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Sofia on Cleveland: How a yiayia inspired the Sydney Mediterranean restaurant

“It all started with Yiayia Sofia,” Sophia Bousgas, the owner of restaurant Sofia On Cleveland in Sydney, said with an emotional glint in her eye.

“I remember when my Yiayia took me down to the store room and showed me this huge stainless steel barrel full of olive oil. She said to me, ‘We’re going to have olive oil and bread’.”

Sophia, who was nine years old at the time, had moved with her family to Greece for 12 months to live with her grandparents in the village.

Growing up in Australia, s

Kianna Magelaki: Greek Australian business mind with a flair for fashion

Kianna Magelaki’s clothing gravitates towards global superstars like Paris Hilton and Becky G. But what is it about her clothes that are so encapsulating?

It’s their simplicity, classic silhouettes, and effortlessness – everything that makes a piece of clothing timeless.

In an interview with The Greek Herald, the Melbourne fashion designer says the simple aura of her clothes reflects the “carefree” nature of her early childhood upbringing on the Greek island of Crete.

“I was just this little

Sydney pianist Alex Nero takes on Greek hits and wants you to listen

Alex Nero has a goal to gather as many Greeks and Cypriots as possible worldwide onto his social media page in 365 days and he is using the magic of music to draw people in.

The Sydney musician is working towards this goal through ‘The Greek Series.’ He posts a daily video of him playing the piano to Greek and Cypriot musical hits on Instagram and Tik Tok.

“I wanted to commit to it every day so I thought to make it a challenge,” Alex tells The Greek Herald exclusively.

Ultimately, Alex hopes

'We're still starved of the Greek Australian story': Will Kostakis on his new fictional book

Will Kostakis’ new novel We could be something is perhaps something you wouldn’t expect when browsing the Australian novel section in a bookstore or library.

It’s not set in the dry bush or in Australian suburbia. Instead, it’s in the heart of Sydney city and the main characters have a Greek family.

“Why can’t the next great Australian novel be about a Vietnamese or Greek Australian family?”, Will Kostakis tells me in a questioning tone.

“We’re still starved of the Greek Australian story.”

A

Faith, family and food: Greek Australians share how they celebrate Orthodox Easter

Saturday night. It’s 11:30pm. Greek Orthodox churches across Australia are inundated with yiayiades and pappoudes. Outside the church, the flood of people continues with a wave of young faces, particularly sleepy children clasping onto the shoulders of their mum or dad.

At exactly 12am, the Holy Flame lights up the dark, chilly night as it is shared around the sea of people. Immediately, the crowd shuffles around. One by one, everyone performs the Orthodox Easter ritual of a kiss on the check a

Nikoletta Nicolaou: The food blogger showing how Cypriot food is more than just a recipe

If you’ve ever seen a Cypriot foodie on Channel 7’s TV program The Morning Show, it was most likely the energy-filled Nikoletta Nicolaou – the mastermind behind Instagram page Nikoletta’s Kitchen.

From 9 to 5pm, the Instagram food blogger works as a creative advertiser and with the rest of her time, she’s in the kitchen cooking for her family and friends all whilst capturing the recipes for her thousands of followers.

“I really, really love food. And I love how the kitchen just brings people t

Debbie Georgopoulos' fight for vulnerable women to find affordable housing in Australia

For one in six women in Australia, their home is tied to a memory of being pinned against the wall, yelled or screamed at. What was supposed to be a safe place became a place where there was no sleep and only anxiety.

Why? Domestic and family violence – that’s why.

It’s an unfair reality but it’s a fact that plagues our society. We all know domestic and family violence exists yet it’s something not easily discussed over dinner. That’s because it has a painful impact as we might have experience

Peter Petroulas on how Greek upbringing inspired his $275 million booking system

“If you think different, then you can actually bring around real change, and totally revolutionise something,” Peter Petroulas tells The Greek Herald.

Peter is the Founder and Owner of WizButler, an innovative booking system which recently won a $275 million US patent valuation.

He is the first person in the world to solve a booking system issue that once troubled the restaurant industry for decades.

And you’re probably thinking how? WizButler manages restaurant space instead of a fixed numbe

Sydney student Stephanie Papoutsis on fusing ancient and modern Greece in 'Paralia' designs

Experiencing Stephanie Papoutsis’ design editorial is like consuming the elements of Greece in silence – it drowns out the noisy and touristy perception of what people think the country is all about (food, music and entertainment), and thrusts their minds into the deeply architectural influence of Greece.

“In my editorial I don’t just capture a model with beautiful garments, I capture what we forget to love about Greece the most, but subtly as well,” Stephanie tells The Greek Herald.

