Cuisine is at the heart of our tradition, and we take great pride in our chefs who work their magic behind closed doors.

Resident executive chef Ilias Maslaris originally comes from Thessaloniki, known as the culinary capital of Greece, and his regard for his trade and love of authentic Mediterranean flavours began in his grandmother’s kitchen.

‘My grandmother lived in a small village in the mainland mountains and her kitchen was the engine room of the house where she cooked three meals a day for a family of twelve. One of her specialities was slow-cooked lamb marinated in herbs, and I still use her recipe, but the special ingredient that will always make her lamb taste better than mine is of course the sweetness of memories.’

Ilias decided early on that he too would become a chef because he saw it as ‘a very direct way of being in the world, a craft that is full of passion for produce and for people and work free of routine.’ He began his ‘lifelong apprenticeship’ at 15, choosing food technology in high school and attending chef school as well as the School of Professional Meat Cutters in Thessaloniki. He went on to hone his skills in a number of professional kitchens, among which the Macedonia Palace, the ‘Pines’ at the Sani resort in Chalkidiki as chef de cuisine, and as sous-chef at the freshly Michelin-starred Royal Champagne in Champillon near Épernay from which he stole a few secrets, like any good artist would.

For him, the defining moment of his career was joining the Myconian Collection in 2019: ‘Their creative team of executive chefs set the bar at the highest level, with the haute cuisine philosophy of their three Relais & Châteaux that courses through all nine hotels. Although there is a hierarchy, a good kitchen operates as one, with great knowledge transfer.’  

As chef de cuisine at Deos, his talent and experience find expression in Epico’s celebration of the Greek cuisine and Mediterranean diet that are close to his heart.