Shownotes
—In this episode of Mealtime Magic & Mayhem, we had the pleasure of hosting Artemis, a dynamic entrepreneur from Greece. Artemis is the co-owner of her family business and has a diverse background in manufacturing, cooking, and empowering women through her company, Authentic Macaronia. Her journey began in the manufacturing side of the business at just 18 years old, and later, she delved into the world of cooking, studying the culinary arts and working in various kitchens. However, it was through her return to the family business that Authentic Macaronia was born as a food blog, evolving into challenges and workshops designed to help overwhelmed women find joy and success in the kitchen while staying connected to their authentic selves and creative passions.
Throughout the episode, Artemis shared insights on the unique food culture in Greece, from the influence of seasonal ingredients and religious fasting traditions to the diverse cooking practices found in mountain villages and islands. She also imparted valuable wisdom for home cooks, emphasizing the importance of using tools effectively, cooking with love, and letting go of perfectionism in the kitchen.
Listeners were encouraged to check out Artemis's websites, Instagram, and Facebook for more guidance on overcoming cooking challenges and finding joy in the kitchen. Additionally, she highlighted her small group, Authentic Women, and the "Friday's letter" she sends out to her followers, which aims to connect with a reminiscent feel of traditional paper letters.
In this episode, Tricia and Artemis delved into the heart of the home—the kitchen—and explored the deep connections, cherished memories, and laughter that are often born within its walls. Together, they underscored the importance of infusing authenticity into both life and business for greater impact and happiness, and left listeners with a compelling call to stay connected, persevere through challenging days, and find joy in their cooking journeys.
For more information, follow Artemis on:
- Website: www.artemis-mixer.gr
_Blog: www.authenticmacaronia.com
- Instagram: @ArtemisAuthentic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/authenticmacaronia
For more information or to contact Tricia:
Tricia's Links:
🔗 Click here to join Trish's Cook Connect & Conquer Club! : https://triciasbitesoflife.com/connectcookconquer
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/tricia.clark.161
Grab Your Free Guide to Bringing Fun Back to Mealtime Here (include a 3 night meal plan, meal planner, and 10 ideas to make everything more fun:
Transcripts
Tricia:
Hey, listeners. Welcome to another episode of Mealtime Magic and Mayhem. I'm here with Artemis. She is from Greece, and she's just got a really fascinating background from starting a manufacturing business at 18 as a small family business and really has turned it into a well known brand around the world. The company name is Artemis. She studied to be a chef. She worked for 2 years next to Great Chefs. She's incredibly creative and a great artist.
Tricia:
She has a cat named Zuzu. Love that. And she also I think what's really exciting, she's also developed this blog called Authentic Macaronia, which is really about empowering women to really become their authentic selves. So I can see this creativity in so many sides of you in the conversations that we've had so far, and I'm so excited to have you join us on the podcast. So welcome.
Artemis:
Thank you. Thank you very much, Risa, for being here. I'm really excited to be here myself. And The opportunity to be heard from your audience and to talk a little bit about my journey and cooking.
Tricia:
Yes oh, I mean, I know we have a serious love of food in common, so I'm sure that we'll get around to that in our conversations. But before we get started, I love to ask a fun, insightful question. My listeners know them as the table topics, these fun cards that I just I carry with me everywhere, and they're great for revitalizing stale conversation or just starting interesting conversation. And so your question today is if you could go back to a point in time historical point in time, whether it's to visit and learn from, when and where would it be?
Artemis:
I believe that this that came to my mind was to be in Knossos in Crete. I don't remember the exact period that it was. But because from history, we have a little information about this place and the everything that had to do with this, but it's a culture that is so so intriguing to To learn about, and I believe that I would like to be there.
Tricia:
Yeah? Okay. I love it. I love it. Okay. So coming from Greece, your country is rich and diverse with culinary heritage. Share some insights into the unique food culture there and how it differs from what you know of what we experience in the United States. Because having visited, I feel very different.