The 19-ye

'Don’t forget your roots’: Stelios Daliardos wants to keep Greek culture alive through music

When Stelios Daliardos was five years old, he would play Greek CD’s of live concerts and mimic the performers for family and friends. Now, as an adult, he is no longer mimicking those performers but singing in front of live audiences.

“I’d stand up on the coffee table and sing as a little kid,” he tells The Greek Herald. “That’s where the love for it came.”

Named as a ‘young gun’ at Sydney’s Greek nightclub, Feggaria, the 19-year-old singer was born and raised in the local suburb of Belmore.

Community News

I write community news for The Greek Herald  which is based across Australia and have written for the Sydney Observer based Ku-ring-gai, Sydney. 

Greek Film Festival in Sydney screens documentary on Nelson Mandela's lawyer George Bizos

“You either succumb or you fight back” – These are the words audience members were left with on Sunday, October 22 from revered human rights lawyer, George Bizos, who defended Nelson Mandela during the relentless apartheid regime in South Africa.

On Sunday afternoon, empty seats turned full at Palace Cinema Norton Street in Leichardt, Sydney as a large crowd watched the official premiere in Australia of the documentary, George Bizos ICON.

The screening was part of this year’s Greek Film Festiv

Alex Petropoulos opens up about playing rebetika for first time at Melbourne venue

Alex Petropoulos is a young 22-year-old passionate about rebetika – a music genre that is decades old.

This passion led him to join the rebetika band Tsiftes in Melbourne, Victoria, which is also comprised of rebetika veteran Con Kalamaras, young “Rebetissa” Stav Thomopoulos, classical violinist Jenny Dixon, and Greek musician Nikos Kapralos.

Just recently, the band has been invited to perform at Melbourne’s iconic jazz venue Bird’s Basement. The bands’ performance of Greek rebetika will be th

How the Greek myth of Persephone inspired Eleni Karathanasi's new Sydney exhibition

Eleni Karathanasi’s Daughters of Persephone exhibition will be hosted this Saturday, April 15 at Hurstville Museum & Gallery in southern Sydney from 2.30pm.

The exhibition will shine a light on Persephone, the goddess of spring and the underworld. Her mythological story relates to the cycle of the seasons and the separation of a daughter from her mother when she starts a family of her own.

In an exclusive interview with The Greek Herald, Eleni reveals her personal journey of becoming an artist

Irene Pnevmatikos MLC calls for more dialysis beds in SA after kidney cancer

South Australian Labor MLC, Irene Pnevmatikos, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2022 and is now calling on the state government to provide more dialysis beds in regional areas.

In an interview with ABC News, Ms Pnevmatikos said she has to have dialysis three times a week after her kidney was removed.

She’s now using this personal experience to push the SA Government to do more for people with renal dysfunction and said a lack of dialysis beds in regional areas was a key concern because they

Pedia Greek School in Victoria teaches young kids Greek Easter traditions

Koulourakia, red eggs and lambathes were the centre of attention on Saturday, April 1 at Victoria’s Pedia Greek School.

The Greek school conducted a hands-on learning lesson about Greek Easter traditions for young kids aged pre-kindy to primary school.

Christos Vatranis, Principal of Pedia Greek School, said teaching the children about Greek Easter is important as it helps them understand and appreciate the cultural and religious traditions of Greece.

“It also provides opportunity to learn ab

Kay Pavlou's powerful films on Cyprus to be screened this week in Sydney

Two short films by award-winning film director, Kay Pavlou, will be screened on Tuesday, April 4 at The Cyprus Club in Stanmore, Sydney from 7pm as part of the Greek Festival of Sydney.

Cyprus – a People Divided and Ghost Town, as well as a trailer for Pavlou’s upcoming drama series Trapeze, are all part of the Cyprus Movie Night.

Cyprus – a People Divided is a 1990 SBS documentary about the aftermath of the 1974 Turkish invasion. Ghost Town is a 2022 documentary about Famagusta – formerly a t

Greek-owned restaurants triumph in the 2022 Australian food industry awards

At least two Greek-owned restaurants have won in the 2022 National Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence on Monday, November 28.

Four Greek-owned restaurants also earned finalist spots during the awards night held in Brisbane, Queensland.

The Awards recognise caterers, restaurants and cafes for their outstanding food and services across the year and includes an independent judging system with over 280 judges.

