Grigorios Lymperopoulos’s story to becoming a chef, is one filled of romance and humble moments. While studying agriculture at university, Grigorios got married, and with newlywed life, he wanted to be able to showcase something to impress his wife. This is when he began cooking. Preparing fresh meals daily for his spouse, Grigorios and his wife both noticed that he had a talent in the kitchen. With a love for art and travel and being able to translate this with food, Grigorios found that a career in the culinary world was his calling.

After university, Grigorios could really focus on his career as a chef, beginning in his home crountry, Greece. One of his first roles in outside of Greece was in Germany where he was Sous Chef at a modern, Greek restaurant called Olivenbaum. The venue was an elevated concept, that featured traditional dishes using fresh Greek produce. Staying in Europe, Grigorios then moved to Italy to work at Michelin-starred restaurants for over three years, including two Michelin star restaurant Arnolfo which is located in Tuscany, and one Michelin star, Indacu, which is situated on the little island of Ischia, near Capri; both specialising in seafood. His role at both venues was Senior Chef de Partie where he worked closely with the Chef and Sous Chef.

At Arnolfo, Grigorios was working with a chef who would end up playing a big role in his move to Malasia. Before being able to make the Far East a reality, he was called back home to enrol in mandatory military training, here Grigorios continued his culinary work. He was positioned in the kitchen as the Chef for the VIP army club, where Generals would gather and dine. Once the military was out of the way, he was appointed by the Shangri La hotel in Malasia to be the Chef de Cuisine of its Italian speciality restaurant which was casual dining by day and fine dining at night. After one and a half years, Grigorios’s Far East adventure came to a hault due to the outbreak of Covid-19, and with many global lockdowns approaching, he had to leave and move back home.

During the pandemic, Grigorios, became a private chef for the VVIP clientele in Greece, a big contrast to the bustling life of Malaysia, however he was happy to be back in his homeland. When the season kicked in, he was appointed to support the F&B team at the Nikki Beach Hotel, more specifically he helped execute and open the hotel’s rooftop hang out, Qurio. When travel bans began to lift and Qurio was in full swing, Griogorios had his eyes set on travelling again. Before moving to Dubai, Grigorios already had a flavour of life in the Middle East. He held the role of Head Chef at the Shangri La Barr Al Jissah, Muscat, Oman. Here he oversaw three restaurants including the much-loved Mediterranean restaurant which Grigorios was really excited about, as it gave him the chance to showcase Greek cuisine and traditional dishes.

Today, he is the Chef de Cusine of estiatorio Milos, and is excited to be able to cook and represent one of the most iconic and traditional Greek restaurants in the world. Grigorios comments, “Milos offers fine dining in a different form, while you won’t find a typical degustation menu, you do see exceptional produce, cooked at the highest standards and presented in a way that just shouts brilliance.”

Grigorios has a real passion for cooking seafood, making Milos the perfect next move in his culinary career. Over the years has been fortunate to work with the freshest fish and collaborate and build relationship with fisherman. He often likes to visit fish markets and to see the life of fishermen in countries he travels to. If there is one (or two) ingredients he can’t live without it would have to be garlic and olive oil; whenever he tastes or smells garlic, it reminds him of home.