Artemis:
To be clear, I haven't visited the United state, so my knowledge about the culinary habits and the culture is only from the TV and the movies. Not nothing I think so. I don't have any experience. Regarding, Greece, I would like to say that there are 3 main points that from the food culture in Greece. And these are the location, the season of the year, Orthodox Christianity faith. So these are the 3 main things. Would you like to tell me a little bit about it?
Tricia:
I would love that.
Artemis:
Okay. So Greece is small, but there are many different kind of terrace, let's say. There is land. There is sea. There are lakes, mountains. There are many things in this very small country. So everyone Of this part of Greece, make her wreaths in plants, animals, vegetables, trees, and different in its place of it. So these details form our culture, our cooking culture, based on where you live.
Artemis:
So if we're talking about the village in the mountains, they will take advantage of their products. That would be the, the goat, the cheese, the eggs, the trees that they have there, walnuts, mushrooms, sesnuts, and things like that. So it's a different kind of cooking. If we talk about an island, there is mad fish, mad seafood, different kind of, vegetables and herbs and things like that. So Yeah. This is a very important factor. The second one. Although we live in a century that we can have anything that we want any time of the year that we want, We still buy our vegetables and our fruits and our meat in its time, let's say.
Artemis:
So we buy them from markets, from, tropical farmers. And this is very important because if you're in August, they're full of tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, zucchinis, things like that. When you cook them in their time, they taste so much better.
Tricia:
I just remember the tomatoes being a totally different experience in Greece than any tomato I've eaten in the States. Like, the tomatoes were just so Delicious and Juicy, and now I'm trying to think. We were there in September. Yeah. I mean, they really
Artemis:
Yes.
Tricia:
Ugh. I feel like I ate tomatoes at every meal. Like, I had to have them, and I remember that. But, you know, it's interesting that you talk about the seasons because I talk a lot about cooking in season because those foods are at their nutritional peak. They taste the best. They smell the best. They're less expensive during their peak. Right? But there really is, and I'm not familiar with, your seasons as well as you know, in here in Arkansas, we have very distinct 4 seasons.
Tricia:
And and so it's interesting to hear you talk about like, tomatoes are big in the summer here, but eggplants, sometimes we consider those more of a fall a fall produce. So it's kind of interesting to hear you talk about, like, depending on where you're at. And I think we forget sometimes that even though Greece is a small country full of numerous islands. You really do have this vast array of terroir or different cultures in a small amount of space. Right?
Artemis:
Yes. That is true.
Tricia:
So fascinating.
Artemis:
And so many herbs and so many different flowers and, kind of tea.
Tricia:
Okay. Well, hit on the 3rd for us, and then we'll move on and talk a little bit about your company, Artemis.
Artemis:
Okay. The third1, as I mentioned, is that mainly in Greece, possibly people are Christian orthodox. So in our religion, we fast at about 180 to 200 today's a year, so we're almost vegetarians.
Tricia:
I had no idea. That is half the year.
Artemis:
Yes and more. This aspect for example, apart from big periods of fasting, we fast every Wednesday every Friday. This is, I would say, engraved into our brains. So helps us also to have a a standard meal plan every week. For example, every Wednesday and every Friday, we either cook something, with vegetables or lentils or legumes, anything like that. So this is very standard. I think this, part of our culture is, also creating the cooking culture that we have.
Tricia:
That makes sense. So when you say fasting, is it just from meats and proteins?
Artemis:
Meats and proteins always and sometimes some periods before Easter, even we don't eat feasts or oil.
Tricia:
That's fascinating to me because I always think when I think of cooking Greek foods, I always think of cooking with olive oil. And now I'm trying to think, like, do I ever cook without oil? I'm a have to think about that for a minute.
Artemis:
Yes. And it's very tasty. Because you, you base the recipe on the ingredients themselves. So you don't, put oil To saute the onion, you make it with the water and a little tomato at first.
