Eirini Togia, well-known as "Rena tis Ftelias", was born in Corfu and lives in Athens. She started her first restaurant in Mykonos at the Ftelia beach in 1979, and soon, the restaurant became a must-visit place for Greek and international celebrities and those appreciative of good-quality food. Six years later, she opened a boutique restaurant in Athens. For several years, both restaurants operated simultaneously.
Rena has been a true representative of the Greek Mediterranean cuisine for over 39 years now and is very well-known for her hospitality and her respect and love for pure, fresh ingredients (virgin olive oil, vegetables and herbs). Her recipes are simple and authentic, and they reflect the Greek tradition and culture. For several consecutive years, Rena's restaurant has been distinguished and shortlisted amongst the top restaurants in Athens with individual and corporate customers from Greece and abroad.
Rena has published several cookbooks in Greek and other languages that have received numerous European and international distinctions.
Two of her books, namely Greek Mediterranean Cuisine and Rena's Desserts, received a distinction in the International Gourmand Cookbook Contest in 2004 in Barcelona, and Rena was awarded the "2nd Best Woman Chef in the World".
In 2008, Rena represented Greece in the "Greek Gastronomy Week" held by the Greek National Tourism Organization in China and participated in the "International Tourism Exhibition", organised again by the Greek National Tourism Organization.
In 2015, she gained two Gourmand World Awards -"Best Woman Chef Book - Best in the World" and "Best Translation Book in Greece"- for the English and French editions of her book A Taste of Greece (original Greek title ¿¿¿a t¿¿ Fte¿¿¿¿: S¿¿ta¿¿¿ p¿¿ ¿¿ap¿saµe), respectively (published by Stergiou Limited). In 2016, these titles were finalists in China's event for the "Wine and Drinks books" and "Cookbooks and Food Culture" categories.