By Emily Spalding
ATHENS, Greece — In a city where Greek salad, feta cheese and souvlaki dominate menus, restaurants here were in for a distinct dining experience when six restaurants swapped their pita for injera.
During the third week in June, Athens restaurants opened their kitchens to accomplished chefs who also happened to be refugees. They prepared meals from their native countries — including Eritrea, Syria and Afghanistan — as part of the Refugee Food Festival.
Launched two years ago by French citizens Marine Mandrila and Louis Martin, today the festival has won an international audience, with 15 cities participating across three continents. The list includes Athens and the nearby island city of Mytilene, perhaps the most striking locations given their position at the center of the European refugee crisis.