Tricia:
Yeah. You're more sweating them than sauteing them at that
Artemis:
Pointe. Yes.
Tricia:
Yes. Okay. So your experience as a manufacturing and business owner and a chef, I find really Fascinating. Share a little bit about your background with us. And you started this business at 18. You studied to be a chef, and now you're starting this other arm of your business in terms of authenticity with women. Tell us a little bit about how that journey happened. I think it's such an interesting background.
Artemis:
First of all, I wasn't a chef. I was in some kitchens below the chef, of course. Okay. So I started to be a chef, but I never became a chef. So This is a difficult question. We have to say many things. So let's start from the basic. As you said, I'm from Greece.
Artemis:
I'm from Thessaloniki. I am the co owner of the company named Artemis that my father started many years ago. So I entered when I was 18, and I started working in the manufacturing. Then when I was 25, I wanted to study cooking, Which was always my great love. So I took a break. I studied cooking. And after 2 years of studying. I worked in, some kitchens.
Artemis:
As you said, below some great safes, I had this opportunity, but I realized that this kind of life didn't fit me. I loved cooking, but I didn't like the life of being safe.
Tricia:
Mhmm.
Artemis:
I returned back to my family business, which I'm still there. Because I loved cooking, I wanted to do something about it. So then I created authentic macaroni that started as a food blog at that time, which I was soon bored about it because I really didn't like to write down recipes. I don't like down recipes. I didn't like to take photographs. I'm terrible at this. So I started creating some challenges with friends of mine regarding cooking, which was really fascinating. And afterwards, I created some live workshop with women that felt overwhelmed about cooking.
Artemis:
In the end, it's down to the authenticity part, which was always part of the name, authentic macaroni. And now this is core of the authentic macaroni is, helping women feel joy and success in their business without losing their connection to their authentic self and the creative passion, the femininity, And all of that.
Tricia:
I I love that. I think that's really how we ended up getting our connection started is because that fits so well within what I do in terms of helping women discover what they do enjoy about cooking. Help them strip away the things that make it overwhelming and stressful. Right? Similar to what you've done with your friends in Greece and those challenges. And in my own journey, really discovered that cooking was part of my authentic self, if you will, and part of my self care processes. Right, so I talked to so many women who are like, well, I don't even like cooking. Like, I'm never gonna love cooking like you do. And I'm like, you don't have to love cooking like I
Artemis:
do. Exactly.
Tricia:
You don't have to. However, there are ways for you discover things that you do enjoy about it. It doesn't mean that you're going to fall in love with it. But there are ways to make it simpler and easier and therefore bring more joy into your life, whether that's in the kitchen or in your business. Because anytime we can strip away that stuff that weighs us down, we have more joy. We spread more joy. Right? We feel more effective in business.
Artemis:
Yes. And what I have experienced with the workshops and challenges that I have created, it was that many women say that they don't enjoy cooking, but 8 of out of 10 times, that's not the truth. It's something beyond. It's something deeper, and they have to discover this.
Tricia:
Yeah, yeah, and I have some fascinating conversations with women about the that deeper stuff, and we really try to work through, like, what is that deeper stuff and where did it come from? Right? Sometimes it's how you grew up and what you watched. Sometimes it's you're just tired of trying to please everybody and you've got picky eaters. There's so many things that create that space, but it's really not the act of cooking itself that's the problem, like you said.
Artemis:
Yes. I agree.
Tricia:
I love that. I really feel like that's what drew us together even and we've been talking about doing this podcast conversation for months, you guys. Months, and we finally got it to work out.
Artemis:
Finally.
Tricia:
So how do you feel like your background in both fields from the business that you've been in? Because you guys create kitchen products. Right? It's mixers and
Artemis:
We create Milkshake mixers and lemon squeezers.
