Today we’d like to introduce you to Konstantinos (Kostas) Katsaros.
Kostas was born and raised in Athens, Greece, where he learned the techniques of the Greek traditional kitchen. He then moved to Amsterdam, where he spent 18 years working in the city’s best restaurants. For the last three years, he has called Los Angeles home. Since being in Los Angeles, he has worked for Chef Michael Cimarusti at restaurant Providence and Cape Sea Food and Provisions in West Hollywood. Chef Kostas’s passion for seafood, the healthy Mediterranean diet and many years of experience on the charcoal grill are the seeds of inspiration for his own CALAMAKI.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
After having lived in the Netherlands for 18 years, navigating the permit and licensing procedure and finding vendors in a new county was somewhat challenging. But I was lucky enough to find helpful peopled and advice along the way. I first began sharing my food at farmer’s markets and there was definitely a learning curve. There is a seasonality to farmer’s markets and learning how to maximize summers so that slower winters are manageable was an important lesson. I will be doing my first major festival this summer (at the 626 Night Market) and am sure there will plenty to learn there too!
Calamaki – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
– Calamaki established in 2018. Calamaki was inspired by a strong belief in the local farmers market movement, seasonal ingredients and a commitment to sharing healthy food with the community. The southern California landscape is reminiscent of mine native Greece, which was the inspiration for Calamaki. Proud to share my passion and creativity on the charcoal grill with the local community.
– Calamaki, meaning Skewer in the Greek language, is Mediterranean inspired healthy food with Greek roots. Our main ingredients are Californian extra virgin olive oil, lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs. All our vegetables are local from farmers market vendors around Los Angeles. Our meats are all natural. Our seafood is sustainably sourced and we make all sauces and dressings in house. Our specialty is grilled octopus. Also on the menu are Jidori chicken skewers, Duroc pork skewers, seasonal vegetable skewers, charcoal roast sweet potato, and our signature potato salad.
– People know me at the market as the Octopus guy or the Octopus whisperer.
– Proud to serve the community, make people happy with good food, support the local farmers and small businesses.
– My difference from the others might be my culinary background, born and raised in Greece, lived in the Netherlands, travel around the world, worked next to great chefs.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I don’t think that there is so much a single moment as much as several smaller moments. I love it when kids order octopus skewers and then come back for more. The compliments when someone tries brussel sprouts for the first time and discovers that they like them is also pretty cool.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.calamaki.com
- Phone: +1 805-844-3606
- Email: calamakila@gmail.com
- Instagram: calamakila
- Facebook: calamakilosangeles
- Twitter: calamaki@calamaki1
- Yelp: calamaki
Image Credit:
Eduardo Castañeda
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