The Story of Chef Petros Dellidis
Born and raised in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Petros Dellidis grew up in a very Greek household. As the son of Greek migrants who arrived in Australia in the 1960s, Petros would always find himself around family and food, sometimes not necessarily in that order.
He would watch his mother, Christine, cook for hours on end for her family whilst his father, Thomas, worked as a Mechanical Engineer. It was during Easter feasts that a young Petros first fully understood what the generosity and hospitality of the human spirit could provide to a family.
Petros’ first experience in a commercial kitchen was in his brother’s take-away pizza business. His eldest brother, Jim, wanted the adolescent Petros to work in the business thinking it would deter him from choosing hospitality as a future career and motivate him to get a ‘behind the desk’ job. That idea backfired as Petros was drawn to the adrenaline pumping experience that is service, team camaraderie and cooking with fresh ingredients, a combination that created a desire to pursue a career in the hospitality industry.
Upon completion of secondary education, Petros commenced his apprenticeship in 2005 at the RACV City Club under the tutelage of Massimo Di Luca and Mark Normoyle. With this solid foundation, Petros was well on his way to becoming an aspiring young cook and soon caught the eye of George Calombaris. Petros moved on with George to open The Press Club restaurant in late 2006 and quickly learnt what it took to make it in the volatile and demanding Melbourne restaurant scene.
Hard work and dedication created opportunities for Petros, one such opportunity resulted in Petros winning ‘The Thierry Marx Career Development Award’ in 2008 after submitting an application for a scholarship at a 2 Michelin starred restaurant in France. The experience of working in Pauillac, Bordeaux under Chef Marx was extremely valuable and Petros was asked to come back on completion of his apprenticeship.
Credit: carmenzammitphotography
Chef Petros with Thierry Marx’ Bordeaux, 2008
Petros Dellidis
Director & Chef at Adonis
Credit: carmenzammitphotography
Petros stayed with the restaurant group, Made Establishment, until mid-2013. During this time he qualified at Academy Sofitel and worked his way through the ranks at all of the Made Establishment venues with stints at Hellenic Republic, Maha and St Katherine’s, eventually finding himself in the role of Head Chef at Little Press and Cellar before embarking on a working journey through Europe. Spending time as the Chef Consultant for the Ioannidis brothers at the Belvedere Hotel in Mykonos, Petros spent the summer working with their various restaurant teams to achieve more efficient and cost-effective kitchen and menu. Gaining valuable knowledge in staff training and research and development during his time in Europe rounded out Petros’ skill set.
Upon returning to Melbourne in late 2013, Petros teamed up with long time mentor and Chef/Restaurateur, Shane Delia, accepting a new role as Projects and Development Chef. A role which allowed Petros to assist Shane and the team at Maha restaurant in executing bespoke menus at large events such as the Spring Racing Carnival and Australian Formula One Grand Prix for ‘Rowland by Shane Delia’, a partnership with Peter Rowland Catering delivering original, forward-thinking, creative excellence in experiential culinary concepts.
Petros was in his element when developing dishes and recipes for all 3 series’ of the SBS1 hit show ‘Shane Delia’s Spice Journey’, currently airing in over 150 countries worldwide. Another highlight of his current role saw Petros travel with Shane Delia to Washington DC to cook at an exclusive dinner hosted by The Hon. Joe Hockey MP for the world’s bankers at the G20 Summit in April 2014.
The start of 2016 saw Petros be asked back to RACV City Club for a Guest Chef dinner ‘Where it all began’ for a one night only dinner in the Members Dining Room. A captivated audience and a full dining room enjoyed a successful night that presented a menu focusing on the journey of Petros in his 10-year absence from the Club.
In mid-2017, Petros took over the Executive chef role of Mister Bianco and massi restaurants in Melbourne and completed his position at the end of 2018.
The start of 2019 sees Petros moving forward with his own catering company, Adonis Catering. Adonis Catering focuses on the nutrition and experience that can be provided to elite athletes across Australia whilst performing at there best on the training track, resistance training, data room analysis and match day.