George Diakomichalis is renowned in Adeliade for Kalymnos Pastries and has garnered profile as the host of TV show ‘Let’s Eat with George’.
If there’s one thing most can agree on, it’s that Adelaide’s Mediterranean climate has bolstered its identity as a top-tier producer of olive oil and wine, to its Riverland fruits and vegetables – peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, and cherries, loquats, figs, tomatoes, cucumbers and more.
Diakomichalis co-hosts the television program with Nick Mavragelos, and blends cooking with an exploration of local restaurants, producers, and home cooks.
“It’s about more than food it’s about connection — to heritage, to people, and to place,” Diakomichalis says.
The culinary path that Diakomichalis has followed began with a family history in baking. Born in South Australia, he spent much of his life travelling back and forth to Kalymnos, the island from which his family hails. His great-grandfather, Mihalis Vouros, became a pastry chef in Russia after being taken out of school due to the death of his father, a sponge fisherman.
Mihalis returned to Kalymnos in 1918 and opened Vouros Pastries, beginning a family tradition that would span four generations and two continents.
Diakomichalis was introduced to the trade at the ripe age of 14, when he began helping his mother prepare traditional sweets and joined his father on deliveries.
After four years working in a bank, he chose to pursue formal training in patisserie, supported by his father, who helped him secure a lease for the business that would become Kalymnos Pastries — named at his father’s suggestion in honour of their origins.
The bakery remains a key part of his life, however Diakomichalis sees the television as an extension of his mission, to preserve and share cultural identity through food.
“There’s a lot of pride in being able to introduce Greek food to people who’ve never tried it before,” he says.
Diakomichalis is also heavily involved in the community – after the death of his father seven years ago, he began making regular donations of pastries to the Mary Potter Foundation the hospice staff who cared for his father.
Over the years, some of his customers have shared sweets with loved ones in palliative care and later return to express their gratitude.
Diakomichalis remains focused on keeping the stories behind the food at the centre.
“It’s easy to talk about recipes,” he says, “but food carries history, sacrifice, and joy. That’s what I want people to take away.”
As he balances the bakery, television, and family life, Diakomichalis continues to draw on the values passed down through generations.
“I want my kids to follow their own dreams,” he says, “but I also want them to understand the importance of where we’ve come from — and the stories we carry with us.”
