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“Just wanted to say thank you for everything and the entire staff at Villa Christina did an outstanding job! I was honored to work with them. Please express my sincere thanks to each one of them.”

Doris Gothard

villa christina heralds chef’s return with gusto

By: | August 7th, 2006

Chef Andrea Georgakopoulos announced as restaurant’s new Executive Chef

ATLANTA (August, 2006) — Villa Christina, a Northern Italian fine dining restaurant and event facility, has selected a new Executive Chef, Andrea Georgakopoulos. His appointment signifies a return to the restaurant where Mr. Georgakopoulos previously worked as Banquet Chef several years ago. Since then, Chef Andrea has refined and honed his culinary muscles as Executive Chef at fine hotels on both the east and west coasts. “My wide range of food and wine experience, focusing primarily on Mediterranean, Californian, Tuscan, and French cuisines, will undoubtedly enrich the current menu offerings at Villa Christina”, Chef Andreas comments, adding, “I’m quite excited to be returning to Villa Christina, it truly feels like my home away from home”, he adds.

Andreas Georgakopoulos began his journey of edible creative expression by attending the California School of Culinary Arts in the 1990’s. He began working as A.M. Sous Chef under classically trained French chefs at the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena while studying for his Le Cordon Bleu Diploma. Simultaneously, he also served as Sous Chef at the Westin in Long Beach, supervising The Grill restaurant with a focus on Mediterranean-California cuisine. Later, Andreas moved to Pittsburgh, where he further honed his craft as Executive Sous Chef at the Westin Hotel. Opening and operating the Pittsburgh Fish Market Restaurant at the Westin, Chef Andreas was thrilled when his labors paid off and the restaurant won the honor of “Best New Restaurant in Pittsburgh” during his tenure there. After his two-year spell as Banquet Chef at Villa Christina, Andreas moved west to Portland, Oregon, for a promotion to Executive Chef at the Hilton, where he specialized in Tuscan cuisine at the restaurant “Porto Terra”. Another accolade was paid to Andreas in that this restaurant was voted “Best New Restaurant in Downtown Portland” by “The Oregonian” newspaper. The Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia then employed Andreas as their Executive Chef for several years before he was hand-picked as Executive Chef by the prestigious new Embassy Suites Convention Center in Washington, D.C., one of the largest Embassy Suites in the country.

The Italian three-story, stacked-stone Villa Christina features a gourmet restaurant, two elegant ballrooms, two private dining rooms, an exhibition kitchen, an outdoor Event Pavilion and “Caffe Christina to go” restaurant. The main dining room boasts a breathtaking view of sprawling grounds, an exquisite stone terrace and a garden event pavilion surrounded by beautiful landscaping, flourishing rose gardens, and relaxing streams and waterfalls. Villa Christina serves lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner Monday through Saturday from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. The restaurant, conveniently located just inside the Perimeter, off of Ashford Dunwoody Road and I-285, accepts all major credit cards. For more information about the restaurant, its holiday happenings and/or its annual Summer Jazz Series, visit www.villachristina.com, or call 404-303-0133.

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