MDR Takes Centerstage With ICE/NYC Confab

MDR event centerstage
The very latest in healthy and tasty Greek fare including offering from Kyknos, Omega, and Helios Pasta took centerstage at the MDR NYC event
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The Mediterranean Diet Roundtable™ (MDR), in collaboration with Chef Maria Loi, welcomed restaurant and foodservice professionals to the second edition of the MDR CONNECT WINTER, a boutique culinary trade show designed to bridge the transition from the pandemic to our new future. 

Mediterranean Diet Roundtable Connect Winter

“Like the successful pilot in June, this event has been made possible thanks to Greek companies, professionals, and institutions: all true champions of the Mediterranean Diet,” noted Dainiella Puglielli, MDR’s founder. After stops at both Yale University and the University of Notre Dame, the 2022 edition came to Manhattan’s ICE. “We are grateful to the Institute of Culinary Education for hosting us at its iconic campus during the challenging conditions we are all enduring.” 

The Mediterranean Diet Roundtable (MDR) was created as a series of events to inform, inspire and promote the appreciation of ingredients and food practices distinctive of Mediterranean cuisine. The goal of the movement is to market the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet into commercial opportunities in the United States. The MDR is playing a key role in repositioning the Mediterranean Diet as a competitive driving force to shape the current offerings in retail, e-commerce, and high volume commercial and noncommercial food services in America. 

MDR confab
A large contingent of leading foodservice leaders attended MDR Winter 2022 including (L-R) Flavia Bonelli, Daniela Puglielli (MDR® founder), and Yale University’s Rafi Teherian

“As consumers around the world become increasingly sophisticated, they are turning to healthier foods and lifestyles,” commented Betty Alexandropoulou, Executive Director, Enterprise Greece. “Subsequently, the Greek Mediterranean Diet that draws on nature’s bounty and thousands of years of tradition, has become more and more popular over the years.”

  • McKee Foodservice
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • Atosa USA
  • Texas Pete
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • Day & Nite
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • Imperial Dade
  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • RAK Porcelain
  • RATIONAL USA
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • AyrKing Mixstir

The Greek Food and Beverage industry is one of the most important sectors of the domestic economy, with significant investments, growth prospects, strong extroversion and strong business activity in Greece, the Balkans and throughout Europe. The characteristics that highlight the role of the domestic food and beverage industry are the high-quality products, the Greek brand name, as well as the organized promotion of Greek food in the international markets.

Maria Loi Kyknos
Noted chef/entrepreneur Maria Loi has been instrumental in bringing the latest in Greek products to the US including Kyknos ketchup and barbecue sauces

“Growing awareness of the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet has helped spur demand for fine Greek products like olives, olive oil, vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts and whole grains that comprise the foundation of healthy living,” Alexandropoulou added. “As a result, in the past ten years, Greek Food & Beverage exports have grown worldwide.In essence, the Greek Mediterranean Diet is about taste, quality, and healthy living. Moreover, in the rich flavors of Greek cuisine, one can also taste the warmth of the Mediterranean sun and the cordial hospitality of our people. We believe that the exquisite quality of our products that make up the Greek Mediterranean Diet is an investment in unparalleled taste and ultimately in the “good life” – εὖ ζῆν (ef – zin) as we call it in ancient Greek.” 

Together, Enterprise Greece, the official agency of the Greek State for investment and trade, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – and its delegation of exceptional Greek companies showcased their products at the MDR New York event. 

MDR provided the Metro New York restaurant and foodservice industry with an opportunity to taste the fare of a select group of Greek companies. “Our goal was to offer the chance to taste our products, embrace our culture, and make the Greek Mediterranean Diet − one of the healthiest cuisines in the world − part of the American consumers’ everyday life,” Alexandropoulou continued. 

Highlighting the educational program was Spiceology’s Joshua Holmes presentation on Spices: Artisan blends and how they can efficiently elevate foodservice operations. One of the world’s foremost experts on Olive Oil David Neuman hosted: Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The Truth in your Kitchen. U-Mass/Amherst’s Sabrina Hafner discussed Beyond Nutrition Facts: Understanding & Optimizing Food Labels. The program concluded with ICE’s Celine Beitchman seminar: Learning about Whole Grains and Beyond. 

Loumidis Foods Team
The Loumidis Foods Team in attendance at MDR (L-R) Lucas Bieluch, Thanasi Economou, Angela Tsamasirou, Farah Aoucher, Matthew Kalamidas

Among the big news coming from the event was the announcement that Loumidis Foods will be the 2022 title sponsor of MDR’s conference program. “We are thrilled to share the vision that the MDR movement is bringing to the US marketplace,” noted Loumidis Foods’ Commercial Director of Sales and Marketing Matthew Kalamidas. The New Jersey based company has redefined the concept of ‘premium products’ with innovative ideas that preserve the traditional preparations of Greek foods with an eye towards modern sustainability for today’s marketplace. “Superb service for our customers, a reputation for reliability and the family’s history of an honest work ethic are our core values as we provide responsible representation to the many brands of our portfolio,” Kalamidas continued. 

The event once again brought the indefatigable energy of Chef Maria Loi and the Loi Brand to the centerstage. Businesswoman, author, television personality and philanthropist Chef Maria Loi brought her knowledge of ancient Greek Mediterranean gastronomy to the USA nine years ago with the opening of her successful NYC restaurant and the launch of her award-winning eponymous lines of Loi Products. Chef Loi has written over thirty-six books. Her recent involvement with Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America aims to educate America and the rest of the world through television, books, and various media initiatives about the powerful health benefits of the Greek Diet, which is based on the Cretan Diet, the foundation of the Mediterranean Diet. 

“Our goal continues to be that “MDR Connect,” provided an innovative approach in promoting the Mediterranean Diet and tastes,” Puglielli concluded, “We are confident that the innovative approach of “MDR Connect” will create mutually beneficial commercial opportunities and that it will strengthen Greece’s outreach in the U.S market, which is a significant and valuable one for fine Greek products.” 


Further info is available on the Mediterranean Diet Roundtable, please visit their website.

  • RATIONAL USA
  • Atosa USA
  • Texas Pete
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • Day & Nite
  • RAK Porcelain
  • McKee Foodservice
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • Imperial Dade
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • DAVO Sales Tax