PEINÁO X LEX PAN: Bringing Food and Art Together
This June, we invited two incredibly talented young women to host a delightful two-day event at Verina Astra for our guests: Helena Moursellas, a cook and author, and Lex Pan, an artist. Together, they created a vibrant experience filled with food, art, meaningful conversations, and lots of laughter.
The organizers
Helena, a Greek-Australian, learned to cook from her Greek grandmother, Koula, and grew up with a deep love and passion for Greek cuisine. Alongside her sister Vikki, she was a finalist on the Australian TV show My Kitchen Rules. In 2023, the duo published their second cookbook, Peináo—a contemporary celebration of time-honoured Greek dishes, served up feast-style.
Lex Pan is the artistic name of Alexandra Panagiotidou, a Greek-Australian artist whose work mainly portrays human-like figures wrestling with their emotions. Her bold, expressive illustrations take on these emotional themes with humour, vibrant colour, and a pinch of sarcasm.
The event
Over two inspiring days, Helena and Lex invited Verina guests to join a creative celebration of food and art.
On the first afternoon, participants took a relaxed walk through our bostani garden, which included some light foraging and the chance to connect with one another. Back at Verina Astra, Lex hosted a thought-provoking workshop. Guests were given ceramic pieces—slightly flawed and imperfect—and encouraged to paint them, both as a form of personal expression and as a way to explore the idea of “no waste.” The message? Even objects destined for the bin can be transformed into something beautiful and meaningful. A huge thank you to the Apostolidis Pottery Workshop for generously providing the ceramics.
The evening ended with a cosy, flavourful gathering. Helena prepared a delicious spread of mezedes (Greek tapas) and led a conversation about her cooking journey, the influence of family, and her love for Greek food culture.
The next evening, guests and friends gathered at Paralia Beach Bar Sifnos in Kamares to indulge in a truly unforgettable Peináo feast prepared by Helena. She shared the inspiration behind her menu—drawing from local ingredients and the timeless wisdom she’s picked up from many yayades (grannies) across Greece.
We had an absolutely wonderful time and can’t thank Helena and Lex Pan enough for their creativity, warmth, and passion.
Was the question “Can we bring food and art together?” answered? Maybe. But we’re thinking we’ll need another round—just to be sure.