Tricia:
And so you've got this part of it. You went to school to learn how to be a chef, and I Totally Here, Johan. I love to cook, and I love to cook for people, but I don't think that's where my sweet spot would be. There's a lot of pressure there that takes the joy out of the experience.
Artemis:
For me, it was not the pressure inside the work. It was I was used to have my weekends to myself and to my husband and go away to our house in the village, and I could not exchange this for this work. It was more important for me to be with my husband And my friends on my weekend and not work in the kitchen.
Tricia:
Yeah. Okay. So how would you say your background in both those fields have influenced your approach to creating in the kitchen.
Artemis:
I experiment a lot. I accept what I want to cook, my desires in cooking, And, I try to have the necessary tools for me because everyone needs something different, has Some different, as you say, their favorite tools, let's say. I would say that if there were only 3 ingredients in my frits, I could talk something delicious with this.
Tricia:
I love that. So it really goes back to your sense of creativity and experimentation. Right? And manufacturing. It's all about that too, figuring out what works and what doesn't. But you bring up a good point and that everybody has different favorite tools. Give me a couple of your favorite kitchen tools, the ones that you just can't live without.
Artemis:
My small knife and my great big Cutting Boards.
Tricia:
Oh, yes. So good knives, a good cutting board.
Artemis:
Yes. And my mixer. My drink mixer. Yes. Myself, I don't drink cold coffee. My husband does. So in the drink mixer, I use it to mix, all in lemon, eggs, sauces, and Things like that, and it's quick and efficient, so I couldn't live without it.
Tricia:
Totally feel that. Let's see. What are mine? Probably I mean, obviously, totally 100% agree with good knives and a good cutting board. And then I think the thing that I've really gotten used to using the most is probably my cast iron skillet and then all of my prep bowls to do all of my prep before I start cooking. Like, Yes.
Artemis:
I could
Tricia:
get by with those things and probably get by cooking just about anything. But if you take any one of those away from me, I'm gonna be a hot mess.
Artemis:
I totally agree with you because I also have too many of them, too many stainless steel big balls that I can use to to mix things or prepare things that, yes, I couldn't live without them. You're correct.
Tricia:
So as we talk about this connection to cooking and really getting rid of the overwhelm and helping women discover their authentic selves. What would you say is a key mindset shift that those women who are overwhelmed by cooking can make to enhance their cooking journey or just really have more fun with it.
Artemis:
I would agree with queue with what you said previously that the first thing they have to do, it's their realize that it is their journey. It's not someone else's, Not the moms or their favorite chefs or the cooking influencer that they follow on Instagram. They don't have to be like them. So it's something that it's it's their own. So they have to see clear what are the reasons that they cook. What are these little things that make them feel overwhelmed? And, what would their cooking journey b if they decided to plan it right now and travel it. Let's imagine it like a journey, and what would it be? I think that, as we mentioned, it's rarely what at first sight they think they they may think that cooking is The part that frustrates them.
Tricia:
Mhmm.
Artemis:
But, usually, it's not. And I will also mention I don't know if you have Cinna. Freddi's, survey that says that we spent, on average, almost 18 years of our lives inside the kitchen.
Tricia:
No. I haven't.
Artemis:
Yes. I believe that we have to take a second look in this relationship with the kitten And to make these 18 years count.
Tricia:
Totally agree. And I get the sense that in your home, the kitchen and I think in most homes, but the kitchen is often really the heart of the home. And to me, it's really a place where we can create deeper connections With Our People and making the kitchen more than just a place where we cook. Right? Really making it a cherished space as you talk about that relationship with the kitchen. But how can we create a deeper connection between our cooking space And Our Lives. Beyond just the table, but even creating that deeper connection in the kitchen that so often serves as that heart of the home.
Artemis:
May I share a small challenge that I always share with the woman I work with?
Tricia:
Lee's.
