Entrepreneur. Author. Speaker. World Traveler
Tasia Malakasis
Tasia Malakasis is former Chief Cheese of Belle Chevre, an internationally-renowned artisan creamery, and author of two cookbooks, Southern Made Fresh and Tasia’s Table. Her most recent book, Southern Made Fresh, was produced in collaboration with Southern Living magazine. She was recently named as one of the top 50 people changing the South, has appeared on the Today show, was celebrated by Oprah's O!, and has been lauded by almost every major lifestyle publication in the US for her creativity, innovation and passion. To learn more, about working with Tasia for your next event, hire for cooking classes, or purchase books, just browse through the site.
About
Tasia Malakasis
Author. Speaker. Entrepreneur.
Tasia Malakasis is the former CEO and President of Belle Chevre, an award-winning creamery, and author of two cookbooks: Tasia’s Table and Southern Made Fresh published by Southern Living.
+ Tasia’s passion for food was borne from the kitchens of her southern grandmother, whose love was shown, felt and tasted from the riches of a big pot of chicken ‘n dumplins. +
She learned early that food was love. Later in life, when as a teenager Tasia visited her father in Greece during the summers, she learned that there the bounty of the table was just as rich and deeply entrenched in how families and friends shared love. Being rooted deeply in the Southern and the Greek cultures formed a magical link to food and the allure of the table that Tasia could not shake.
Tasia spent 15 years in the high-tech space, taking a few sabbaticals at the Culinary Institute of America to figure out how to follow through on her crazy passion for food. While visiting a Dean & Deluca store in Manhattan, she picked up a cheese and was stunned to learn that the small but highly renowned creamery, Belle Chevre, was located in Elkmont, Alabama, down the street from her childhood home.
+ This “chance” meeting of Belle Chevre and Tasia in Dean and Deluca in Manhattan led Tasia back home to fully and finally embrace her love of food and the communal table as a cheesemaker. +
Since that time Tasia has gone on to create several new lines of award-winning and highly lauded cheeses (recognized by everyone from Oprah to Garden & Gun and Southern Living) and is, in effect, living her dream.
Her first cookbook, Tasia’s Table, celebrates her favorite cheese, southern and greek recipes. Heralded by Southern Living, it marks the culmination of the meals she enjoyed with her Southern grandmother, her Greek family, and hundreds of Sunday Suppers spent around a big table with great food and even better friends.
Her second cookbook, Southern Made Fresh, published by Southern Living, showcases Tasia’s style of cooking simple Southern food that is, at its heart, fresh from the agrarian Southern soil.
+ Tasia has been named by Southern Living magazine as 50 People Who Are Changing the South, one of 75 Most Stylish Southerners, and “The newly minted big cheese.”
by O, The Oprah Magazine. +
Inspiring Speaking Engagments/Keynotes
Tasia’s story – giving up a lucrative career in high-tech to apprentice for and ultimately become an award-winning cheesemaker, lifestyle expert, and cookbook author – is an inspiration for all who seek to live their passion, both on the job and at home. Her coming home story has inspired audiences worldwide.
Testimonials
What People Are Saying About Working with Tasia
“The newly minted big cheese.”
- O, The Oprah Magazine
“A contempary visionary who has made bold moves in the pursuit of [her] passion"
-Don Julio, The Collective
“Anyone who likes cooking and good food will love Tasia’s creative new twist on Southern and European classics. The fresh face behind one of the hottest names in cheese is a rising culinary star”
- Lindsay Bierman, Editor in Chief, Southern Living
“Tasia is an absolute pleasure to work with. Not only is she professional and experienced, but she knows how to have fun and truly engage an audience. She brought the pages of both Southern Living and her cookbook to life in such an authentic and attainable way that our attendees left our event feeling satisfied and inspired."
-Kathyrn Lott, Southern Living Magazine
