UNIT 1.
A Eating in and … out
Audio 1.8
I = interviewer, M = Marianna Leivaditaki
Part 1
I With me today I have Marianna Leivaditaki, head chef of the Morito restaurant in London. Marianna, what
was your favorite food when you were a child?
M Um, well, at home we ate a funny mixture because of my parents. Um, fresh fish, bacon and eggs for
breakfast on Sundays, and traditional apple pies. But my favorite was fish. We ate fish every day, which my
dad caught. In fact, my dad still goes fishing every night!
I Wow!
M Yeah, we were really lucky because not all families could do that – could eat fish every day. Even on an
island, fish is expensive, unfortunately.
I Did your dad catch fish for the family or for the restaurant?
M For both. Um, except for lobsters. When he caught a lobster, he never sold it; it was always for us. We
boiled it and ate it with lemon and olive oil. You don’t need anything except lemon and olive oil when fish
and seafood is really fresh. That’s how I cook lobsters nowadays in the restaurant, in Morito.
I Were you interested in cooking when you were a child?
M Oh yes. I spent every evening in our restaurant, and instead of playing with the other children, I usually
helped in the kitchen. I wrote down recipes which I wanted to cook for the family in a small blue notebook.
I So your love of food and cooking came from your parents?
M From my parents and also from my aunt, and from many inspiring ladies who surrounded me when I was
growing up. My aunt, Thia Koula, had animals, a garden, olive trees, and grapes. In the summer, I often spent
all day with her. She knew everything about wild food in Crete. She only ate what she had grown or found or
made herself. Such a beautiful way to eat.
I Did you ever eat out as a child?
M Never in the evening, um, because our restaurant was open for dinner seven days a week, but
occasionally my mum used to buy me and my brother souvlaki for lunch, a sort of Greek sandwich with pita
bread. Inside it has pork, tomato, red onion, and lots of thick yogurt.
Audio 1.9
Part 2
I So did you always want to be a chef, to have your own restaurant?
M No, not at all. I wanted to be a psychologist, and when I was 18, I came to the UK to study at Kent
University. Then I decided I didn’t want to be a psychologist after all, and I went traveling for a bit – I’d saved
some money at university because I worked in the evenings. I went all around southern Europe and also to
South America, to Ecuador. I tried all sorts of different dishes and fell in love with food again, so I went back
to Crete and worked in our family restaurant for two years.
I Why did you come back to the UK?
M Well, I wanted to continue working as a chef, but I needed a bigger challenge. And when I was a student in
the UK and I missed good food, I used to save money and go to London to have dinner in a restaurant called
Moro. It wasn’t Greek food, but it was Mediterranean, Spanish, North African, and I loved it. So, when I came
back to London, I went to Moro and I said, “I want a job” – and they gave me one.
I And what happened then?
M Well, really slowly, through hard work, and after seven years, I became head chef. It was magic. And then
the owners of Moro, Samantha and Samuel Clark, suggested that I help them open Morito.
I How is Morito different from Moro?
M It’s the same inspiration, and um, many of the dishes are similar, but because I run the kitchen, I have
been able to have more Cretan dishes on the menu – dishes from my childhood. This week, for example, I’m
making ntakos, a Cretan salad made with fresh goat’s cheese, tomato, and bread.
I Do you go back to Crete much?
M Yes, I go to Crete maybe four or five times a year. My family’s restaurant is closed now, but I go out for
lunch with my friends, the people I miss when I’m in London. Food comes, and we share everything. We
always order too much, and by the end of it we feel incredibly full.
I Well, Marianna, it's been great talking with you, and thanks for coming in.
M Thank you very much for having me
