Private chef · Larnaca, Cyprus
My name is Eugene Charalampous
Cooking has been my craft for over a decade, built through formal training and real kitchens rather than shortcuts. I trained at Intercollege’s Culinary Arts programme, graduating Cum Laude and named Student of the Year — a foundation I then tested and sharpened across some of Cyprus and Europe’s most demanding kitchens.
My path took me through fine dining and modern Basque cuisine on a placement at NINEU in San Sebastián, then to Osteria Francescana in Modena — a 3-Michelin-star kitchen — where I trained under Massimo Bottura across both pastry and the main kitchen, learning what precision and discipline actually mean at the highest level of gastronomy.
Back in Cyprus, I’ve led kitchens at every scale: running multiple concepts simultaneously across the Acropolis Group, with teams of 15+ chefs and menus spanning fine dining, lounge and event service; building a restaurant’s entire kitchen operation from the ground up as Executive Chef Consultant at Taiga Larnaca; and most recently leading a fine-dining and lounge kitchen on the Larnaca seafront.
That range — from Michelin-level technique to running the day-to-day business of a busy kitchen — is what I bring to every project now. Menus that are distinctive and profitable. Teams trained to hold a standard under real pressure. And dining experiences, whether for 80 covers in a restaurant or 8 guests at a private table, that people actually remember.
- Now
- Private chef & chef consultant — open for new projects
- Experience
- 10+ years, fine dining & modern gastronomy
- Trained at
- Osteria Francescana (3★ Michelin), Modena
- Education
- Culinary Arts, Intercollege, Nicosia — Cum Laude, Student of the Year
- Based in
- Larnaca, Cyprus — working across the island
- Languages
- Greek, English, Russian
- Also known as
- Ευγένιος Χαραλάμπους (Evgenios Charalampous) · Eugene Charalambous
My philosophy
My philosophy is rooted in respect — respect for the ingredient, its season, its texture, and its natural character. Fine dining begins long before the plate; it begins with choosing ingredients at their peak and treating them with precision, restraint and intention.
I cook with a seasonal and local mindset, selecting products that speak for themselves. When an ingredient is used at the right moment, it doesn’t need to be manipulated — it needs to be understood. My role is to highlight its purity, not hide it.
A core part of my approach is zero waste. Every element has purpose: skins, stems, bones, trims. Modern techniques allow me to transform what is often overlooked into broths, oils, ferments, powders and textures that deepen the dish. Nothing is wasted, because every part carries flavour and identity.
My style is defined by clean lines, modern methods and thoughtful contrasts. I enjoy creating dishes that feel minimal yet expressive — refined compositions built on balance, clarity and interesting combinations. Technique is used with intention: smoking, curing, fermenting, slow extraction, precise heat control. Not to complicate, but to reveal.
Fine dining, to me, is not about excess. It is about purity, discipline and detail. A dish should feel effortless, even when the work behind it is complex. It should be elegant, honest and memorable — a quiet expression of respect for the ingredient and the craft.
This is the philosophy that guides every menu I create and every experience I cook.
The journey
Surprisingly, it began in an army kitchen
14 chapters, from a first kitchen I never planned to be in, to leading kitchens across Cyprus.
My own account. Independent coverage is linked under “Mentioned elsewhere”.
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2010
Army chef
Unlike many chefs, my passion for cooking did not come from childhood or family tradition. It began unexpectedly in the army, when my commander assigned me to the kitchen. With no prior experience and very few resources, I cooked meals that surprised everyone, myself most of all, relying purely on intuition.
Perhaps those early successes were the first sign.
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2012
Hard Rock Cafe
My first official job was as a line cook at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nicosia. It put me in a high-pressure environment where following standardised recipes and processes was essential, a lesson that still shapes how I run a kitchen.
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2013–2018
International cuisines
The desire to explore international cuisines led me to work in restaurants with very different visions, building knowledge and experience in each of them.
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2018
Hell’s Kitchen Greece
A passion for cooking and a love of challenges led me to Hell’s Kitchen Greece. It was an excellent experience.
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2019
NINEU
My first placement was at NINEU in San Sebastián, in the Basque Country: fine dining and modern Basque cuisine. I knew little about Basque cuisine and was amazed by how advanced it is; there is a reason San Sebastián is called a capital of gastronomy. Using only fresh local produce, of which there is a huge variety, it creates a truly unique cuisine rooted in tradition but cooked with the most modern techniques.
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2019
HO.RE.CA Gastronomia 2019
My first official gastronomy competition, HO.RE.CA Gastronomia 2019 in Cyprus, and a gold medal in the Cypriot Modern Cuisine category.
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2019
Cyprus Time Out Awards
It was a great honour to work in the team of Michelin-starred chef Paco Pérez at the Cyprus Time Out Awards.
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2020
Student of the Year
With good kitchen experience behind me, I realised that becoming a chef takes more than cooking: it takes knowledge of every side of the business. I studied Culinary Arts at Intercollege in Nicosia, was named Student of the Year and graduated cum laude.
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2020–2021
Osteria Francescana
Osteria Francescana by Massimo Bottura, a three-Michelin-star kitchen, is one of the best restaurants in the world. I trained there under Massimo Bottura across both pastry and the main kitchen, learning what precision and discipline actually mean at the highest level of gastronomy.
A few pages would not be enough to describe what that period meant to me: it marked my career for good and changed how I see gastronomy.
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2021
HO.RE.CA Gastronomia 2021
At HO.RE.CA Gastronomia Expo 2021 I cooked a modern Cypriot cuisine menu live: a fish appetizer and a chicken main course.
It was not easy, but the result was a gold medal.
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Morning cooking shows
Guest appearances cooking on morning television shows.
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2021–2023
Acropolis Group
Back in Cyprus I ran multiple concepts simultaneously across the Acropolis Group, with teams of 15+ chefs and menus spanning fine dining, lounge and event service.
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2023–2024
Taiga Larnaca
As Executive Chef Consultant at Taiga Larnaca I built the restaurant’s entire kitchen operation from the ground up: the full menu, HACCP food safety, staff training, supplier relations, and the kitchen’s planning and workflow.
Food cost fell by 12 percentage points.
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2024–2026
SeaNatra
Most recently I led a fine-dining and lounge kitchen on the Larnaca seafront as Executive Chef: modern Greek cooking built on honest flavours, clean presentation and dishes made for sharing, with a team I worked alongside every day to build recipes, refine methods and keep every plate consistent. Today I am taking on private dining bookings and consulting projects across Cyprus.
Now Private chef & chef consultant — open for new projects
Verification
Mentioned elsewhere
Work with me.
A menu, a kitchen, or one dinner that has to be right. Tell me what you are planning, in Greek, English or Russian.