When Evi Chioti talks about food, she speaks not only of taste, but of culture, heritage, and responsibility. Trained in business administration, she changed her career and became one of Cyprus’ most respected chefs and international judges. Evi has turned her lifelong passion for gastronomy into a mission to connect people, traditions, and nations through the art of cooking. From mastering French cuisine and patisserie in Limassol to representing Cyprus in global forums on sustainable cuisine, Chioti now leads the newly established Disciples Escoffier Cyprus – a bridge between the island’s Mediterranean roots and the world stage of fine dining. Her story is about much more than recipes; it’s about redefining what Cypriot gastronomy can mean in the 21st century.

“Food stories are life stories,” says Evi Chioti, and in her case, the two are inseparable. Her journey began in her family’s restaurant in Limassol, where she learned that a meal can be both an act of love and a form of communication. Today, she is known not only as an award-winning Chef cuisine and patisserie, but also as an educator, international taste judge, and cultural ambassador who represents Cyprus on the global culinary stage.

Between Two Worlds of Taste

Chioti’s work moves between two worlds — the warmth of Mediterranean tradition and the precision of haute cuisine. She honours the flavours that shaped her childhood, yet constantly re-imagines them through innovation, sustainability, and modern technique. Her mission is to prove that Cypriot gastronomy can be both deeply authentic and internationally relevant — a living bridge between heritage and the future of global taste.

From Family Restaurant to Culinary Stage

Her parents’ fine-dining restaurant became both her classroom and her inspiration. At first, she helped with the business side, ensuring the elegant family establishment ran smoothly – but it did not take long for her curiosity to lead her into the kitchen, where she discovered her true calling.

Although her first degree was in Business Administration from the University of Macedonia Greece, her heart belonged to the culinary arts. Determined to master the craft, she trained in France, attending Le Cordon Bleu, Valrhona, and other renowned academies, studying patisserie and advanced cooking techniques. These experiences deepened her respect for the precision and artistry of French cuisine while strengthening her desire to integrate Mediterranean flavors into that refined framework.

Her early achievements reflected both discipline and creativity. Chioti earned gold medals in culinary competitions, was recognised among Europe’s promising young chefs, and became an active participant in Greek-French gastronomic collaborations that celebrated cultural exchange through taste. Her journey from the family restaurant in Limassol to the great kitchens of France shaped not only her professional identity but also her belief that cuisine is a language capable of uniting worlds – one dish at a time.

Every year Evi travelled to France to attend courses in pastry and cuisine, learning the science and aesthetics of gastronomy firsthand. Those trips became an annual ritual of growth and inspiration. She read endlessly, experimented, and applied her knowledge back home in Limassol, gradually shaping her own philosophy of fine dining.

For her, fine dining is not only about flavor – it is about creating a full sensory experience. “You want your guest to admire the plate before tasting it,” she explains. The vision, the aroma, the taste and aftertaste, the pairing with wine, the atmosphere of the restaurant, and even the behaviors of the staff must form a single performance. “It’s like a theatre,” she says, “where every detail matters, and the guest becomes part of the story.”

The Role of a Taste Judge

After nearly thirty years in the family business, Evi Chioti felt ready for a new stage in her professional life – one that would allow her to use her accumulated experience to serve gastronomy in a broader way. That is when she became a taste judge at the International Taste Institute in Brussels.

The work, she explains, is not simply about deciding whether something is delicious. It is based on blind tasting organoleptic evaluation – judging a product through all five senses. “We assess the vision, the smell, the taste, the texture, and the aftertaste,” she says. “It’s a complete sensory analysis.”

Each product receives detailed feedback, which helps producers understand both the strengths and weaknesses of what they create. This process is valuable not only for chefs and manufacturers but also for consumers. Well-evaluated products gain trust, while producers learn how to improve quality, balance, and authenticity.

Beyond the Taste Institute, Chioti also serves as a judge for the World Chefs Organisation and in culinary and patisserie competitions across Europe, including France’s annual honey competition. In Cyprus, she now works with the local university to develop organoleptic evaluation standards for halloumi cheese, aiming to define a clear prototype for its authentic flavor and quality.

Through this work, she bridges science, tradition, and taste – helping Cyprus take its place among the world’s serious culinary nations.

