[:el]Cat Cora (Katerina Karagiozi) is the 51-year-old renowned Greek-American chef who became the first female Iron Chef and the Head Chef at the “First Kitchen” of the United States. She impressed the Greek Prime Minister and the 350 guests of the official reception, which had been served out at the White House, with her excellent culinary skills.
In addition, she is a world-famous chef, writer, restaurateur, editor, TV presenter and personality, actor, enthusiastic philanthropist, health and fitness specialist and entrepreneur.
Chef Kora grew up in the small Greek community of Jackson, Mississippi State. At the age of 15, she discovered her inclination in gastronomy and it was then when she decided she wanted to open her own restaurant. Keeping Greek tradition and her inexhaustible taste for creation close, she mixes and tastes flavors that smell of Greece; cheese made from goat milk perfectly combined with American South spices, homemade olives and island recipes by her grandparents from Skopelos, family gastronomic secrets which led the way to a brilliant cooking career.
She settled in New York City, where her dream started coming into being after traveling to Europe, studying, forming collaborations, and continuous successes. She has been captivating audiences since she made her TV debut in 1999, as co-host of Food Network’s Melting Pot with Rocco Di Spirito. She went on to host My Country My Kitchen: Greece, Date Plate, and was one of the featured hosts on Fine Living’s Simplify Your Life.
In 2004, after the tsunami disaster of that year, she founded the Chefs for Humanity organization to fight hunger on the planet while working on nutrition issues for UNICEF, which later awarded her(2008).
In 2005, she made television history in 2005 when she became the first-ever female Iron Chef on Food Network’s hit show: Iron Chef America. Since then, she shattered the glass ceiling as one of the first females to dominate the historically male culinary industry. After Cat’s Iron Chef debut, she was featured extensively on a number of television shows, most recently as co-host on BRAVO’s “Around the World in 80 Plates” as well as FOX’s “My Kitchen Rules.”
Ιn 2006, Cat was awarded Bon Appetit Magazine’s “Teacher of the Year Award” and was named the Executive Chef of the magazine. Since then, she has blazed her own trail through the culinary world, becoming the first female inducted into The American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame.
In 2010, she was delighted to receive the invitation of the White House, through Father Alex Karloutsos of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and create her own menu inspired, of course, by her homeland. In fact, the buffet included refreshing dishes for attendees who adhered to the traditional customs of Lent.
Delicious lamb chops with a sauce combining a perfect feta flavor with a Latin American tsimitsuri, dumplings with black truffle egg-lemon, traditional Greek desserts, while the famous giros had a prominent place in the buffet – though made with a “secret” recipe. Healthy pie, fresh lettuce and tataki (recipe of the Far East) were the basis of the traditional viand, as Chef Cora likes to combine flavors from around the world, creating new fusion recipes. Besides, it is no coincidence that Hellasian cuisine, which combines Greek and Asian flavors, has her signature.
The Chef has opened more than 18 restaurants across the U.S. and globally, namely Cat Cora’s Kitchen, located in numerous locations throughout the U.S., Ocean by Cat Cora, an award-winning restaurant in Singapore, Cat Cora’s Taproom located in the Detroit Metro Airport, Cat Cora’s Gourmet Market in Salt Lake City’s International Airport, Kouzzina by Cat Cora at Disney World, CCQ at Macy’s, OLILO by Cat Cora in partnership with Aramark and Mesa Burger which can be found in Santa Barbara, CA.
Now she has a steady place in the elite of cooks and is, in addition, a writer with rich charity activity, a distinguished businesswoman and a consultant of major companies. Despite her success, the famous Chef never forgets her roots. Having repeatedly visited her father’s island, Skopelos, she always emphasizes her origins and does not fail to mention the beneficial qualities of Greek cuisine.
Cat Kora is homosexual, has four sons with her ex-wife, Jennifer, with whom she married in 2013, and divorced in 2015, after seventeen years of partnership. This year, she married Nicole Ehlrich, an award-winning producer and mother of two boys. Cooking with her sons is a regular thing at their home because she believes it’s important to introduce kids to new tastes and teach them skills they can use forever. “Plus, the best memories happen in the kitchen, and meals can be infinitely healthier when you’re in control,” she said in an interview.
Cat continues to be a leader in her industry as she masterfully synchronizes her award-winning talents with mainstream accessibility, all while she evolves into a space beyond the culinary world.[Her name is Cat Cora (or if you prefer the Greek one Katerina Karagiozi ) and she is the 42 year old famous Greek-American chef married to a woman , she has four children and she was asked to lead the chefs in the First Kitchen in the U.S.. With her culinary skill she had impressed the Greek Prime Minister and the 350 guests at the reception cited at the White House.
The menu for the Prime Minister and the members of the Greek delegation
Cat Cora accepted with pleasure the invitation of the White House through the father Alex Karloutsou from the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America. She created her own menu, inspired – by what else ? – Naturally from homeland. Indeed, the buffet included Lenten dishes for diners who observed the traditional customs of Lent.
Delicious lamb chops with a sauce that combines the taste of feta and Latin American tsimitsouri, ntolmas with egg lemon and black truffle, traditional Greek pastries, and a prominent place in the buffet was … The famous gyros, but made with a secret recipe! Healthy bread, fresh lettuce and tuna «Tatakis (recipe Far East) which is the basis of former ancestral dish, as the chef Cora likes to combine flavors from around the world, creating new recipes fusion. Indeed it is no coincidence that the kitchen Hellasian, that combines Greek and Asian cuisine has her own signature
Gay mother of four boys
In her personal life Cora surprises. She is official gay and married to her partner Jennifer, who took the surname Cora . They are living together for years in Santa Barbara, California with their sons Zoran and Kache. In March 2009, Cora found out that both women were pregnant again and they would bring to the world almost simultaneously two boys. According to her official statement all four sons were born using the same sperm donor. Moreover, Cora and her wife were intermediated mothers, since the one carried the surrogate embryos of the other. Jennifer gave birth to Julius Thatcher last April, while Cat , gave birth to Nas Lemiouel in July 2009
Raised with a Greek flair
The Chef Cora grew up in a small Greek community in Jackson city in the state of Mississippi. In her 15 she had discovered her culinary talent and puts target to open her own restaurant. With a dowry to the Greek tradition and boundless enthusiasm for creating she mixes flavors and tastes that smell … Greece. Goat milk cheese perfectly blended with spices of the American South.
Olives and homemade recipes from her grandparents’ island Skopelos. Family culinary secrets were destined to pave the way for a brilliant career in cooking.
Very soon she moved to New York where her dream began to take shape. This was followed by trips to Europe, studying, collaboration and professional repeated successes.
Award winning Chef Cora became more widely known in 2005 as the first and only female winner of the competition «Iron Chef» Food Network in the U.S.. Since then, she is constant among the elite of chefs and she is also a writer doing charity, business entrepreneur and consultant for large corporations. Despite these successes, the famous Greek American never forgets her roots. Having repeatedly visited the island of her father, Skopelos, always stresses her origin and does not omit to mention the beneficial properties of Greek cuisine.[:]
