Olive Oil and the Mediterranean Table with Tony Kasandrinos

If you’ve ever wondered how one ingredient can transform the way you cook and think about food, keep reading. On the podcast, I recently chatted with Tony Kasandrinos, Co-Founder and CEO of Kasandrinos International and author of Kasandrinos Kitchen: Unlock the Power of Olive Oil with Over 100 Family Recipes. From his family’s olive groves in Greece to kitchens here in the US, Tony shares how extra virgin olive oil connects tradition, health, and everyday cooking. 

In this episode, we talk about what makes a great olive oil, how to shop for quality olive oil, and how to build meals and a lifestyle inspired by the Mediterranean Way. 

Listen to the full episode or keep reading for some of the highlights from our conversation.

How Did You Get Started in Olive Oil and Embracing the Mediterranean Lifestyle?

I grew up in the restaurant industry. My parents owned a Greek diner, and from a very young age, I was in the kitchen — peeling potatoes, chopping strawberries, prepping ingredients. The first thing I remember actually cooking is lamb chops, which is still my favorite meal.

My dad immigrated from Greece in the late sixties and kept close ties to his home country. We spent much of my childhood going back and forth, and that rhythm shaped how I understand food. In Greece, dinner isn’t a quick thirty-minute affair — it’s usually a few hours long, centered around the table, the people, and the meal itself. It is a slower pace, but you get better results.

That connection to the land and to slow, intentional cooking is something I’ve carried with me. The Mediterranean lifestyle is more attainable here in the US than people might think. It starts with small shifts: cooking at home more often, using better ingredients, slowing down over a morning coffee, and sharing meals with the people around you. Community is a huge part of it — in Greece, you rarely eat alone. Dinner is a gathering to be shared with friends and family of all generations.

Tell Us More About Your Book, Kasandrinos Kitchen

The olive oil company and now the cookbook come from one simple idea: 

“At the end of the day, it is all about sharing a little sliver of Greece with people here in the US.”

For years, Kasandrinos International shared family recipes with customers alongside their olive oil, and eventually they realized they had a book’s worth of stories and dishes. Kasandrinos Kitchen naturally grew from that.

“Olive oil is more than just an ingredient — it is foundational both in flavor and in health.”

In Greece, high-quality olive oil goes into every meal — breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The production behind it is just as intentional: family farms, no pesticides, hand-picked olives, and small-batch processing. Like wine, olive oils vary by variety and origin, and each one has its own complex flavor.

For anyone shopping for great-tasting olive oil in the US, look for organic, single-source oil, and always check the harvest date rather than the bottle date. Most olive oil on American store shelves is already nine months old by the time it reaches you, so it can be best to order directly from brands instead of going to the grocery store. 

Once opened, finish olive oil within six months, and store it away from air, light, and heat. When it goes bad, it smells vinegary and should not be consumed.

The simplest place to start, Tony says, is just cooking at home. When you control what goes into your food, everything follows from there.

Kasandrinos Kitchen: Unlock the Power of Olive Oil with over 100 Family Recipes, by Tony Kasandrinos & Effi Kasandrinos (Victory Belt Publishing, 2026).

Learn more

Listen to the full podcast episode with Tony. You can learn more on his website, kasandrinos.com, and follow him on Instagram at @tonykasandrinos.

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