Winning gold in the ‘Contemporary Australian Restaurant’ category was

Hundreds flock to the Cypriot Food and Wine Festival as it returns to Sydney

Hundreds of people indulged in fruity wines and feasted on traditional Cypriot food at the Cyprus Community Club in the Sydney suburb of Stanmore this weekend during the Cypriot Food and Wine Festival.

The festival was officially opened on Friday, November 25 with a ribbon cutting ceremony conducted by the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia, Antonis Sammoutis; His Grace Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia, and the President of the Cypriot Community of New South Wales, Andrew

Soccer player Amy Orphanides to represent Oceania at 2023 World University Games

Greek Australian, Amy Orphanides, will represent Oceania in soccer at the International World University Games next year in China.

The competition is second-best to the Olympic Games, with thousands of participants and over 100 countries involved.

The event sees university students showcase their athleticism and battle it out for an internationally recognised sports title.

Amy’s soccer team from the University of Sydney (USYD) qualified for the World University Games after a tough match again

Hundreds attend first ever Children’s Greek Bilingual Book Fair in Sydney

The first ever Children’s Greek Bilingual Book Fair in Marrickville, Sydney was a huge success with around 500 people in attendance.

The book fair, held at the Addison Road Community Organisation Gumbramorra Hall, showcased Eleni Elefterias three new children’s books: My grandmother is a musician, When will you play with me? And I want to learn Greek.

John Nikolakopoulos’ new book, Meet the Grammatakia, was also launched on the day.

During the Book Fair, there was a video premiere of Ms Eleft

Greece a standout at the World of Food Festival in Western Australia

The World of Food Festival 2022 in Perth, Western Australia brought 35 cultures and foods together, with Greek dancing and food a highlight.

The food festival was organised by the Consular Corps of WA and was held at the gardens of WA Government House for the 11th year.

The Greek stall sold out fast with charcoal chicken and lamb open pita by the Souvla Boys – a mobile catering company specialising in Greek meats.

There was also a dedicated European Union stand, arranged by the EU Consular Gr

Print Stories

UTS Central News

Central News is a multi-platform news service and student based publication based at the University of Technology Sydney.

International News - The Greek Herald

 Lifestyle

The easy-going news. A feel-good read.

SA twins Danny and Michael Philippou in talks to direct 'Street Fighter' film

Award-winning Greek Australian filmmakers, Danny and Michael Philippou, are in talks with popular video game company Legendary to direct a feature adaptation of ‘Street Fighter’ – the classic video game from Capcom.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the South Australian twins are being considered after the outstanding success of their feature debut, Talk to Me.

Talk To Me premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received attention from Hollywood. At the screening, a bidding war ensued fo

Controversy around casting for Netflix's 'Queen Cleopatra' docuseries

Netflix’s upcoming Queen Cleopatra docuseries has been engulfed by controversy in recent days, with some saying the casting of a black woman depicting Queen Cleopatra is a “misrepresentation of history.”

The docuseries, produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, is part of the ‘African Queens’ series on Netflix.

Queen Cleopatra is scheduled to be shown on May 10, and stars Adele James as the Queen, John Partridge as Julius Caesar, Craig Russell as Mark Anthony, and Michael Greco as Pothinus.

Alex Levonis on his struggle to secure housing amid Victoria's rental crisis

Alex Levonis has revealed his struggle to secure a suitable living place amid Victoria’s rental housing crisis.

In a recent interview with ABC News, Mr Levonis said he applied for 30 Melbourne rental properties over a few weeks and called real estate agents, only to be left with no response.

Eventually the full-time freelance graphic designer found a lease on Facebook from a stranger, but the place needs repair. He said he’s afraid to ask the landlord for any improvements in case they increase

Giannis Antetokounmpo basketball court begins construction in Ghana

A basketball court in Ghana, named after the NBA Greek Nigerian star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has begun construction.

According to a tweet by the Greek Foreign Ministry, the new basketball court will be jointly funded by the Greek government.

The idea for a basketball court was proposed by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias after his visit to St Nicholas Greek School in January.

Antetokounmpo made his NBA debut on October 13, 2013 at the age of 18 as one of the youngest NBA players ever.

Si

Patricia Karvelas: Indigenous Australians need to lead reporting on their community

ABC journalist, Patricia Karvelas, has called for Indigenous Australians to be at the forefront of reporting on their own communities in the lead up to debates around the Voice to Parliament referendum.

The Greek Australian made the comments during her inaugural lecture as honorary professor at RMIT’S school of media and communication.

Karvelas said having been an Indigenous affairs reporter as a non-Aboriginal person for many years, she recognises the complexity of the position.

