A Taste of Greece: Moussaka, Markets & the Mediterranean Way of Life
About fifteen years ago, in the throes of anorexia, I had a vision during a post-yoga savasana - a premonition of sorts. I saw myself and my new love, Glenn, now my life partner, sharing a grilled fish at a taverna overlooking the water in Greece. This was in the early days of our relationship, before Glenn first took me to Greece in 2010. I never imagined that Greece would become so woven into my life, so integral to my being, as it is now. I certainly never imagined I would be relaxed enough to eat freely, joyfully, with someone I love.
On my most recent trip, in June 2026, Glenn and I had an unforgettable dinner at a fish taverna in Monemvasia. We chose a levraki that had been caught that day - one big enough to feed the two of us - and ate it together in the ebullient atmosphere of a packed seaside taverna.
At one moment during that meal, intoxicated by the sheer deliciousness of the fish and the horta (boiled wild field greens, one of my staples when I'm in Greece) and the lefko (white table wine), and by the happiness I felt in my connection to the food, the culture, the place, and to Glenn, I realized: this was a version of the very thing I had envisioned all those years ago.
I still get chills recounting it.
That is what Greece does to me.
And it's the feeling I most want to share with you - starting right here, at home.
Greece Inspires Me as a Chef and as a Human
Every trip to Greece reminds me why I cook. The Mediterranean way of life is generous and unhurried - meals are not something to get through, but something to fall into. It's not uncommon for families and friends to spend hours around a table, eating and drinking and talking. There's a strong café culture, too. You'll see groups nursing a freddo (iced coffee) or freddo cappuccino for an entire afternoon, deep in animated conversation - talking loudly, gesticulating wildly. On weekends at the tavernas, whole families cozy around a lunch table while the children play, everyone lingering long after the plates are cleared… It reminds me that food is connection, and that the table is where we become most ourselves.
The Magic of Koroni
Nowhere do I feel that more than in Koroni, the historic seaside town on the Peloponnese where so much of my Greek life is rooted. I love its culinary scene and I don't just mean the astonishing array of fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmers market, though that alone is worth the trip. What I love most are the people: their strong personalities, their unbridled enthusiasm for what they grow and make.
There's a couple at the market who produce and sell their own honey and honey products. They actually fell in love through beekeeping - their bees, quite literally, brought them together. They became partners in life and in work, and today they run a thriving small business.
Their story is Koroni in miniature: food and love and livelihood, all of it inseparable.
There's a Reason This Way of Eating Feels So Alive Here
In 2010, UNESCO recognized the Mediterranean Diet as part of humanity's Intangible Cultural Heritage and Greece chose Koroni as its official emblematic community. Not Athens. Not Santorini. Koroni, where traditional cultivation, seasonal eating, and food centered around a shared table survive in their most intact form. To me, the Mediterranean way isn't a "diet" at all. It's local ingredients at their peak, good olive oil and wine, a slower rhythm, and the deep pleasure of a table full of people. It's a way of eating - and living - that I carry into everything I cook.
And for me, this way of life comes alive most fully in the kitchen.
It shows up in the simple act of choosing what is fresh, taking your time with each layer of a dish, pouring care into the process, and preparing something meant to be shared. Moussaka is one of those dishes. It asks you to slow down. It asks for your attention. And in return, it gives you something deeply comforting, generous, and worthy of gathering around.
Moussaka: A Labor of Love
That reverence for ingredients is exactly what a dish like moussaka asks of you. On this trip, I made it, the Greek version of lasagna and one of the dishes closest to my heart. It is a labor of love. It takes hours to execute, and you pour yourself into the task: slicing and salting eggplant, roasting it until golden, building a rich meat sauce with tomatoes, garlic, wine, bay leaves, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and parsley, then whisking together a béchamel until it coats the back of a spoon. Then come the layers: eggplant, meat sauce, more eggplant, and that rich béchamel over top. After time in the oven, what emerges is a mouthwatering meal made to be shared with loved ones and those lucky enough to gather at your table.
Bringing Greece Home to Napa & Sonoma
Here's the wonderful part: you don't need a plane ticket to taste it.
Greece never really leaves me when I return home. It shows up in how I shop, how I set a table, and how I want my guests to feel - unhurried, cared for, and fully present. And I'm bringing that Mediterranean table right to your home in Napa and Sonoma - cooking for you and your guests as your private chef.
Whether it's an intimate Mediterranean dinner built around what's in season, or a hands-on cooking class where we make a dish like moussaka together, every experience carries the same spirit I fell in love with in Koroni: beautiful ingredients, a thoughtfully set table, and the deep pleasure of a shared meal. If you'd like to gather your people around a Greek-inspired table this season, I would love to cook for you.
Coming Soon: Culinary Experiences & Stays at The Charles Shoup House in Koroni, Greece
And there's something on the horizon I can hardly wait to share.
In Koroni sits The Charles Shoup House, a one-of-a-kind house and garden property that has become deeply dear to me. Over the years, this special place has become a meaningful part of my life, travels, and culinary inspiration. As The Charles Shoup House prepares to welcome guests in 2027, I'm dreaming up a full range of culinary experiences to offer there like private dinners and long, lingering lunches; cooking classes; morning visits to the Koroni farmers market; olive oil and wine tastings; and evenings out at the local tavernas. It's the ultimate expression of everything Nourished by Natasha is about and I'd be honored to share it with you when the doors open.
I wish you could stand with me on the veranda as the table comes together: the gorgeous round marble table that Charles commissioned, set with rustic placemats, colorful cloth napkins, the family silver, and glassware from the house's copious supply of beautiful tableware; a centerpiece of flowers cut from the garden. In June, the hydrangeas came in violet and magenta, the size of cantaloupes. Beyond the table, rolling hills of olive and cypress trees and a patchwork of small villages tumble down toward the Bay of Messinia, with the mountains of the Mani rising in the distance.
It is a breathtaking view - one that makes a guest feel not merely welcome, but honored.
Get in contact to be the first to know when culinary experiences at The Charles Shoup House in Greece become available.