Artemis:
I would challenge, your audience to imagine that one day, they enter their house, And the kitsune does not exist. It's not there, and it will never exist anymore. It has vanished. How would you feel if this part of the house, does not exist? I think this is a very powerful question and imagination, let's say. But I think it offers us a great feedback of how we feel inside the kitchen apart from cooking. That kitchen is not only for cooking. For me, if I would say, it's a place of isolation, not talking, being with myself, thinking To myself planning my my life, and also is place where I connect with the people I love, a place of offering, a place of receiving, place of, smiles, that they don't like the food that I created, And a place of real, relations.
Tricia:
You know, when I think about our own family get togethers, whether it's my immediate family or our extended family. Whether we're at my house or my sister's house, like, everybody hangs out around in the kitchen. Everybody's talking well even if they're not part of the cooking process. And as I think about that exercise or that challenge that you throw out there, I think, about how quiet my life would be, and not in a good way. Yes. Not in a good way. That's where so much of the laughter comes from even if it's from our own mistakes in the kitchen, that creates laughter. Right? It creates jokes and stories that carry on for years if you ended up putting cinnamon on top of your casserole instead of paprika.
Tricia:
Like, everybody remembers those stories, and they tell them for years to come. I really can't imagine what that would be like or how awful that would be if it wasn't there.
Artemis:
Yes. I think because it is so powerful and maybe cruel imagination, let's say. This is the reason that I think it's so helpful.
Tricia:
It is. I ask a lot of questions and challenges to a lot of the women that I work with, and that's not one that's ever been part of it. And I can see how that one would be incredibly powerful, good or bad, right, depending on where you stand with cooking, but definitely would highlight the areas where you might need to lean in a little bit.
Artemis:
I think that through these challenge, you might really see where you stand with kitchen. So Mhmm. In the end, I think it will be helpful.
Tricia:
Yeah. I agree. So I just feel like we could talk forever about food and authenticity in the kitchen. I know that authenticity is something near and dear to your heart so much that it really inspired this blog and these challenges. You've talked a lot about how women can Infuse Authenticity Into Their Cooking. Tell us a little bit about how you work with women to infuse that authenticity into their business as well because a lot of my listeners are other women entrepreneurs, and I think they'd love to hear from somebody else who has been in the business and manufacturing world and then all of these things in what is truly a male dominant world.
Artemis:
I think that businesswomen, especially, as you said, in male dominated industries, are forced to, I would say in brackets, become more manly, and they usually neglect their part of creativity and feminine and passion, which part of this usually is the cooking. I can totally understand that this is difficult. And what I inspire women to see is the importance of, seeing what authenticity means to them and how important it is. So If you are authentic in your business and authentic, I don't mean like, I believe you are aware of Seth Godin, That he says that being authentic does not mean being a jerk. Okay? Let's clarify this. I believe they have to realize the meaning of authenticity on their own and to see where and in what way they can implement it into their lives And into their business lives in order to have the greatest impact in their success and in their happiness mainly.
Tricia:
Yeah, I always find and I've grown up like, my whole career has been in the corporate side of things. And you really do kind of lose that sense of femininity as you're trying to move forward in that world. And it's really interesting to see this kind of this shift, I feel like I think especially out here in the online business world, this effort to really balance those feminine and masculine energies.
Artemis:
It's not easy.
Tricia:
No. It's not. But I love that we have women like you that, like, that's what you're helping them do is is lean back into that and realize that it is 100% okay and celebrated that you have both of those sides and that you can live them both free of judgment.
Artemis:
I would say that the men in the industries, they're not expect from us to be like them. I think this is a misunderstanding that many women do. You don't have to be a man. You don't have to talk like a man, to walk like a man, because I have seen Many women do this. I have recently, I met electrician in an exhibition that I went to. And If she didn't have the long hair and the beautiful face, I would say that she would act like a man with all the bad Parts of it. Mhmm. Can you understand what I'm saying?
