Marianna Leivaditaki was born and raised in Chania, Crete, the daughter of a Cretan fisherman father and a Scottish mother. Her entire childhood was spent in a kitchen, including at the family seafood restaurant, where she was tasked with peeling potatoes and descaling fish. After studying forensic psychology in the U.K., she ultimately left that field to travel, which reignited a passion for food and cooking. She built on her Cretan foundations and learned more about English produce while working at a farmers market and during several years with Sam and Sam Clark at their celebrated restaurants Moro and Morito. Her new book, “Aegean,” is a marriage of Greek cuisine and the other culinary traditions that have inspired her. Marianna is currently at work putting together an online shop and pursuing a project that uses cooking to support refugees and women survivors of trauma. She also cooks privately for small gatherings and big weddings around the UK, and is preparing a series of pop-ups to take place in winter 2022. She loves traveling in search for good food and her favorite time is spent around a table talking and feasting with friends.