She now stro

Greece's highest village to use geothermal energy to melt frequent snowfall

The Mayor of the Greek town of Gravena, Giorgos Dastamanis, has announced the development of a new geothermal energy system in the nearby village of Samarina.

The newly built geothermal energy system will melt the frequent and heavy snow that covers the main square at Samarina

Mr Dastamanis said Gravena has been implementing geothermal energy as part of public building renovation since 2017.

“Our goal now is to apply this ecological practice to the central square of Samarina, so that during t

Archaeologists find shipwreck linked to 1821 Greek Revolution in Halkidiki

Archaeologists say that a shipwreck found near the Greek region of Halkidiki likely belongs to the 1821 Greek Revolution.

According to a report by Ekathimerini, the shipwreck was stumbled upon by divers last summer in the sea off Fourka in Halkidiki.

The shipwreck includes two cannons and a 1.5 metre long rifle on its wooden hull.

It is believed the ship dates back to the late 18th and early 19th century and possible played a role in the Greek Revolution, specifically the uprising of Halkidik

Third Sunday of Lent: Veneration of the Holy Cross

The Third Sunday of Lent in the Greek Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ.

On this day, members of the Greek Orthodox faith are reminded of the Passion of the Lord and get prepared for the commemoration of the Crucifixion during Holy Week.

The religious day is marked with the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, which is preceded by the Matins service.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a special service is held. The Cross is placed on a tray surrounded by ba

Makris Group in talks with lenders for $500 million building project in Queensland

Greek Australian property developer, Makris Group, is in talks with lenders to receive support for its $500 million expansion of Gold Coast’s Marina Mirage shopping precinct, according to a report by Real Commercial.

The South Australian company, led by Con Makris, plans to add a new hotel, 90 luxury apartments, additional retail stores, alongside new dining outlets.

Jason Makris, who is Con’s son, told Real Commercial that despite interest rates rising and causing challenges across all sector

Effie Kats on surviving in Australia's fashion industry

Effie Kats has opened up in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald about what she’s learned amid the struggles and failures she has faced in Australia’s fashion industry.

In 2018, Effie’s first brand, Zachary, closed after less than five years in business when she was effectively conned into signing her business away by an “industry veteran.”

“I learnt so many lessons… I had imposter syndrome, I [told myself] I didn’t know best, I didn’t trust my inner voice,” she tells The Sydney Morning

Melina Mercouri exhibition goes on display in Elefsina

Melina Mercouri, Greece’s longest serving Culture Minister, has been honoured with an exhibition in Elefsina, the European Capital of Culture for 2023.

Melina, was well known around the world as an embodiment of the Hellenic spirit through her presence as a stage and movie actress, a Greek patriot, activist and politician.

The exhibition will feature original posters of films Melina starred in, alongside photographs of her appearances at award ceremonies, and her struggle against the Greek dic

Behrouz Boochani to adapt ancient Greek play for Tasmanian festival

Tasmania’s Ten Days on the Island arts festival will feature an adaptation of the ancient Greek play, Women of Troy.

The adaptation is heavily interweaved with the experiences of former detainee Behrouz Boochani, who tried to seek refuge in Australia but was detained for nearly seven years on Manus island.

The Kurdish-Iranian revisits his refugee journey and writes a series of poems to be transformed into songs for the play.

“It was quite difficult emotionally because I had to go through that

Inside the new Wall Street hotel by Australia's Paspaley family

One of the most wealthy Greek Australian families, the Paspaley’s, have recently opened a hotel on Wall Street in New York, the United States.

The Paspaley’s are nationally and internationally known for being the world’s most important producer of cultured pearls, among other business ventures such aviation and marine services.

According to a travel report by The Australian, the Paspaley’s bought and opened The Wall Street Hotel in August 2022 and since then, it has become the “anchor for the

Sunday of Orthodoxy: What do we celebrate on the first Sunday of Great Lent?

The Sunday of Orthodoxy is the first Sunday of Great Lent. Since 843, the theme of this religious day focuses on ‘the victory’ of the icons.

What does the Sunday of Orthodoxy signify?

In 843, the iconoclastic controversy, which had raged on and off since 726, finally came to an end and icons and their veneration were restored on the first Sunday of Great Lent.

Ever since, the Sunday of Orthodoxy has been commemorated as the “Triumph of Orthodoxy” as icons could be used in churches without str

Greek Orthodox chanting to feature at coronation of King Charles

Greek Orthodox chanting will feature in the coronation of King Charles III as a homage to the King’s late father Prince Phillip, who was born on the Greek island of Corfu and previously a member of the former Greek royal family.

