Meet Chef Annie, the founder of mynisaki, a supper club inspired by the sea, island life, and the joy of gathering around a table. Rooted in her Greek heritage and shaped by years of travel, Annie blends Mediterranean flavours with Japanese techniques to create menus that feel both familiar and unexpected.
Through seafood-led dishes, warm hospitality, and immersive storytelling, mynisaki invites guests to slow down, connect, and experience the feeling of a Greek island escape, one course at a time.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and what first brought you to the kitchen and the world of hosting supper clubs?
I grew up cooking with my Dad who had restaurants. And the kitchen was the heart of our home where we spent hours cooking recipes from grandma. While I have a background in Art and Finance and worked in the corporate world for many years, I always express my artistic side in the kitchen and am a studying Chef. I found the supper club looking for a different dining experience and loved it.
Q: “mynisaki” translates to “my little island” what does the name mean to you, and how did the concept first come to life?
My Mom is from the Greek island of Kefalonia and the sea is an important part of my upbringing. I have always lived by the sea, an active sailor, and surfer and fish and seafood central to daily life.
Q: Your cooking beautifully blends Greek flavours with Japanese techniques. How did those two culinary worlds naturally come together in your style of cooking?
Greek cooking was central to my upbringing but Japanese and Asian techniques came later when I traveled explored different cuisines and loved the flavour profiles, sauces and ingredience that have incorporated into traditional Greek cuisine.
Q: The sea feels deeply connected to your experiences and storytelling. What is it about island life and the ocean that inspires you creatively?
The Ocean and seas are dynamic and constantly changing forces. No two waves are the same and its unique expression both in art and in cooking I find inspirational. What lies within the sea and its beauty to just watch have been a subject to many artwork.
Q: Growing up across different countries and cultures, was there a specific memory or place that shaped the way you think about food today?
Having lived in Greece, other European countries, Africa and the Middle East has definitely shaped how I experience global cuisine. The strongest memories have been on Greek island holidays with family and friends on Mykonos and Kefalonia Where the feeling of radiant sunlight, gentle sea breezes after a swim in the sea and then eating at a Greek taverna on the beach barefoot is a feeling that I want to capture in my everyday life and sharing that feeling to others during my supper club.
Q: Which dish on your current menu feels the most personal to you, and why?
Calamari is the most personal dish to me because it is my favourite Greek dish.
It is the one dish that embodies the island feeling and transports you there with Tzaziki and Greek salad. A simple dish but one that hopefully stays in your mind and the one I dream about when I go back home.
Q: Your dinners feel incredibly sensory and immersive. How important is atmosphere, music, conversation, table setting, when creating the full experience?
Music makes the mind travel and uplifts and is central to an island experience. Ambiance surrounded by blue and white are the colours of Greece with a hint of yellow and orange sunlight or sunset.
But the social aspect is the most important by bringing people together over delicious food and warm hospitality is central to a Greek welcome, meeting new people and share a meal.
Q: What’s one ingredient you find yourself constantly returning to in your cooking, no matter the menu or season?
Seafood is a go too ingredient, prawns, scallops, calamari, octopus or sea urchins. It is an essential part of Greek cooking and central to my menu.
Q: If guests could leave your table holding onto one feeling or memory, what would you hope it would be?
A feeling like you transported to a Greek island experience, meet some new friends, eat delicious food and share fun stories.
Q: If you could invite any three people to your mynisaki table, who would they be and what would you serve them first?
My Dad who taught me everything I know in the kitchen a big Greek artistic personality with loads of world travel stories
Mahtma Ghandi and discuss his approach to world peace
George Michael an artist and musician I found very inspirational throughout my life.
I would serve them a Greek salad with feta cheese and honey filo pie. Simple but unifying.
Q: Outside of the kitchen, what inspires you the most creatively, art, music, travel, people, nature, or something else entirely?
What inspires me is nature particularly the sea, art and travel. I always gravitate towards the sea when I travel and find it restorative and therapeutic and an endless source of artistic inspiration.
Q: Finally, what’s next for mynisaki? Are there any new stories, menus, or experiences you’re excited to bring to the table soon?
The summer menus is all about seafood and fish. From raw ceviches to seared scallops, calamari and sea bass to memories or future Greek island dreams.