The New Era: Disciples Escoffier Cyprus

In 2025, Evi Chioti took on a new mission that marked a turning point not only in her own career but also for Cyprus’ place in the international culinary world. She became the president of the newly established Disciples Escoffier Cyprus. This is the island’s first delegation of a renowned global organisation that brings together professionals dedicated to promoting the values of Auguste Escoffier, the legendary French chef who transformed modern gastronomy.

Disciples Escoffier International counts more than fifty delegations across five continents. Its members include chefs, sommeliers, winemakers, producers, academics, journalists, and gastronomes. What makes this network unique is the way it unites every part of the gastronomic ecosystem. Chefs and producers work side by side with scientists, educators, and writers to preserve culinary heritage while encouraging creativity and innovation.

For the Cyprus delegation, the goals are ambitious yet deeply rooted in the island’s identity. The organisation aims to integrate Cyprus into the global gastronomic network, to promote excellence and innovation while maintaining respect for tradition, and to highlight the island’s rich Mediterranean character. Chioti sees this initiative as a way to strengthen Cyprus’s reputation as a destination of taste, where fine cuisine and cultural heritage meet modern standards of quality and sustainability.

Upcoming Projects and Events

The official opening of Disciples Escoffier Cyprus took place on 1 October 2025 with an inaugural dinner attended by international Escoffier leaders, including Christian Heuline and Pierre Alain Favre.

Later that month, on 31 October 2025, Cyprus will participate for the first time in the prestigious Young Talents Escoffier competition in England. Two students from the Cyprus University of Technology will represent the island – one specializing in culinary arts and the other in service. The winners will have the chance to compete in the grand final in Paris in 2026. For Chioti, supporting young professionals is one of the organisation’s most important missions.

In November and December 2025, Disciples Escoffier Cyprus will host the Four-Chefs, Four-Course Dinner, an event designed to showcase collaboration and creativity. Each chef will prepare a course, presenting a personal interpretation of Mediterranean cuisine through modern techniques and local ingredients.

February 2026 will bring the Dîner d’Épicure, a global celebration held simultaneously in many countries to honour the legacy of Auguste Escoffier. On this day, thousands of guests around the world enjoy the same menu inspired by his principles of harmony, balance, and respect for ingredients.

Through these projects, Chioti and her team hope to build lasting bridges between Cyprus and the world of fine gastronomy. Let us give her a chance to tell what she thinks:

You’ve spoken a lot about professionals and competitions, but what about ordinary people – those who simply love food or want to learn more?

We want to involve everyone, not only chefs. Gastronomy belongs to all of us. We plan to organise dinners with wine pairings, where guests can enjoy four or five different dishes created by different chefs. Each dish will express a personal idea, a creative story on a plate. Through such dinners, people can understand how flavours, textures, and aromas come together.

So, these events are not just about eating – they’re about learning too?

Exactly. Alongside the dinners, we’ll offer seminars about olive oil, wine, cheese, and other local products. Many people use these products daily without really knowing how to recognize quality levels. We want to help both consumers and professionals understand what makes a product authentic, how to taste it correctly, and how to appreciate its natural character.

You also mentioned schools. Why is it important to teach children about taste?

Because children shape the future of our food culture. For the past decades, our taste has been spoiled by fast food and industrial products. We forgot what real flavour is. Through school programmes we want to help children learn how to buy ingredients, how to cook simple and healthy meals, and how to enjoy the natural taste of food. This knowledge used to be passed down from parents and grandparents, but it’s disappearing. We want to bring it back.

You often speak about gastronomy as a form of cultural diplomacy. What do you mean by that?

When you share food, you share identity. Through gastronomy, Cyprus can present itself to the world not only as a tourist destination, but as a country with deep culinary roots and a creative modern spirit. Our cuisine reflects our history – it’s Mediterranean, but also open to influences, full of character. Representing it abroad with dignity and creativity is a kind of diplomacy, a way to build bridges between cultures.

And what is your personal mission in all this?

To connect Cypriot chefs and producers with the global culinary world. To preserve our traditional recipes, our local ingredients, and at the same time to encourage innovation. I want to bring authentic flavours back to our daily life – in homes, restaurants, and schools.

If you could sum up your vision in one thought?

We want to bring back the knowledge for the authentic taste – the one we used to know and love.

Natalia Kardash