The Chef

Yiannis Toumbas was born in Nicosia. After finishing high school he followed his great love for pastry and studied Culinary Arts at the Higher Hotel Institute, graduating with honors and leaving the best impressions to his professors. He also received the Tourism Training Cyprus Prize "For Exemplary Ethos and Professionalism in the Culinary Arts Program, Higher Hotel Institute Cyprus". He continued his studies at John Moores University in Liverpool, where he acquired his BSc in Home Economics, Food Design & Technology.

Yiannis was awarded with the Certificates of “Fundamentals of Food Hygiene”, “Fundamentals of Nutrition” , “Fundamentals of HACCP” and “Fundamentals of Food Hygiene” by the “Royal Society for Public Health” and with the Certificate of “Health & Safety in the Workplace - Level 2” by the “Chartered Institute of Environmental Health”.

Alongside his studies he worked in the best hotels of Cyprus as a pastry chef. To summer of 2005 he worked as a cook at the Hilton Hotel Cyprus. He also worked as a pastry chef at the 5-star Paphos Amathus Beach Hotel for five months in 2006 and the summer of 2009 and the summer of 2010 he worked as a pastry chef at Ayii Anargyri Natural Healing Spa Resort in Paphos. Then, in 2011, he worked for four months as a pastry chef at Fratelli Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar in Nicosia. In addition, he worked as Trainee Environmental and Public Health Inspector at the Medical and Public Health Services of the Ministry of Health of Cyprus.

In July 2012, he created the pastry shop Aroma Vanilias realizing a big dream. The workshop is known for the creation of original and rich flavors, giving special attention to the appearance and quality of materials. At the same time he was working at Nicosia’s post-education centers, teaching pastry. The last two years he has been working as a pastry professor at KES College teaching confectionery and bakery. He also represented Cyprus abroad promoting Cypriot traditional products.