- Twelve Greek chefs will represent Greece at the RAK Porcelain Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg.
- The Greek presentation will feature more than 25 creations centred on olives and olive oil.
- The delegation leaves Greece on November 15 for the international competition.
- The initiative is supported by the Region of Crete as part of its European Region of Gastronomy 2026 programme.
Crete’s Olive Oil Is Going to the World Cup
Crete is taking one of its most familiar ingredients to an international stage where familiar ingredients are expected to do rather more than sit quietly in a bottle.
Twelve Greek chefs will represent Greece at the RAK Porcelain Culinary World Cup 2026 in Luxembourg, presenting more than 25 culinary creations built around the olive and olive oil.
The Greek delegation will leave for Luxembourg on November 15, with the Culinary World Cup taking place as part of EXPOGAST, one of Europe’s major international gastronomy events. The official Luxembourg programme lists the event at Luxexpo The Box from November 21 to 25, with the Culinary World Cup bringing national and other culinary teams together from around the world.
For Crete, however, this is about more than a cooking competition.
A Culinary Calling Card for Crete
The participation is part of the wider programme surrounding Crete’s designation as European Region of Gastronomy 2026, with support from the Region of Crete.
The objective is straightforward: put Greek and particularly Cretan gastronomy in front of an international audience while connecting food with the island’s agricultural production, cultural heritage and identity.
And few ingredients tell that story more naturally than olive oil.
For generations, olive oil has been part of everyday Cretan life rather than something reserved for special occasions. It is used for cooking, dressing, preserving and sharing food, and sits at the heart of the island’s traditional cuisine.
Now the chefs are taking that familiar ingredient into a very different kitchen.
More Than 25 Creations, One Main Ingredient
The Greek presentation will feature a gastronomic buffet with more than 25 creations dedicated to olives and olive oil.
Traditional recipes and elements of Greek culinary heritage will be reinterpreted using contemporary techniques and creative presentation.
The idea is not simply to produce an impressive buffet. According to the organisers, the presentation is intended to tell the story of a food culture where taste is closely connected with memory, tradition and everyday life.
Twelve Chefs Represent Greece
The Greek team consists of:
Giorgos Damianakis, Lefteris Soultatos, Antonios Koklas, Manos Chatzidakis, Manos Alexakis, Giorgos Kouklakis, Giorgos Stefanakis, Giorgos Marmarelis, Anna Hasani, Aimilios Aslanis, Manos Vlahakis and Iro Peroulaki.
Their participation is being prepared under the auspices of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the General Secretariat of the Aegean and Island Policy, and the Greek National Tourism Organisation.
The initiative is supported by the Region of Crete and its Regional Development Fund, alongside the Pan-Cretan Folklore Association, the Heraklion Chamber and the municipalities of Heraklion, Phaistos and Chania.
A World Stage for a Very Cretan Story
The Culinary World Cup is not a small industry gathering. Luxembourg expects chefs and culinary teams from around the world for an event that combines international competition with a major gastronomy exhibition. The 2026 edition is expected to bring around 55 nations to Luxembourg-Kirchberg, with national, junior and community catering teams competing over several days.
That makes the Greek presentation particularly useful for promoting tourism.
Visitors do not necessarily travel to Crete because they have memorised the island’s agricultural statistics.
They come because they want to taste Crete.
A plate of food can therefore do something a tourism brochure cannot: connect the landscape, the farmers, the olive groves and the kitchen in one bite.
From the Olive Grove to Luxembourg
Crete’s gastronomy has always had a strong advantage: much of what makes it distinctive is not invented for tourists.
The olive tree is part of the landscape. Olive oil is part of the kitchen. Herbs, vegetables, cheese, grains, fruit and wine connect food with the island’s agricultural traditions.
Taking those ingredients to an international culinary competition gives the story a wider audience.
And with Crete holding the title of European Region of Gastronomy 2026, Luxembourg provides a particularly appropriate stage.