Thomas Katsamangas from Thomas’s Taverna in Otley reflects on traditional Greek food and shows us how to make gyros and baklava.
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00:00My name is Thomas Katsamangas. I'm in Otley. I have a restaurant and takeaway. I come from Greece, near Thessalonica, near the Mount Olympus, a small village, about 500 people.
00:17From Mount Olympus in Greece to Otley in West Yorkshire. Thomas Katsamangas met his wife June in 1986 and moved to England in 1987.
00:27Working in hotels and restaurants across Yorkshire, he developed his English and cooking skills before opening the Dales Café in the Leeds suburb in 2004.
00:37The venue served English food during the week and authentic Greek cuisine on weekends.
00:42But following the pandemic, the family run Taverna became a full-on Greek eatery.
00:47Thomas, who is one of five brothers, has been reflecting on his culinary journey and is about to show us how to prepare two traditional Greek dishes.
00:57To say the truth. My mom was not allowed us to cook. But when I came to England and started working in Greek restaurants, I don't know how I fancied to learn.
01:09The traditional was the moussaka. We make here. Meat or veg moussaka. And I have the lamb kleftiko.
01:18We start with the gyros. They buy the meat. It's coming from Greece, ready. What happened? The gyros cook it outside, only no inside.
01:26And when you go brownie, you cook it. Put in the pan-marie or just stay with the gyros. Put the pita bread and the grill.
01:35When the pita ready and the chips ready, apply the tzajiki on the pita bread. Put the gyros, the chicken or pork, whoever.
01:44Salad, tomatoes, onions, chips. Wrap it around. And if people take out or eat it here.
01:56Baklava. It's more time. It takes time. Because it's made from scratch. Put each fill of pastry, butter it. And again, you put about six fill of pastry in the bottom.
02:13Mix of the adouine walnuts. Mix of nuts. And I put another two, three pastries. And another mix, layer of mix. And another six, seven pastries in the top.
02:29Cook it in the right positions and cook it. One of the people say, oh, that's so nice. You know what I mean? I come to say thank you.
02:38That's a good thing. You know what I mean? I enjoy it. Very hard work. But it's good. People in Notley like it. People coming from round as well.
02:51Some Greek friends who live in Notley here coming Saturdays. I'm a little of Tsipro, you know, like also traditional.
02:58That's sort of.
03:00That's really cool.
03:01You're not even good when people live in the episodians.
03:02You're absolutely right.
03:03You're just really kind of a good and different.
03:04Like traditional.
03:06Yes, you're right.
03:07This one is much easier than you can liveazione of all people.
03:08That's what we need to think okections.
03:09But it's very delicious.
03:10Only you're right, that's the case.
03:11So now'll be a tease is in terms of getting almost free.
03:12You're just going to speak Thats' near��.
03:13You're just going to speak.
03:14You're right, I'm losing you, somebody needs to learn more.