It was standing room only at Eleni’s Kitchen in Yarraville as the local Greek community and food lovers gathered to celebrate the launch of Ela na Fame (Come and Eat) on Wednesday night – the debut cookbook by Eleftheria (Thierry) Amanatides. The book is a deeply personal love letter to family, food, and the Amanatides’ migrant journey in Melbourne’s west.
Guests were treated to a generous spread straight from the pages of the book – from keftedes and fish plaki and kleftiko to rizogalo – all served with the kind of warmth that could only be described as filoxenia.
“My first memories are of making tiropites, spanakopites and getting into sweets,” said Eleftheria. “I learned from my grandmothers, Eleni and Eleftheria, and now I find myself in the kitchen, sharing their recipes with the world.”
The book was born during a fire at Eleni’s Kitchen and Bar, shortly after the restaurant temporarily closed. “It took four and a half months,” she said. “And the moment it hit me – how meaningful it all was – was when we finished. I realised what we had achieved.”
More than a cookbook, Ela na Fame is a story of migration and resilience, featuring 33 hearty recipes passed down through generations, more if you include those handwritten in Greek by Eleftheria’s grandmothers.
“They’d call out ‘Ela na fame!’ and we’d come running,” she recalled. “Now I’m calling it out to the world.”
The pages feature vintage photographs, notes, an entire journey interspersed with authentic recipes, all shot within three days. “We didn’t have time to taste. It was hard work,” food stylist Lee Blaylock told The Greek Herald.
MCed by her sister Natalie, the launch was as much about memory as it was about mezze, and the entire family was there: Uncle Anthony who owned the pizza shop, Uncle Nick who had the kafeneion, Thierry’s parents, cousins, and nieces, and of course the two grandmothers, Eleni Amanatidou and Eleftheria Tzavaridou.
“We called it Greek daycare,” Natalie joked, describing their childhood spent with grandparents steeped in culture, cooking, and language – and a neighbourhood where even Agios Nikolaos church down the road had Father Antonis, their grandfather, as the church’s longest-serving parish priest for 37 years.
For Eleftheria, the journey was about more than food – it was about honouring her family’s legacy. “Our family has 50 years of small business history. From seamstresses and butchers to restaurateurs, they built something from nothing – brick by brick, pita by pita.”
She also acknowledged the challenges of being a young woman in a male-dominated industry. “You’re not always taken seriously, but I’ve grown stronger. I think I got that guts and energy from how I was raised – you fall, you get back up.”
Head chef Christos Katopodis recalled her first day in the kitchen: “She cut yeeros better than some of the male chefs. It was like she had always belonged there.”
Her most representative dish? “Hoirino me lahano – pork and cabbage stew,” she told the Greek Herald, stating it wraps geography, history and a family story. “It’s a northern Greek winter dish, simple and hearty. It speaks to my family roots and the colder climates they came from.”
Yiayia Eleni Amanatidou, who contributed stories and recipes, beamed as she flipped through the book. “They’re all my favourites,” she said. “This is more than just food – it’s memory, it’s identity.”
Reflecting on the experience, Eleftheria said, “Everyone can cook. My recipes are easy to follow – you don’t have to be a trained chef. I just wanted to share something from the heart.”
And what’s next? “We’ll see,” she smiled. Someone in the room yelled, “Give her a cooking show!”
“The cooking never stops,” her sister added.
‘Ela na Fame’ is available for purchase online for $39.95 or for pick-ups at Eleni’s Bar and Kitchen at Yarraville, where you can try some of the recipes before you buy.
