Christos Georgakis said the whole idea of his business is inspired by what he loved during his childhood in Athens
A former MasterChef semi-finalist has reflected on the whirlwind success of his food business which he had dreamed about opening since he was a young boy. The Gower Deli has won a plethora of awards from food critics, despite having been open for less than a year.
Christos Georgakis found fame on the small screen after wowing with his culinary creations on the BBC food show, and established himself in Swansea with his private chef business.
But it was the dream of opening his own deli which he had harboured since a young boy, having been influenced by the local food produce he had around him growing up in Athens in Greece.
His dream became a reality on August 24, 2024, when he opened up the deli, set up with the help of his partner, Leanne Richards, at Southgate Road in Southgate, Gower, Swansea, a stone’s throw away from the picturesque Pennard Cliffs.
The 52-year-old explained he was motivated for his menu in the “high end cafe” to feature exclusively locally sourced ingredients, and Greek flavours that are not available in many, if any, other places in the city. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here.
Mr Georgakis said: “I have been talking about wanting to open something like this since I was a young kid. This is exactly what I’ve always dreamed of.
“The whole idea of this place is my childhood, and anything I used to enjoy as a child. Every Friday my mum would give me pocket money, and then every Saturday morning, I used to go to the charcuterie and cheese shop to buy cheese and cured meats, the bakery for sourdough, and the cafe for coffee, around where I grew up in Athens.
“That was my treat as a kid. The chocolate, the biscuits – my mum used to work in a chocolate factory – all of my childhood is here.
“All of our products, I’d say 50 to 60 percent, are Welsh, with locally sourced produce, and the other 40 percent is Greek, as people would expect due to my heritage.
“We also have French, Italian and Spanish products. We have high-quality products here, but at a price point for everyone. We don’t want this place to be London price, we want things for families, the working class, for everyone.
“By doing everything myself, I keep the cost down low so I can sell cheaper, and I look to set trends every week. We are way ahead of what other cafes and other places do.
“We don’t do any pancakes or stuff like this, we sell a Welsh breakfast, with a twist. You can’t get a better breakfast. It is such a good quality.
“We do not serve it with ketchup or brown sauce, and we get people asking ‘Where is the ketchup or brown sauce?’ and we try to explain, because of the quality of the product, you don’t need it. I was checking the till, and we have done over 11,000 receipts in the till in six months, and not a single person has said ‘You’re wrong, you need sauce’.”
Mr Georgakis explained how he designed his menu around the products which are sold in the rustically-furnished deli, meaning that people could buy all the ingredients individually and reproduce the dishes at home.
The dining menu features an array of home cooked dishes, with “soups of the old world” (£7.45 to £8.45), including French onion soup and chicken soup, but done ‘the Greek way’.
There’s its deli breakfast deli sandwiches (£9.25 to £9.45), including the Gower Welsh roast beef, made up of overnight local farm roast beef, house bacon jam, gouda, balsamic mayonnaise, rocket, and Little Valley Bakery sourdough bread.
The Gower Deli breakfast (£12.95) is a popular component of its menu, made up of Tuckers local pork sausages, dry cure thick cut back bacon, smoked streaky bacon, mushroom, confit vine cherry tomatoes, baked beans, Trealy Farm boudin noir black and white pudding, poached Koop and kiln egg.
There’s weekend brunch specials, and every Thursday night from 5.15pm until 7.15pm there is a Greek food pop-up event. The Gower Deli also produces a Greek meze menu which can be pre-ordered for £30 per person. Freshly-made ready meals are prepared for those on the go.
There’s extra attention to detail, with coffee served up in hand-spun mugs designed by Gower Ceramics, with input from Mr Georgakis.
The mugs are made with 25 percent material from north Gower beaches, and an imprint of a Penclawdd cockle is incorporated in the mug handle.
Despite still being still in its infancy, the deli, which has four full time and five part time staff, has already been recognised with awards, including a Great Taste Award for its moussaka, and best cafe in the south west at the Best of Welsh Business Awards.
Looking ahead to the future, Mr Georgakis hopes to open a headquarters to produce the food, and also has plans on potentially opening additional locations in future, and an online presence, with a ten-year business plan in place.
Mr Georgakis said: “We are constantly getting new people from around Swansea, Pembroke, Tenby, and a lot of Greeks, who are all coming especially because they heard about The Gower Deli.
“We’re getting great feedback from locals who are returning every day. As long as you stick to your guns, and what you’re offering is different, and it’s right, people will come.”
The Gower Deli is open seven days a week, from 9am until 5pm, apart from Thursday, where it is open until 8pm. You can follow the deli on Facebook by clicking here and Instagram by clicking here.
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