This late summer, Lesante Cape Resort & Villas in Zakynthos is bringing together some of the most distinctive names in Greek gastronomy for a new series of one-off dinners running from August through the end of September.
The Lesante Cape Guest Chef Series will feature five evenings, each conceived specifically for the resort by a visiting chef in collaboration with its culinary team. Rather than reproducing existing restaurant menus, every dinner will be created exclusively for the occasion.
The programme opens on 14 August with Alexandros Koufas of Solène, named Best Pastry Chef 2025, followed by Christos Sidiropoulos of 1890 Restaurant in Athens and Agora in Symi on 2 September. Claudio Bairami of Principote Mykonos takes over the kitchen on 16 September, while Panagiotis Polychronis of Line — ranked No. 1 in Europe’s 50 Best Bars 2026 — appears on 18 September. The series concludes on 29 September with Lefteris Tsougas of Delta, the Athens restaurant awarded two Michelin stars and a Michelin Green Star.
The dinners will take place at Fiore Fine Dining, led by Head Chef Giannis Binkas and Pastry Chef Dimitris Stamatiadis, under the culinary direction of Lesante Cape Executive Chef Nikos Ispyroudis. Across the series, the emphasis remains closely aligned with the resort’s own philosophy: seasonality, local sourcing and a strong connection to producers across the Ionian Islands.
The Guest Chefs
14 August — Alexandros Koufas
After several years as pastry chef at Hotel Grande Bretagne and King George in Athens, Alexandros Koufas was named Best Pastry Chef at the 2025 FNL Best Restaurant Awards.
He is now one of the creative forces behind Solène, the Athens opening on Dragatsaniou Street where he oversees breads, doughs and desserts. He also curates the dessert programme at Alexandros Tsiotinis’ Michelin-starred CTC.
Koufas’ pastry style favours natural flavour pairings, clarity and recognisable forms. When working with traditional Greek desserts, he tends to resist unnecessary reinterpretation, preferring to preserve their original identity.
For his evening at Lesante Cape, the menu will draw on seasonal Zakynthian ingredients, including figs, olive oil and Avgoustiatis, the island’s indigenous red grape variety.
2 September — Christos Sidiropoulos
Originally from Halkidiki, Christos Sidiropoulos built much of his early career in the UK, working in kitchens including Daniel Clifford’s Midsummer House in Cambridge and Ormer, where he served as sous chef.
On returning to Greece, he became chef de cuisine at Hytra, before taking over Agora in Symi in 2024, the island’s first fine-dining restaurant. In 2026, his work there earned a Top Notch distinction from the Golden Caps.
Since March 2026, Sidiropoulos has also been at the helm of 1890 Restaurant by Aria Hotels in central Athens, housed in a Belle Époque neoclassical building near Agia Irini Square.
His cuisine looks to Greek culinary memory through a contemporary lens, often combining familiar references with French technique. At Lesante Cape, he will present a menu focused on modern Greek cooking with an emphasis on precision, simplicity and recognisable flavours.
16 September — Claudio Bairami
Since 2024, Claudio Bairami has served as Head Chef of Principote in Panormos, Mykonos, where his cooking centres on Mediterranean seafood and contemporary technique.
His previous roles include Head Chef positions at Nikkei in Kolonaki and NYX Athens.
For his guest dinner at Lesante Cape, Bairami will explore a contemporary Mediterranean vocabulary shaped by the sea, seasonality and a refined approach to familiar ingredients.
18 September — Panagiotis Polychronis
Panagiotis Polychronis is the chef behind Line, the Athens bar founded by Vasilis Kyritsis, Nikos Bakoulis and Dimitris Dafopoulos, which was ranked No. 1 in the inaugural Europe’s 50 Best Bars 2026.
At its home in Kato Petralona, Line has built a distinctive identity around fermentation, low-waste practices and in-house production. The team creates its own fruit wines, beers and sourdough breads, alongside ingredients such as chickpea and giant-bean miso, fava-based seasoning and fish garum.
At Lesante Cape, Polychronis will present a degustation menu accompanied by a bespoke cocktail pairing developed together with the Line team, bringing the bar’s fermentation-driven philosophy into a full dining format.
29 September — Lefteris Tsougas
Born in Thessaloniki, Lefteris Tsougas left Greece at 18 and developed his culinary foundations abroad, including time at the Waldorf Astoria in the Netherlands.
He is now Head Chef at Delta, located within the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, working alongside Executive Chef Giorgos Papazacharias.
Delta is the only restaurant in Greece to hold two Michelin stars, which it received at its first Michelin assessment, together with a Michelin Green Star for its approach to sustainability. Its philosophy is rooted in minimising waste and making full use of every ingredient, expressed through a twelve-course tasting menu.
For the closing dinner of the series, Tsougas will bring that approach to Zakynthos through a menu inspired by contemporary Greek haute cuisine.
Lesante Cape
Set among olive groves, vineyards and orchards overlooking the Ionian Sea, Lesante Cape Resort & Villas is located in Akrotiri on the eastern coast of Zakynthos. The resort comprises 85 suites and 12 villas and is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
Its design takes inspiration from the layout of a traditional Zakynthian village, complete with a central square, a kafeneio and artisan workshops.
Food is a central part of the resort’s identity. At Fiore Fine Dining, perched on a wooden deck above the sea, local ingredients are paired with refined techniques and a contemporary fine-dining approach.
The wider culinary offering includes Bostani Farm to Table, where vegetables from the resort’s own garden are cooked over an open flame, as well as Novita, Taverna, Elea and Kafeneio, alongside a wine cellar featuring a selection of Greek and international labels.