos, Theo travelled to America touring some of the country’s most famous restaurants. His travel inspired him to move in a new direction, and he dreamt of taking Mediterranean cuisine to a higher level, introducing a new style and class of Greek food to the Melbourne dining scene.

From this desire, Kouzina Modern Greek & Meze Bar was born, opening its doors in 2006. Kouzina provides diners with a social dining experience alive with the sharing of mezedes, ‘the little dishes of Greece’, in stylish, relaxed surrounds. The burgeoning restaurant group quickly grew, boasting locations at Westfield Doncaster, Knox O-Ozone and Watergardens Shopping Centre’s Station Streat. Theo then made the ultimate sea change, relocating to the Gold Coast with his family, to open the first Queensland Kouzina, on The Promenade at Robina Town Centre, in 2010.

And what a year it’s been! The Gold Coast and the Knox locations were voted State Winner - Favourite Greek in the I Love Food Awards with the Gold Coast and Watergardens restaurants named as Finalist in the prestigious Restaurant and Catering Awards for Excellence. Gather around the Greek table at Kouzina restaurants, and enjoy Theo Kostoglou’s beautifully presented, innovative Greek cuisine.

For more, head to www.kouzina.com