A Taste of Cyprus
a lecture and dinner
by

Christina Loucas
author, recipe developer, & food photographer, Αφrodite’s Kitchen

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

6:15 pm – Cocktails
7:00 pm – Lecture and dinner

Location:
Huffington Center at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Presented by the UCLA SNF Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture 
and Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral
co-sponsored by Farmer Boys®

Download Menu

Tickets: $50 per person. Tickets are non-refundable.
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT

Tickets will not be available for sale on-site at the event.

Get ready for a culinary journey to Cyprus as we celebrate the rich cuisine of the island on June 12. Renowned food author, Christina Loucas, will be our guide through this gastronomic adventure, sharing insights into the vibrant and diverse cuisine of Cyprus. This promises to be a night of culinary delights and cultural exploration that you won’t want to miss!

Lecture: Writing A Traditional Cypriot Cookbook: A Study of Cypriot Culture through a Culinary Lens
The process of writing a cookbook is different for each author. In Christina Loucas’ case,  a Cypriot who grew up in Canada, she set out to preserve her family’s traditional Cypriot recipes by living in Cyprus for 4 years and accumulating recipes. In doing so, she inadvertently came to understand that the idea of a “traditional recipe” was much more than just a list of ingredients and method.  In her lecture, Christina talks about her personal journey of writing and photographing her cookbook, the definition of  a “traditional Cypriot recipe”,  and the relationship between Cypriot culture and culinary traditions.  She does so alongside a visual showcase of photographs and a delicious Cypriot dinner meant to highlight these talking points.

Author/Speaker Bio:
Christina Loucas was raised on Vancouver Island, Canada by Greek-Cypriot parents. She worked for six years as an international arbitration lawyer in London, Singapore and Canada after a law degree from Oxford University. Following a sudden illness, she decided to change her life, move to Cyprus, and to follow her passion for food and photography. With her now very successful blog (www.afroditeskitchen.com), she brings to the attention of the international public all the beauty and ingredients of her Cyprus. She published her first cookbook called “Cyprus Cuisine” in 2021.

Cookbook Summary:
Cyprus Cuisine is a colorful and thorough account of Cypriot cooking. Christina invites the reader into a Cypriot kitchen with traditional and modern recipes, which are easy to follow and accessible. It is sure to delight anyone with a taste for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours. The book also details the journey of a woman who decides to change her life following a sudden illness to pursue her passion for food and photography.

Check out her recipe for sweet tahini pies (tahinopites) from Cyprus in our Winter 2024 newsletter (pgs. 24-25).

This event is being held under the auspices of the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in the United States and the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Cyprus in Los Angeles.  This program is made possible thanks to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).