Spearheaded by chef, TV personality, restaurateur and author George Calombaris, Oh My Greek Week (OMGW) is returning in 2016 and will feature some of the most famous Greek chefs from Australia and around the world, coming together in Melbourne for a week of culinary creation and cross collaboration.

Love desserts more than life itself?

Don’t miss this rare chance to meet and learn from internationally acclaimed ‘wizard of pastry’ Stelios Parliaros who will be sharing the tips of his trade as one of the prestigious guests of OMGW, this year on not one but five occasions.

A household name in Greece, acknowledged to be the country’s greatest pastry chef, creating divinely delicious and stunning desserts. Best known as the host of the long running cooking show ‘Sweet Alchemy’ and his unique creations at his popular Athens pastry shop Sweet Alchemy, Stelios was 17 years old when he first met with the magic world of pastry. Growing up in a home where both his parents would be usually found in the kitchen, the Istanbul-born pastry chef, moved to Athens upon completing junior high to where he discovered the art of confectionery.

“I must admit that I was charmed from the first moment,” he tells Neos Kosmos. “At first it was difficult. I had so much to learn and so many things to see from the ones that were experienced, so much to read and the only way to achieve my goal was to practice physically and mentally and to work nonstop more than 12 hours a day.”

Yet his dedication and persistence even from the first years, gave him the opportunity to walk this life along with the one thing he loved the most for the past 37 years: pastry.

Having studied in Paris at the Ecole Le Notre, the Escoffier school of confectionery at the Ritz Hotel, the Valrhona school in Lyon and last but not least, Fauchon Stelios returned to Athens to make a name for himself by turning traditional pastry making into art. After a successful career as behind the brand FRESH he opened his own pastry shops, Sweet Alchemy. Sweet Alchemy soon after became a show on TV with record numbers which lead to Stelios publishing his own magazine, dedicated to the art of pastry making.

Why ‘Sweet Alchemy’? What does the name represent for you?
It represents exactly what I do. All day my mind escapes to raw materials and how I can combine them, to different techniques that could make a dessert better and to discovering new materials. It’s an endless journey that leads to new desserts.

What new will you be presenting this year at the Oh My Greek Week?
This year the events are even more so I’ll be presenting a wider range of desserts with Greek flavour which I hope will be memorable.

What makes a dessert ‘memorable’ for you?
The quality even in small details. The choice of the materials, the correct technique, the taste, the aftertaste, the passion and of course its presentation.

It’s a total of many things that compose a good dessert. And I feel very proud when I make it.

Where does your inspiration continually come from?
All my activities are special to me and feel me with joy. My work at the lab is very creative and the role of teacher excites me because it gives me the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience with people who love pastry. My work at the magazine helps me to discover new approaches and as for my show on TV I get the chance to show the world the delight of creating a dessert with a very good presentation.

Everything can trigger my inspiration and my imagination continuously. The images I get from my trips, a small talk with friends, the sea, a material, a show, a sound, every little thing that surrounds me can inspire me. An assemblage of all the above leads to the creation of a new dessert.

Has your Istanbul background affected your cooking at all?
Istanbul is a cross path of civilisations. The taste is a part of peoples’ culture and when you grow up in a multicultural place it is impossible to stay unaffected. Besides I grew up in a home where good food and a good dessert played a very big and important role in our everyday life. My grandmother and my mother cooked delicious so my memories are still very vivid.

What advice do you give to young chefs you train?
To love what they do, to never stop learning and discovering new things, to be able to make a difference and most of all to work very hard.

* Stelios will be hosting and preparing delectable desserts at Press Club – Projects (PCP) on the opening night of Monday 21 November for the Progressive Feast event (Gazi, Press Club, PCP). On the second day, Tuesday 22 November, The Press Club kitchen is to recreate Athens’ acclaimed contemporary dining scene with an all-star line-up. On Thursday 24 November all the chefs from Australia, Greece and the US will come together to prepare a Gala Dinner of epic proportions at the Atlantic Groups Peninsula in Docklands. On Friday the 25th, Greece’s sweet alchemist, in collaboration with acclaimed chef Christoforos Peskias will present Melburnians with a Greek style high-tea at Hotel Lindrum, Meanwhile, on Saturday 26 November, OMF Week’s last day, Stelios will give an intimate cooking demonstration for one day only at Odysseus + Penelope, upstairs at Hellenic Kew. After enjoying an exclusive behind the scenes look into the creation of his most popular desserts, you’ll be treated to a delicious three-course lunch in Hellenic Republic Kew restaurant with dessert designed by the star-chef himself.

To find out more about Stelios Parliaros go to www.steliosparliaros.gr and to attend the OMG Week event, check out www.omgweek.com.au