Celebrity chef, cookbook author, restaurateur and TV personality Maria Loi has opened a limited-run pop-up specialty shop selling Greek foods and products, including award-winning Loi Ladi Extra Virgin Olive Oil, through the end of the holiday season. The venture, Loi Specialty Shop, can be found on the first floor of the Plaza Hotel mere steps away from her eponymous restaurant, Loi Estiatorio. It will remain open through Feb. 14.
The shop will sell not only packaged food products that make perfect last-minute Christmas gifts, but “to-go” cooked dishes, such as grilled Talagani cheese drizzled with organic Greek honey and whole grilled fish sprinkled with oregano.
The items on sale in the shop all reflect Loi’s culinary philosophy, which focuses on a diet of fresh, healthful ingredients. Chief among these are olive oil, yogurt, beans, nuts, seafood and other proteins, and fruits and vegetables.
Of the enterprise, Loi told Forbes, “I wish everyone could travel to Greece and see my beautiful country, but in lieu of that, the Loi Specialty Shop can take you there. It’s transportive, and you’ll find specialty food items there that aren’t easy to source or readily available.”
