Kanella: A Journey Through Cyprus

Produced by: Monica Rogozinski

Chef Konstantinos Pitsillides came to the US, landing in Philadelphia, after living and working his way up as a chef in London for 15 years. His mission here was to put Cypriot Cuisine in the map. In 2008, after being nicknamed by Craig LaBan from The Philadelphian Inquirer as “The Cinnamon Man” he opened his first “Kanella” (Cinnamon in Greek) at 10th and Spruce Street. After earning a three-bell review from the famed food critic and gaining lots of devoted customers, he moved Kanella to Front Street with his partner Caroline on a beautiful “Delaware Front” space, filled with light and subtle references to his hometown. There, he promotes the Mediterranean-style of living with fresh ingredients cooked on the open fire grill, and lots of aromatics that help transport the customer to the island of Cyprus.

Chef Konstantinos and Caroline share with Friday Arts their memories and knowledge of this ancient culture and help us understand and appreciate the flavors of Kanella and it’s connection to the many cultural influences that make up Cypriot cuisine.

Costas Cocktail

Bar Manager Andres (Jesus) Sanchez mixes his signature cocktail “Costas” featuring Greek wines.

Grilled Bronzino

Chef Evan Butkovsky demonstrates how to prepare a perfect grilled Bronzino, step by step.

Tzatziki Dip

Making Tzatziki Dip, a perfect companion to meats, breads and veggies, Kanella style.

Find the award winning book Cyprus- A Culinary Journey by C&C Publishing on Amazon.co.uk.