Bio:
Chef Joseph Koumpounis' passion for food & curiosity for cooking/baking began early on, inspired by generations, starting with his yaya Antigoni. Raised in the culturally & historically rich metropolis of Athens Greece, as a proud son of a chef & operator, Joseph now carries on the love & respect of quality & tradition passed down through generations. Less than a decade after arriving state-side Joseph embarked on his culinary journey in the Washington DC area & immediately after graduating from the Baltimore International Culinary College in Maryland he sought out opportunities both near & far to further refine his craft & develop his own style.
His culinary repertoire flourished under the direct tutelage & mentorship of instructor & accomplished certified master pastry chef, Jan Bandula of BICC; that followed with stints in the area's finest haunts ran by the likes of Mark Miller, Ann Amernick, chef Morou & many others. Joseph even tested his chops at 4-diamond hotels & resorts from southern Florida to northern Massachusetts, which later steered his career path to land a notable contracted position with world-renowned Relais Chateaux & Gourmand. After staging, internships & working up & down the east coast he made his way out west & worked his way up the kitchen ranks to assistant and/or executive pastry chef status for Hilton Hotels, the Grand Hyatt, Cohn Restaurant Group, La Valencia & Rancho Valencia, as well as Tracy Borkum's Urban Kitchen Group & Karen Krasne's Extraordinary Desserts.
After adding his mark onto the blossoming San Diego culinary landscape during the turn of the millennium, chef Joseph Koumpounis stepped away from the industry to pursuit other life passions & carve out new career aspirations. More recently Joseph consulted on menu planning & recipe development for chefs & restaurants throughout Southern California & was even offered the executive pastry chef position to Brian Redzikowski's award-winning Kettner Exchange. Currently he is contributing his accumulated knowledge & expertise as lead consulting chef & head of restaurant relations to an innovative online marketplace for chefs & restaurants called Chef Meal Kits. Additional accolades include: completing an epicurean patisserie abroad program, graduating at the top of his class, a member of the American Culinary Federation, dishes featured on Good Morning America, recipes published in Gourmet Magazine, plus a team member of an invited kitchen to the one & only chef mecca of America, The James Beard House.
Name:
Milton's Juice Co respectfully gets its name from chef Joseph Koumpounis' dear friend & healthy-life advocate Milton, who was also the catalyst to chef's personal quest of healing & better living through a proper diet & lifestyle, as well as adopting a vegetarian diet & introducing the benefits of fasting & cleansing. Most of the dishes are straight-forward & all of the juices & smoothies featured in our kits are totally vegan & 100% organic.
Approach:
Pure & simple, every time. Inspired by the year-round Mediterranean spring-like climate of sunny San Diego & an abundant cornucopia of fruits & vegetables, directly sourced from local organic farms. Nutritionally rich & packed with vitamins, yet easy to make & oh so delicious. Spike the Co-La-Da for an adult afternoon with the girls or pair Ba-Na-Na & Mango Mango with Universal's Minions for a fun movie experience with the kids!
Letter:
Hello & thank you from all of us at Milton's Juice Co. We're honored to be welcomed into your home kitchen & hope you enjoy preparing our meal kits for your family & guests as much as we do for ours. We encourage you to visit us again & try one of our other popular kits, or any one of the amazing partners featured on Chef Meal Kits.
- Joseph
