“Philotimo” (noun) Greek
In Greek culture, Philotimo/Filotimo is a central value of complex virtues and a way of life.At its core, the basis of empathy for others, to have honour, dignity and pride. Interpreted as “friend to a stranger”, it’s expressed through acts of sacrifice, generosity without expectation , the ancient act of hospitality and feeling welcomed.
Hello to you!!
Welcome to my corner of paradise on the net. It’s taken me years to create this blog, they say good things take time! Celsius & Co is a food blog dedicated to sharing recipes from all around the world with a focus on seasonal produce, traditions and storytelling.
I love to cook and I love to experiment, I think of myself as an intuitive cook. I’ll tweak where I think it needs to be tweaked, I share with you the many traditional recipes that connect me to my Greek heritage, I research endlessly when I am seeking new ingredients to be inspired by, I have always been adventurous with my cooking, I don’t stick to one cuisine, I’m diverse, I enjoy preparing food from other cultures, my palette is broad and I’m always excited to dive in and experiment with different cuisines while respecting the dish for what is.
I don’t claim to be a chef,I have no formal training, I’ve owned and operated various successful food businesses over many years, I’ve catered for 1000’s of guests and I’ve baked so many cakes and biscuits that I have truly lost count. This is who I am; a collector of platters + plates, cookbooks, baking pans(especially Nordic Ware), shoes, pens and I especially enjoy searching through thrift stores for vintage props to use in my food photography.
My belief is that everybody is capable of creating anything when it comes to food, it takes time, patience and the best ingredients you can afford, you just need the will to want to learn something new, even when it’s a simple “kitchen hack” and remember to have fun while you’re doing it.
This blog is for everyone and anyone who is interested in cooking + entertaining, or looking for like minded foodies to share recipes with, somewhere to find comfort food, traditional dishes, baking techniques/ tips. Food is like that, it incites passion that is deep in my psyche, I hope my blog will help to reveal your greatness in the kitchen and for me to share the knowledge I have of cooking with you.
fun little story….
When I was 7 years old, I hid in my fathers 1971 Valiant Regal Estate station wagon. It was 2:30am and he was on his way to the Footscray wholesale fish market, that was the day that I recall, was the best day of my life.
You can imagine his fright when I popped up from behind his seat, I was smart though, I waited long enough to ensure that he wouldn’t turn around and take me home. I was smart enough to switch the interior light to “off” when I got in and hid behind his seat. I was smart enough to know that sometimes, you have to take a risk to get what you want – whatever the consequences! Lucky for me, there were no consequences, he was angry for all of five minutes and then it turned to laughter. I had been begging him for weeks to let me go with him to the market, but it was always NO. So, I took the initiative to plan out my adventure and it worked.
I’m a curious person , I’m a need to know why/where/what and when. My parents’ owned and operated the local fish n chip shop along the coast, for years dad would get up in the middle of the night three times a week and come home with fishes, lots and lots of different fishes and crayfish. I just wanted to see for myself where all of this magic came from.
As we approached the market, I remember thinking, this place is buzzing, there are people everywhere, it looked like a small village of workers, synchronised to the beat of the night. All was quiet around the outer of the market, but, as soon as my father opened that door I felt something come over me, the energy was electric, people everywhere, fork lifts driving at grand prix speeds, negotiations being made and fish, lots and lots of fish as far as my little eyes could see. That was the moment that I knew, I had found my place. It felt right. Food was always going to be a big part of my life and it has.
