THE GABBY AWARDS - The After Party

Melina Kanakaredes
(Los Angeles, CA)
Hands down the biggest night in the Greek American community's history-- or at least in my lifetime.
Jim Gianopulos
(Los Angeles, CA)
A historic moment for Greek Americans that will be remembered for a long time.
Dr. George Carayannopoulos
(Smithtown, NY)
Exactly what our community has been yearning for.
Nia Vardalos
(Los Angeles, CA)
Fabulous event, very elegant and touching.
George Bliss
(Chicago, IL)
The Gabby Awards shook this world on Friday Night!!!
Georgia Logothetis (Chicago, IL)
It was an unforgettable night.
Daskalopoulos Kostas
(Chicago, IL)
The best event ever organized from a Greek American organization! Things are finally getting upgraded.
Eve Geroulis
(Chicago, IL)
Superlative. Glamorous. Elegant. Touching. Proud. Noble. It was a remarkable event. I am honored to have been there and brimming with pride. Bravo. Bravo. Bravo.
Demae De Rocher
(Minneapolis, MN)
Greek America's pride shined on June 19, 2009, and it was a privilege to be there. Well done!
Judge Peggy Chiampas
(Chicago, IL)
It was a life-altering event. I have never been more moved or proud of who I am and where I have come from.
Andreas Akaras
(Baltimore, MD)
To commend you, to congratulate you, to say job well done are words too little to satisfy the accolades you deserve for putting on the Gabby Awards.
Alexis Fasseas
(Chicago, IL) 
It was emotional and made us all feel so proud and connected to our heritage.
Fotios Piniros
(New York, NY)
Outstanding! Beyond my wildest expectations.
Alex Costakis
(Los Angeles, CA)
The pride in our Greek American heritage as expressed by each and every award presenter and recipient was heartfelt and meaningful.

Friday, June 19, 2009

The Gabby Awards After Party, taking place immediately after the awards ceremony at the Chicago Hilton Hotel and Towers (next door to the theater!) will be an unforgettable evening of music, dancing, food, and celebration. The ticket includes an explosive combination of an open bar, unlimited food and music and dancing on one of the biggest ballrooms in the city of Chicago.

The event will feature a menu designed and planned in conjunction with the Hilton Hotel chefs by award-winning celebrity chef Michael Psilakis, who will be present at the event to welcome the guests.

The wildly successful young chef and restaurateur—whose Manhattan restaurant Anthos is one of only two Greek restaurants in the world with a Michelin star—refined his talent not in culinary school but in the kitchen beside his Greek mother during his childhood on Long Island.

After earning a business degree, he found himself drawn back to the food world, where he worked his way up from waiter to owner of his first restaurant on Long Island. Since then, he's opened Kefi and the award-winning Anthos—two Greek jewels in New York City, as well as Mia Dona, an Italian restaurant also in Manhattan. His restaurants—and unique personal look—have made him one of the most talked about, written about and spoken about chefs in the country.

His recipes have been featured in dozens of national periodicals. He's won best chef and best restaurant awards from GQ, Esquire and other lifestyle magazines and was recently named Bon Appétit Magazine's Chef of the Year.

Greek America Magazine cover story on Michael Psilakis

After dinner the event will evolve into the biggest Greek dance party of the year with internationally acclaimed platinum selling Greek singer Glykeria. Known as “The Voice of Greece,” Glykeria, together with Kostas Karafotis and their complete orchestra, who will be coming direct from Greece for the event, will perform an unforgettable program that will be remembered for a long time as the biggest Greek dance party in America!

See Glykeria on YouTube

Glykeria, one of the biggest-selling Greek performing artists in history has been dazzling Greek and international audiences worldwide for over three decades. Her collaborations have crossed linguistic, national and cultural barriers over the years, as she has become a household name in her native Greece, and far-flung places like Israel, Turkey and elsewhere in Europe—all the while remaining true to her Greek roots.

Kostas Karafotis is one of the young new singers to emerge from the popular television reality show Fame Story who has proven his staying power and appeal with hit after hit and a huge fan base in Greece.

See Kostas Karafotis on YouTube