The coronation, which will occur on May 6 this year, will feature Greek Orthodox music by the Byzantine Chant Ensemble, led by Dr Alexandros Ligas.

“Integrating Greek psalmody into the equally ancient rites of the Coronation service is a profound and beautiful demonstr

George Peppou's company could serve lab-grown quail meat to Australians by 2024

Vow, Australia’s first cell-based meat company has begun the regulatory approval process with Food Standards ANZ to serve lab-grown quail in restaurants by 2024.

Co-founder and chief executive of Vow, George Peppou, told the Australian Financial Review the company will find out if it has the approval of Food Standards ANZ by May next year.

“They are publishing on their website the executive summary of what we’re submitting for approval. It’s the first public discourse for cell cultured meat in

Legacy of Greek restaurant destroyed in Christchurch quakes turned into a musical

Costa Kerdemelidis, former owner of New Zealand’s Greek party restaurant Santorini, has turned the devastation of losing his business in the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes into a musical.

According to Stuff, the restaurant was known for people dancing on barrels, smashing plates and watching Kerdemelides play bouzouki since it opened in 1993.

“It is quite strange because we had the restaurant and I felt like I would always be there playing music until I died,” Kerdemelides said.

“Then the eart

Victorian home rented by tennis star Mark Philippoussis up for sale

A grand home on the Surf Coast in Victoria, rented by Mark Philippoussis and his family for the last two years, is up for sale.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the four-bedroom home at 23 Carnavon Avenue, Jan Juc, is expected to be sold for between $3.4 million to $3.7 million.

Selling agent and Property Exchange Group executive director, Alex Lyons, said: “He [Mark] moved back to Australia to Jan Juc from San Diego at the start of COVID. He wanted to find something that was the next c

Sarah Jessica Parker raves about lemon potatoes from Greece

Pop culture star from Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker, says making lemon potatoes is her way of “trying to get to Greece.”

In a New York food blog Grub Street that has resurfaced recently, Parker said: “Lemon potatoes are what I do. That’s me looking for the holy grail.”

“When you have them in Greece, or you have them in Astoria, they taste a certain way,” she added.

“It’s almost like they were maybe boiled and then baked, because there’s a smoothness inside to the potato.”

After remi

Greece's population expected to decline within next 27 years

Greece’s population is expected to decrease by 2.5 million within the next 27 years, according to a study by the Laboratory of Demographic and Social Analyzes of the University of Thessaly.

The study, conducted by Professor Byron Kotzamanis, notes the population in Greece will range between 9.5 and a total of 10.4 million by 2035.

Back in 2015, the population was 10.9 million, meaning the population will decline from 450,000 to 1.4 million people in comparison to 2015 figures.

The study notes

Greece's population expected to decline within next 27 years

Greece’s population is expected to decrease by 2.5 million within the next 27 years, according to a study by the Laboratory of Demographic and Social Analyzes of the University of Thessaly.

The study, conducted by Professor Byron Kotzamanis, notes the population in Greece will range between 9.5 and a total of 10.4 million by 2035.

Back in 2015, the population was 10.9 million, meaning the population will decline from 450,000 to 1.4 million people in comparison to 2015 figures.

The study notes

Greece's population expected to decline within next 27 years

Greece’s population is expected to decrease by 2.5 million within the next 27 years, according to a study by the Laboratory of Demographic and Social Analyzes of the University of Thessaly.

The study, conducted by Professor Byron Kotzamanis, notes the population in Greece will range between 9.5 and a total of 10.4 million by 2035.

Back in 2015, the population was 10.9 million, meaning the population will decline from 450,000 to 1.4 million people in comparison to 2015 figures.

The study notes

Greek Australian among top real estate rookies in Sydney's Inner West

The Daily Telegraph has recently listed 10 real estate agents who have made their mark in Sydney’s Inner West with less than five years of experience.

Among the top 10 is Greek Australian, Johnny Botsis, who has been a real estate agent for 2.5 years.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Johnny Botsis’ love for real estate runs in the family, as his mother has also been working in the industry for 20 years.

Botsis told The Daily Telegraph: “I’ve always been a people person and I love being able

New movie on Homer's Odyssey to be filmed in Greece

Homer’s ancient Greek classic, The Odyssey, will be turned into an epic movie and will be partly shot in Greece.

Variety reports production is scheduled to start this spring on the Greek island of Corfu and in the Peloponnese before progressing to Italy.

The film, called The Return, will star Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus and Juliette Binoche as his beloved wife Penelope.

The Return will be directed by Academy Award nominee Uberto Pasolini and is expected to be in theatres in 2024.

While the mov
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