Keri Golas was creating and making things ever since her childhood in Philadelphia PA, but hadn’t imagined then that she’d be opening a stylish souvlaki restaurant in Athens one day. 

Driven by a thirst to explore the art world, Keri studied visual arts in university, focusing on metal sculpture, printmaking, and glass blowing. Food was her other passion and skill and especially unique and cultural foods that she often convinced her family to try. Cooking for family and friends has always been one of her greatest pleasures, although she also cooked professionally for several years and many different restaurants.

What brought you to Greece?

I met my husband in Philadelphia, PA, and we decided to get married and move back to Greece, which he always knew he wanted. I was always up for travelling and adventure, so jumped right in and we came to Greece to live and start a family at the very end of 2005 and have been here since. We now have three children, all with a deep love and appreciation for good food, maybe to a fault!

Why did you decide to open Nomsy? And why Glyfada?

I cook constantly and my husband has thought about me opening something for a long time, and I’ve always thought about doing something with cooking but wasn’t sure what. While my husband doesn’t cook much himself, he grew up around and worked in his
father’s business, “O Thanasis” in Monastiraki, Athens. He appreciates good food and the world of restaurants and knows the business pretty well.

Glyfada was a happy accident. We live in the northern suburbs, so were looking for something closer to home, when a friend of ours introduced us to a RE agent in Glyfada with a few well-priced options. And we found something we were happy with and went for it. In the end, we decided to go in the direction of the business my husband and his sister knew so well, with a modern and maybe somewhat American style from me. And, Nomsy was born.

What does Nomsy mean?

We liked Nomsy because we felt like it bridged the two worlds in a smart way, “nostimo gefsi” and nom-nom – which is a food expression for “incredible tasty” used in the US.

What is the main concept of the restaurant?

Modern day Athenian foods made with great care and respect to their history, while introducing new ways to see and experience these flavours.

Can you give us a glimpse of your menu?

We have many of the traditional kebab, skewers, gyros dishes, but we make and process all the meat ourselves with our own recipes. We have a unique Black Angus gyros, and do not sell any pork. We have some international influences or fusions, and just try to keep things fresh, healthy and done well, we added a few vegetarian and vegan options as I think this important to include.

Will you will be introducing more meat-free dishes to Nomsy’s menu in future?

I was a vegetarian for a long time and know that it can be hard to find a restaurant that includes both meats and vegetarian options on their menu, so wanted to have something that went along with our food concept, was fun and tasty. Of course, I have so many ideas of things we could do, but we take it slow, and as business gets better we will start to introduce more items and change things to try new ideas out.

Any future plans?

My husband and I are really focused on creating a great place to work and eat in the Athens area. Somewhere that inspires people and shares the passion and beauty of Greece with them. We really care about people having a great experience with us. Part of my need to create things and cook for people is that I have a deep desire to bring joy, beauty, and a deep caring to people’s lives. Food is a great, and very accessible way to do this.

A: Artemidos 3, Glyfada , Athens