Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette
	Sotiris Kitrilakis, world-renowned Greek food authority and Slow Food champion.

Sotiris Kitrilakis is a warm, soulful, convivial Greek, the kind of person you'd like to linger with over candlelight while nibbling on tiny, fruity olives and sipping a cool, clear white wine -- preferably a good 2003 Domaine Skouras St. George Nemea -- while a procession of meze, or small plates, of delectable fresh vegetables, meats and fish come your way.

On Friday night, 120 members of Slow Food Pittsburgh did just that with Kitrilakis, a former NASA scientist who switched careers 25 years ago to become an internationally known food importer, and who is, today, considered the Alice Waters of Greek cuisine.

Kitrilakis is as passionate about the importance of supporting small farmers and traditional ways of agriculture as Waters, legendary Chez Panisse chef and American fresh food missionary, except that his heart and his soul reside elsewhere -- on the lush Ionian Greek island of Zakynthos, where he lives, and where he hopes to show the world that there is more to Greek cuisine than moussaka, gyro sandwiches or spanakopita.

Consider Haloumi, a soft handmade cheese, from the milk of free-ranging sheep and goats who forage in the mountains of Greece on wildflowers and herbs.

Or "Zante" polpettes, tiny pork and beef meatballs scented with spearmint.

Or whole beets roasted on an open wood fire until they're charred, then cut open, sprinkled with garlic and green onions and spread with Skordalia, a rich, tangy mash of potatoes, peeled almonds, garlic, olive oil and salt.

All of these were on the menu prepared by Kitrilakis, his Australian-born wife, Rochelle, Alexandra Sofis, a Mt. Lebanon-based marketer of Mediterranean foods, and an army of helpers and servers.

"It's an old and simple idea, really," said Kitrilakis. "Greek cuisine is about fresh, simple ingredients, fruits, lemons, figs, olives, freshly caught fish, grilled octopus and calamari, lamb, feta cheese aged in barrels instead of quick-cured with lye. "

This is Kitrilakis' first trip to Pittsburgh, but there is a Pennsylvania connection. After arriving in this country at 14, he was educated at a Wilkes-Barre high school before going on to collect undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemical engineering at M.I.T., where he worked for NASA's space program and later for Thermo Electron Corp., developing energy conversion systems for space applications. His research group was one of five organizations selected by the National Heart Institute to develop an artificial heart.

So what does all this have to do with roasted lamb and extra virgin olive oil?

After founding a company to develop medical devices in 1970, Kitrilakis moved to Berkeley, Calif., where he began to develop an appreciation for interesting food. After selling his company, Kitrilakis took his money and began a second career importing Greek food specialties. His company, Peloponnese, was acquired in 1995 by Hormel Foods, although he's still actively involved with Mount Vikos, which produces hand-crafted Greek cheese.

He's been described as an authority on Greek food by the likes of Mediterranean cookbook author Paula Wolfert -- "He understands Greek food like Yo Yo Ma understands Brahms" -- and Atlantic Monthly food writer Corby Kummer. He's also well-respected in European food circles for his work in educating people about authentic Greek cuisine and farming methods. In September, in fact, he plans to present three endangered cheeses to a Slow Food global conference in Italy.

On this evening, standing in the doorway of Chatham Hall's small kitchen -- while assistants carefully laid out dozens of plates laden with roasted eggplant and garlic spread, fava bean salad and the first local tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt and olive oil -- the 70-year-old Kitrilakis seemed unfazed by the prospect of serving dozens of hungry people within the next few hours.

"I have a wonderful staff, and these are wonderful people here," he said.

Indeed, this particular nonprofit organization, which works worldwide to preserve local culinary traditions and promote a fresh, local and sustainable food supply, isn't called "Slow Food" for nothing. Diners took their time sampling the dishes and quaffing the wine before the piece de resistance arrived: lamb roasted on spits over a wood fire. The lamb from Western Pennsylvania's Elysian Fields, Jamison and Puckerbrush Farms was prepared, as directed, by Eric "Spudz" Wallace, executive chef at Casbah in Shadyside.

A quick-moving thunderstorm didn't dampen spirits, either. The event was on Mount Washington at Chatham Hall, an exquisite pre-Civil War mansion nestled in the woods of Chatham Village. Serenaded by Greek musicians, guests wandered through the large airy rooms and through the gardens sipping ouzo and dipping large chunks of locally made MediTerra "fire bread" into bowls of olive oil from Kitrilakis' trees and honey from a village beekeeper.

Guests also sampled "must," a syrupy byproduct of the grapes pressed on the island that's used as a sweetener.

Kitrilakis' trip to Pittsburgh came at the urging of Sofis, who visits the island several times yearly.

"I think what he's doing is so focused and from his heart," said Sofis. "Plus, he's such an active Slow Food participant in Europe, and I know how passionate people in the Slow Food movement in Pittsburgh are, so I wanted to share with them the gems of his table and his knowledge."

Sofis is also a big fan of Kitrilakis' Zante-Feast, a nonprofit agro-tourism organization dedicated to preserving traditional ways of life and family farming on the island. Visitors to Zante-Feast can take cooking classes, visit the island's bakeries, cheese makers or vineyards, collect sea salt along the rocky coast, as well as hike, swim or explore what is one of Greece's greenest and more fertile islands.

Sadly, like so many beautiful places, in recent years Zakynthos has had to grapple with an explosive growth in tourism, luring young people off the land and into the towns.

"Opening a fast-food fish-and-chips 'taverna' or bar is becoming the dream of the young," helping to eradicate family farming on the island, Kitrilakis said.

Thus, Zante-Feast was born. By making it an "agro-tourism" holiday destination, by attracting visitors from around the world and introducing them to the island's foods, their growers and craftspeople, Kitrilakis and his associates believe support for sustainable agriculture and biodiversity will grow, making farming a viable option for young people again.

It seemed to be working Friday night in Pittsburgh. By the time the figs, fruit and the rich, chunky olive oil cookies were passed around, it looked as if Kitrilakis had created a whole new fan club, whose motto could well be:

See you in Zakynthos next summer.

Details: www.zante-feast.org

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Related Recipes

Roasted Beets With Skordalia (Garlic Spread)
Here's Sotiris Kitrilakis' recipe for Skordalia, the classic Greek spread of whipped potatoes and garlic that wowed the crowd Friday night. It should become a staple in your kitchen, as an accompaniment to roasted meats or vegetables. It's not PG-tested, but this PG-taster believes you could hardly flub this particular recipe.

• 1 pound peeled potatoes, quartered
  
• 5 cloves garlic
  
• 2 ounces peeled almonds
  
• 8 ounces (or more to taste) extra-virgin olive oil
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 3 ounces lemon juice
  

Boil the potatoes in salted water. Reserve ¹/₂ cup of the water before draining potatoes.

Place garlic, almonds, half of the oil and salt in blender or Cuisinart. As the ingredients are blended, add the potatoes one by one, creating a smooth mash. Add the remaining oil and lemon juice slowly. Add salt if necessary.

Serve it with this recipe for oven-roasted beets:

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Oven-roasted beets

• 3 pounds beets
  
• 1 bunch parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash bulbs and wrap tightly individually in aluminum foil. Place in baking pan and roast until fork-tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool. Remove foil and slip off skin. Cut off any stems and the pointy root of the beets. Cut into thin slices, sprinkle with parsley and serve on a large platter with a bowl of Skordalia in the center.