Magda’s blog, My Little Expat Kitchen, invites you into the world of Greek food, offering a wide variety of recipes accompanied by the most colourful photography.

A young Greek woman living away from home, Magda went on a mission to expand the world’s view of Greek cooking and share tips for dishes that were easy to master at home. Magda’s blog goes way beyond feta and tomato salads, avgolemono soup, gyros, souvlaki and baklava, discovering and unveiling the culture behind the essence of Greek cuisine.

“I love the creativity food entails and the effect it has on people, such as the huge smile appearing on their faces when they taste something I have cooked for them,” Magda tells.

“That’s why I started this blog; to share recipes and stories about and beyond food with the world.”

Not only did My Little Expat Kitchen make it on the Greek food blog top ten but was selected by Williams-Sonoma Taste as one of the best food websites. Magda was featured in SAVEUR’s Worldwide Feast, amongst the 55 Great Global Food Bloggers. She also came third at The Kitchn’s Homies Awards for Best Cooking Blog From Abroad in 2014.

“I am a home cook experimenting with ingredients and creating something out of nothing that’s both delicious and pretty to look at,” she said.

“I love flavours, textures, aromas and all that they evoke; memories, feelings, images, cravings.”

Cooking for Magda is practical, in the sense that it satisfies her nutritional needs as well as her creativity. Having a blog isn’t easy, though, as she has to cook, take her own photos and write her stories and recipes in both Greek and English to be able to connect with a wider audience. Meanwhile, she works for an international organisation in the Netherlands, does volunteer work and is also a musician.

“It takes time, effort, money and a lot of patience, but I get so much out of it as my blog has a worldwide appeal and it reaches people from many different countries.”

“It makes me so happy and proud to know that I inspire others to get in the kitchen and cook, whether they are Greek or not.”

Magda’s favourite Greek cuisine is the Politiki, hailing from Constantinople (Istanbul) where her mother was born. It’s a type of cooking influenced and shaped by the intermingling of the traditional Greek culinary customs and those of Asia Minor. The flavours make her feel like home.

“The extensive use of spices, the utter importance of food in everyday life, the celebratory way of viewing food in general, are elements that are deeply rooted in my and my family’s culinary consciousness,” she added.

“My family, my country, my roots, my culture, my history, my past, my future. I may be away from Greece, but I miss it all the time.”
As much as she loves Greece, the Little Expat doesn’t see herself returning permanently due to the economic circumstances. However, she is excited to see what the future holds and believes she’ll be living in a different country sooner rather than later, hopefully doing something involving food on a professional level.
“The difficult part, from where I see it, is leaving your home country. When you manage to do that, the world is your oyster.”

“I would be happy offering cooking classes, working for a magazine, doing food styling or even food photography,” she said.

Even if she ends up living away from Greece for the rest of her life, Magda will never stop cooking sensational Greek food. She spends a lot of time sourcing her ingredients to ensure she delivers the recipes in the most authentic and traditional way.

“It took me years to discover the different places that sell, for example, good Greek phyllo dough, feta or olive oil, but lately I see more and more Greek products being sold around the world.”

To read Magda’s amazing recipes in English visit www.mylittleexpatkitchen.blogspot.com and www.greekmylittleexpatkitchen.blogspot.com for the Greek versions. You can also contact her directly at mylittleexpatkitchen@gmail.com