Nikos Roussos

After studying business administration at Deree College and investing time in his family’s silversmith business, Athens-born Nikos Roussos could not deny his passion for cooking, and came to ICE to pursue a degree in Culinary Arts. Graduating in 2003—alongside classmate Georgianna Hiliadaki—Nikos then moved to Amsterdam in 2004 to work at Cineac, recognized as the best restaurant in the country that same year. Returning to Greece in 2005, he and Georgianna reconnected, and in 2007 they began a private chef business that served as the foundation for their first restaurant, Funky Gourmet, in Athens. The restaurant was a critical success, and—only two years after opening—earned its first Michelin star in 2012. In March 2014, it was awarded a second star, giving Funky Gourmet the distinction of being one of only two 2-star Michelin restaurants in Greece (the highest Michelin designation currently awarded in the country). The review notes in particular the restaurant’s “immeasurable thought, creativity and above all the taste, which matches [the chefs] playfulness." In June 2014, the pair opened their second venture, OPSO, a Greek “social dining” concept in London.