The After Party

Renowned chef Cat Cora is the first and only Iron Chef, the author of two cookbooks and a master at combining her Greek and Southern heritage into classic culinary creations.

Both Cora's father and grandfather-- whose families hail from the island of Skopelos-- were restauranteurs and definitely had an influence on Cat's early life and ultimate path her career would take. "Like so many others, my grandparents provided the basis of what I love most-- cooking," she said.

Between television shows on Food Network and her own on the Oprah Winfrey Network, involvement in her own set of restaurants-- a Greek one called Kouzzina on the Boardwalk in Disneyworld and another with Macys in California-- and dozens of other ventures, the Iron Chef still finds time for philanthropy.

She is an important contributor and supporter of the efforts of the Greek America Foundation and even started her own charity several years ago called Chefs for Humanity, to support people in need during times of crisis.

Glykeria: “The Voice of Greece”

Not many Greek singers have been called “legendary” by The New York Times or “the wonder of Greece” by The Boston Globe. Not many Greek singers have performed sold out concerts on all five continents and have had their records released by mainstream record companies in the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Turkey and Israel. Not many Greek singers have won—in the same year—the Greek Music Award for Best Popular Female Vocalist and the Israeli Music Awards’ Best Female Singer of the Year. Glykeria is not just any Greek singer.

For over 30 years, Glykeria has remained one of Greece’s most popular female voices. With over 35 Gold and Platinum albums to her credit and hundreds of appearances on compilation albums and participation with top Greek and foreign artists, she is also—by far—one of the country’s most prolific singers. Her 1985 classic “Me Tin Glykeria Stin Omorfi Nyhta” remains to this day, one of the top-selling albums in Greek history.

Her vast repetoire includes traditional music from Greece’s islands and villages, known as “demotika” and “nisiotika.” Furthermore, Glykeria has been credited with reviving the Rebetiko genre of music—a type of Blues music, that was popular in the early parts of the 20^th century when millions of refugees from Asia Minor poured into Greece following political unrest and wars in neighboring Turkey.

In 1999, The Boston Globe called her “the wonder of Greece,” following an appearance at Boston’s Wang Theater and the Jerusalem Post named her “Humanitarian of the Year” for her impact in Israel. She has performed dozens of sold-out concerts with top international orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Tel Aviv.

In 1994, Glykeria was invited to perform on a morning television program in Israel that was highlighting Greek culture. She attended the taping, performed a few songs from her diverse repetoire and departed for her home in Greece the following day.

Within hours of her return to Greece, the producers of the television show called to invite her back, explaining that they had received phone calls from thousands of viewers asking for more. An independent career in Israel was born.

The following month, Glykeria returned to Israel for a special concert organized by the television network. She used the opportunity of her return to Israel to meet with leaders from various philanthropic agencies, in particular, ones that help widows and orphans who have lost loved ones in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Almost immediately, Glykeria became a household name in Israel, with regular trips, concert tours and appearances at charity functions. Her work was noticed by then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who expressed his desire to meet the singer. A friendship was born, which led to more philanthropic work, advancing issues of peace and cross-cultural understanding between Christians, Jews and Arabs in Israel and throughout the region.

Following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, his widow Leah invited Glykeria to perform a special memorial concert in his memory. The event was the biggest musical event in the history of Israel, with over 300,000 people jamming central Tel Aviv Square. At the concert, Glykeria presented a special gift to Leah Rabin—and all people of Israel.

She had produced a song—especially for the event—and invited a Jewish and a Palestinian singer on stage to perform it. The crowd was at first shocked at the Greek singer’s audacity to invite an Arab on stage—without prior notice to organizers. Within seconds, Glykeria’s message was received by hundreds of thousands in attendance.

The song—featuring a Christian, a Jew and an Arab, was called “Mother’s Prayer” and was performed in Hebrew and Arabic. Its lyrics told the story of mothers who have lost children in wars, and how a mother’s pain has no religious or ethnic boundaries.

Although not planned, the song was later released as a CD single in Israel the following week and sold over 1 million copies. Glykeria donated all proceeds of the sales to over a dozen Jewish and Palestinian NGOs that help families who have been impacted by the loss of loved ones in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The culmination of Glykeria’s career in Israel was an invitation by the world renowned Israel Philharmonic Orchestra to headline a concert in Tel Aviv. The concert was recorded and released to an international audience by Sony Classical in New York City.

In Greece, Glykeria’s success and innovation is unmatched and unrivaled. She has helped cross musical and cultural divides by inviting high-profile international singers to share the stage and studio with her for her domestic releases.

Past collaborations have included Arab superstar Natacha Atlas, Turkish-Armenian singer and musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek, legendary Turkish composer Zulufu Livanelli and international star Ofrah Hazah.