Athens enters a rare constellation of Michelin stars, brought together by the Athens Gastronomic Forum—an initiative envisioned by gastronomy authority Dimitris Antonopoulos.
For two days in February, Athens doesn’t talk about food. It listens to it. It debates it. It tastes it. And, above all, it lets it tell its story. The Athens Gastronomic Forum 2026 arrives quietly but decisively, transforming the Technopolis of the City of Athens into something closer to a global kitchen than a conference venue. On February 9 and 10, the city becomes a meeting point of ideas, instincts, memories, and futures—served not as spectacle, but as substance. This is a first. Never before have so many Michelin-starred chefs—26 stars in total—shared the same stage in the Greek capital. Never before has Athens hosted such a dense international culinary dialogue, unfolding alongside the chefs who have shaped Greece’s contemporary gastronomic identity.
We don’t simply change the way we eat. We are evolving the way we think about food and gastronomy.
What sets this Forum apart is not only who speaks, but how food is approached. Gastronomy here is not treated as an isolated pleasure. It is discussed as culture, as politics, as art, as communication. Sustainability and zero food waste are not buzzwords but starting points, placed naturally next to emotion, memory, technique, and taste. The tone is thoughtful, sometimes provocative, always grounded. International figures such as Joan Roca, Rasmus Munk, Andoni Aduriz, Albert Adrià, René Frank, Carlo Cracco, Konstantin Filippou, and Zizi Hattab are joined by a strong and diverse Greek presence. Chefs like Lefteris Lazarou, Ettore Botrini, Alexandros Tsiotinis, George Papazacharias, Tasos Mantis, Christoforos Peskias, Aris Vezene, Athinagoras Kostakos, Giorgos Samoilis, Georgianna Hiliadaki, Thodoris Moisidis, Sotiris Evaggelou, and Krystallia Karageorgou bring the conversation firmly home—showing a cuisine that is confident, restless, and deeply connected to place.
Behind this ambitious gathering stands Dimitris Antonopoulos, the Forum’s initiator and driving force. A longtime observer and connector of the Greek and international gastronomic scene, Antonopoulos envisioned the Athens Gastronomic Forum not as a showcase, but as a platform. A space where chefs speak beyond dishes, where ideas travel freely, and where Greek gastronomy is positioned not on the margins, but at the center of the global conversation. His approach favors dialogue over hierarchy, curiosity over certainty—and it shows. Crucially, the Forum does not close in on itself. It opens outward, into the city. Parallel masterclasses and tastings invite both Athenians and visitors to engage directly with flavor, even without attending the conference. Coffee journeys, wine explorations, future menus, and hands-on experiences turn winter in Athens into something unexpectedly vivid.
Greece’s First International Gastronomic Forum Arrives to Express and Showcase the Dynamism of its Culinary Landscape.
At its core, the Athens Gastronomic Forum unfolds as a living, multifaceted platform. Interactive workshops and live culinary demonstrations coexist with theoretical reflection
and a strong sense of social responsibility, addressing a broad yet interconnected audience: chefs and restaurateurs, hospitality and F&B executives, hoteliers, sommeliers and bartenders, professionals of the food industry, dedicated food lovers, and institutional voices shaping policy and direction. What emerges is a shared space for dialogue—one that explores how gastronomy can evolve sustainably and innovatively, strengthening the vital synergy between agriculture, food culture, and high-value tourism. Beyond the main conference program, a parallel world of curated tastings and masterclasses invites participants deeper into experience: from an immersive journey into coffee, tracing its path from flower and leaf to bean and brew, to an in-depth exploration of why Italian pasta remains a benchmark of excellence, and a forward-looking glimpse into Future Menus 2026, mapping the culinary trends of tomorrow. Wine, too, takes center stage. In collaboration with Konstantinos Lazarakis, four exceptional tastings spotlight both Greek and international vineyards—from a rare Cristal Roederer extravaganza spanning multiple vintages, to a vertical tasting of Château Canon Premier Grand Cru Classé from Bordeaux, from Kefalonia’s Robola and Mavrodaphne in all their expressive depth to outstanding mature vintages from Naoussa.
Together, these experiences transform the Forum into something more than a conference: a meeting ground for ideas, senses, and futures. This is where it becomes a Gourmet Getaway. A reason to see Athens differently. To follow taste as a way of understanding place. A city no longer asking for attention, but hosting the conversation—confidently, generously, on its own terms.
