Michael Psilakis is an American celebrity chef, author, and restaurateur.^[1] He is best known for his Greek cuisine and appearances on television shows including Ultimate Recipe Showdown, Iron Chef America, The Best Thing I Ever Ate and No Kitchen Required.^[2] He has owned and operated a number of popular restaurants around New York City and has cooked for President Barack Obama at the White House.^[3]

Early life

Michael Psilakis was born in New York City, and is of Greek descent.^[1][4]

Restaurant and food career

From 2001 to 2004, Psilakis managed restaurant Ecco on Long Island.^[5]

The address of 222 West 79th Street in the Upper West Side, Manhattan has been home to many of Psilakis restaurants including Onera (from 2004 to 2007);^[3][5][6][7] Kefi (from 2007 to 2009); Gus & Gabriel Gastropub (from 2009 to August 2010);^[8] Fishtag (from 2011 to 2018);^[7][9] followed by Kefi returning to this same location from 2018 until 2020, after Kefi had relocated for a period from 2009 until 2018 on 505 Columbus Avenue.^[10][9][11] Restaurant Kefi had been the subject of multiple employee lawsuits.^{[12][13][14][15][16]}

Donatella Arpaia and Michael Psilakis had co-owned Kefi, as well as Anthos at 36 West 52nd Street (2007–March 2010),^[17][13][18] and Mia Donna (2008–September 2009).^[19][20][21]

For his work at Anthos, Psilakis was named Esquire magazine's Chef of the Year in 2006.^[22] In 2008, he received a Michelin Star for Anthos.^[23] In 2008 he was named Bon Appétit's Chef of the Year.^[24]

From April 2013 to 2019, Psilakis owned and operated restaurant, MP Taverna on Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, Queens.^[25][26]

Television appearances

Psilakis served as a judge on Ultimate Recipe Showdown and was twice a contestant on Iron Chef America (2006 and 2010). He hosted The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

When BBC America created No Kitchen Required in 2012, Psilakis was chosen as one of three participants and a co-executive producer for the first series.^[2] He has also appeared a number of times on Good Morning America, and has been announced as a contestant on the "Superstar Sabotage" tournament of Cutthroat Kitchen.^[27]

Books

Psilakis has struggled with his body weight and wrote the 2017 book, Live to Eat: Cooking the Mediterranean Way (Little, Brown) to highlight easier ways to modify diet without losing flavor.^[4]

• Psilakis, Michael (2009). How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking. Barbara Kafka (contributor). Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316071734.
• Psilakis, Michael (2017). Live to Eat: Cooking the Mediterranean Way. New York City, NY: Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316308205.