Tricia:
I do. I do. I have 1 more question before I really turn it over you to introduce people a little bit more to your blog and how they can get in touch with you and, you know, anything else that you wanna share with them. I'm gonna bring it back to cooking for the last question. From your time is whether it's studying to be a chef in your business, your own personal cooking journey, or working in restaurants. Can you share a specific technique or philosophy that you learned during that time that you've really integrated into your everyday meals that you recommend every home CookLearn.
Artemis:
I would say that there are little things that you can do but very important. For example, use your time and your space very wisely. Learn to use your tools, as we said previously. Learn to use your knives, learn to chop, and invest in some tools that help you to make your preparation and your cooking easier and your life much prettier. And I would say that it is very important to cook what you love an experiment without being concerned about what the result would be. I have reached, let's say, a conclusion that if I don't want to eat it The next day, then it's a failure.
Tricia:
Oh, that's funny. Because I do think that I know in my own journey, like, accepting that failure can happen and not internalizing it as me being a failure was really that was one of the hardest parts for me in just living in this world of perfectionism that I had somehow built for myself and letting go of the fact that not everybody was gonna like everything I cooked or that I wasn't gonna like everything I cooked. That was one of the hardest Parts For Me TO Learn, and, man, does it really feel like you've lost a lot of weight when you can let go of that? It doesn't mean that you failed. It could be that it was a poorly written recipe, or you just had a misfire and it just wasn't good. Like, you just never know. It can be so many things that can contribute to that. So I love that lesson, and I think it's a really important one.
Artemis:
I remember my brother when I was 18. He offered me as present, a big notebook, let's say, to write my recipes, and he write on it, please cook something that I could eat because I was cooking This is that my brother didn't like to eat didn't like to taste at all.
Tricia:
Oh, that's funny. Well, Artemis, tell us a little bit more about where people can find you or get in touch with you so they can follow more of your fun adventures, whether it's challenges for women overwhelmed by cooking or discovering their own authenticity. Let us know where we can reach you and what you have going on.
Artemis:
They can, reach me through my website that is authentic macaronia.com. I I know it's a little, difficult to spell, of course, In Instagram and in Facebook, in the authentic macaronia and a small group that, I have created that is called authentic women. So this is the places. You can, sign up to my Friday's letter, but I like to call it a letter because We live in a in an era that everything is so so quick, and I call it a letter because it fits like Real Paper.
Tricia:
Yeah.
Artemis:
And it's on every Friday. So about authentic macaroni, I read in one of my favorite cooking books that is has been written from a couple from Crete, and they explained the word That is coming from ancient Greek culture. When somebody died, They cooked, small seeds, let's say, and they throw them to the grave to the dead man or woman, wishing them to be blissful and eternal. This is the meaning of which in Greek is.
Tricia:
Okay.
Artemis:
And authentic because I believe that every woman and every dis in this world, when they cook a dis, This is Authentic.
Tricia:
That is a beautiful story. I love that so much. It must make you Smile and make you feel like you're connected to it every time you see it as well because you have that story behind it.
Artemis:
Yes. At some point, I was thinking that it's too difficult for people to write, to read, to spell. And I thought to myself, no. Don't change it because it means so much to you.
Tricia:
Right oh, and I think that's so important in our business. Like, we have to stay connected because that's what helps us keep going even on those hard days. Right? Artemis. It's been so lovely to have you on the podcast. Thank you so much for joining us. Listeners, we'll be sure that to put all of those links in the show notes. Anne. If you wanna take that journey and check out Artemis's journey to being authentic, please check out her websites.
Tricia:
If you need help with those knife skills and really leaning into where those little demons on your shoulder are telling you that cooking isn't Fun. If you need help with those things, reach out to me. I would love to talk to you about your kitchen challenges and which one of my programs really fits where you're at on your cooking journey. So thank you for joining us today, and we'll talk to you in the next episode. Have a great day.
