The Baklava Dude
My first memory of eating Greek food was during a childhood family road trip through California, at a Daphne franchise location in San Diego. The clear blue summer skies made for ideal outdoor dining weather. There was slow, vaguely operatic vocal music playing in the background. Every bite of golden rice pilaf and zesty Greek salad felt like I had been transported across time and space to an bucholic Ancient Greek meadow. For dessert, we ordered a piece of their baklava, which was refrigerated and wrapped in a cupcake wrapper. The smell of buttery, flaky pastry dough mixed with honey syrup and chopped nuts cemented my memory of Greek food. I've been fascinated with Greek and Mediterranean food ever since.