glo™ up με Hyper Achievers: Ο Άνταμ Κόδοβας σε μια ιδιαίτερη κουβέντα

Cooking is a technique and an inspiration. More than anything else, it is a constant effort to find the magical balances. Glo up has many elements in common with it.

George Karavas met Adam Kontovas at his restaurant, Ex Machina , his personal creation and certainly one of his highlights . Adam is one of the Hyper Achievers with a completely cinematic career , a story that contains nothing more than the raw truth, a revelation that can become a teacher and guide to each of us who wants to chase our dreams, build a new life, make things work in our favor. “I didn’t start because I cooked young with my grandmother, I had strong taste memories or whatever else one can say as a cook. I started because I thought I would try something that seemed to me that would help me and change my life. So, I went to a cooking school, motivated by my friend who had done the same.” And that’s a great start. Because it's nice to want to change your life, to dare other things, to experiment. "So, in school, I felt the calling. I saw windows opening in my life. I understood that this is what I want to do. I saw the way out, the way out. And I took the path."

And, of course, it was not a path strewn with roses. He had fatigue, disappointments, strange behaviors, difficult collaborations , but also stubbornness, perseverance, travels, tests, searches and bets with himself. " I left for Ireland at some point. I found myself in a village, the only Greek , with a difficult chef above me. Eventually, he became my mentor, Chad Byren. When we broke up, it was difficult for both of us."

And Adam returned to Greece. With high standards, with his own cooking in his head, with his ideas, principles, philosophy. And he didn't want to make any concessions. He wanted to live it the way it should be. And that's what he was after. It's not easy to set limits and conditions when you're at the beginning . "I had to make the right decisions, calculate my steps, make deals that favor my work and my path. I was committed to my goal and constantly worked towards it. And when I became Head Chef, I instilled my perseverance and dedication in my team. We were working in the same direction, with the sacrifices that this entails."

Adam never stopped. After all, his motto is "never stop" . And that's what he did. He didn't want to settle for anything mediocre, he knew what he wanted and he went for it. And of course he had to convince people. When his work first received recognition and he saw himself mentioned in culinary articles as the best new chef , he knew that he had done something very well and that all his hard work and struggle was worth it. And the "cinematic" path continued. With incredible anxieties. And with difficult moments. " I had to stay out of the kitchen for a year and a half, because I couldn't find what I wanted. It was hard and difficult, but I grew up in difficulties, I knew I could handle it. Then, Cobra was found, which was an incredible project". And who hasn't eaten from Adam's hands at Cobra? His food is ingenious and inventive, subversive and deeply delicious. You couldn't get past it, you wanted to try it again and again." We could say that this was his big glo up, but Adam is one of those cases where glo ups happen in his life, consistently and consistently. It's not one, it's many. " In the moments when I was disappointed or felt like a plan was sinking, something would happen, as if by a mechanical god, and the story would be overturned. That's why my shop was named Ex Machina , precisely from this condition."

"If someone told me they wanted to get into cooking, I would spontaneously tell them not to do it and that if they really want it, they should think carefully because it's not what they think, it's difficult. It causes a lot of pain. But I definitely found my path in cooking, it's my life, I love it ," he tells us.

The truth is that when you talk to Adam , what comes to mind is to go out on the street and experience everything that you have in your mind and, for some reason, have put aside. Adam is a unique glo upper, an Achiever like those we usually see in movies, a role that each of us wants to identify with. And it's beautiful that nothing was given to him, but he fought for everything, because this makes us believe even more in our strengths.

Tune in to  glo's Youtube  and  Instagram  to meet all the Hyper Achievers that George met and stay tuned for more glo ups.