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Anita Rogers on the Magic of Greece
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Anita Rogers, CEO & Founder of global luxury estate staffing company British American Household Staffing, shares her all-time favourite vacation spot and why she always makes the time in her work diary to visit this magical destination every year.
Spetses, a Greek island and one of Anita's favourite destinations
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Anita, you are not just known for your impeccable British style, your contemporary art gallery, and your love of opera, but anyone who has the pleasure of sharing a hello with you, walks away with one place in mind because you speak so passionately about it - GREECE !
Tell us why Greece is so important to you…
Greece is my home. I was raised there and it is a magical, extraordinary country. My father Jack was an artist and folk musician and we (me, my mother Dasa, and my father) had incredible experiences on islands that were not on the map back in the 80s and 90s. We sometimes played music with locals and tourists for 24 hours, with crowds increasing by the hour and circles of people dancing, drinking, eating. I now go during the summer and fall every year with my mother and we still play music and sing when we find the right taverna and crowd.
That sounds like something out of a movie! Is that where your love of music and vocal talents began to take shape?
I would sing and play the guitar and my father played the bouzouki. We would play a traditional Greek type of music called Rebetiko and Smyrnaiko, which was very popular in Greece from the 1920s to the 1960s. This music ignites most hearts and gives people “kefi” which means “spirit” that moves you to dance and sing for many hours. These early memories with my father when he was alive are plentiful and make me very nostalgic.
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Anita's father, Jack Martin Rogers, with his bandmates in Greece.
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How often do you go back?
I go back to Greece every year with my mother and we meet all of our friends and we always go to Spetses and Athens. I play music with some of our old friends who are also musicians. I’ve met some amazing people, from academics to artists, writers, philosophers, those who love all things Ancient Greece. Each of these experiences were a magnet for extraordinary people including the locals, the island priests, and fishermen.
Favorite Greek dish?
Fava (made from yellow lentils, onions and olive oil) and I also love Horta (a wild spinach that only grows in Greece).
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If you had to choose just one beautiful Greek island?
Spetses (pictured left in a photograph taken by Anita on her last visit there). This is a magical island kept for the locals, Athenians and private foreigners who have moved to Greece. It is a combination of traditional Greece and modern luxury and it is kept from too much tourism. We have a large community of friends who are on the island year-round, who often live between Athens and Spetses. There is a taverna (traditional restaurant) called Pachni. They grow all the vegetables themselves and the meat is their own too. We play Greek music here sometimes.
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Favorite Greek word to say?
Opa! It is an expression said mostly when music is playing and people are dancing!
Favorite movie filmed in Greece?
Never on Sunday and Zorba The Greek.
Most treasured Greek traditions?
Rebetiko music and Greek Easter.
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Your late father Jack Martin Rogers whose work we saw in your incredible gallery was a truly phenomenal artist. What is your most treasured piece of art of his and why?
The sketch of me that my father did on the island of Seros when I was a teenager, also the Cretan Girl, painted in the 1960s (pictured right). Both are very dear to me.
Cretan Girl. 1966. Oil on canvas. 41" x 28 1/4"
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The Greek song you love to play in the kitchen whilst cooking is…
Sinifiesmeni kyriaki (cloudy Sunday) by Tzitzais.
Tell us about a special moment that happened in Greece.
One day we were in the town of a small island called Kea/Tzia and we were getting ready to leave back to Athens, where we lived. We encountered the local priest and five fishermen who had been drinking beer on the steps for a few hours and I was carrying my father’s bouzouki as he went to buy the ferry tickets back to Athens. The priest saw the bouzouki and beckoned to me and asked if we could play. My father came out and agreed to play a couple of tunes. We ended up playing for over 24 hours, the entire village joined, a friend of mine who also played this music on a ‘baglama’ happened to be there, he joined. People were dancing, singing, drinking, bringing their own food and tables to the platia (square) where we were playing. We went to the mayor of the island’s house at 5am and I sang “xipna, micro mou kai akouse” which is the “song of the dawn” outside his bedroom window. He woke up and joined us. It was magical.
And I have to share another from my childhood - I have another memory of my mother, father and me on our way to mitilyni (lesbos) and there were gypsies on the boat and when my father started playing the Bouzouki, many of them got up to dance. They wore 5-6 beautiful skirts and petticoats and no shoes and danced like nymphs! I was 7-years-old and they braided my hair like Princess Leia in Star Wars and taught me how to belly dance the Romany way. It was absolutely amazing. I remember it so clearly. We danced for hours on the ferry journey… this was in the early 80s. They all hid under the large carpets they had in deck when the ticket conductor came around. Each Romany family had around 10 children! It was an amazing experience.
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You’ve mentioned the magic of the sea, the islands, the food, the music, and the people – how do you think Greek culture and the lifestyle there has shaped you as a person?
I think Greek culture has changed my life majorly in two ways. One, via Aristotle. I try to follow his suggestions in Nicomachean Ethics on how to live (finding my personality type and working on the opposite trait to find the balance), what to live for (virtue, giving, searching for something higher), and how to recognize who I am and what are people are and what motivates us. Aristotle was a genius.
The other major way Greece has changed my life is it taught me the ability to let go of stress and “what if’s” and to live in the present moment. I am not good at doing this all the time but I can often, and it brings me such relief. Greek culture has an incredible impact on everyone I know when they are there: you just stop worrying about anything and you let the sun and balmy Greek breeze kiss your skin and I am able to let it all go. Living in the moment is hard but when I do it, it brings so much peace!
If a friend has never tried Greek food before, what would you recommend on the menu?
A good Pastitsio or a Greek salad. Also, deep fried zucchini (kolikethia dikanites).
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What should we do once we get to Greece?
Eat, swim, find the local places that are off the beaten path. A great taverna will usually have plastic and paper tablecloths as they are the most traditional. It is at these tavernas I will often play rebetiko with my friends as the locals usually eat at the more traditional places, so it almost guarantees dancing!
Anita Rogers with friends at a taverna in Athens
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Are there any hidden gem type Greek restaurants here in New York that you recommend we book a table?
Yes!
Taverna Kyclades in Astoria
Pylos- East Village
Periyali - W. 20th, near Flatiron
For those thinking of buying a property or spending the summer in Greece, what are the benefits?
Magic, pure magic. The longer you stay, the harder it is to leave. Buying a property is complicated, you will need a translator and a GREAT Greek property lawyer - Greek laws are very complex!
Best Greek Island to take a yacht?
Spetses and Mykonos.
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Last hotel you loved staying at whilst in Greece ?
Kensho Ornos Boutique Hotel in Mykonos and Bill & Coo in Mykonos. The Poseidonion Grand Hotel Spetses is amazing too.
If you could close your eyes and magically be in Greece tomorrow morning, who would you be there with and what would you be doing?
With my mother, father, and brother, swimming in the sea and eating at a local taverna, then later dancing and playing music.
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Anita Rogers with her mother and family friend in Greece
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As always, we recommend checking the CDC's list of travel destinations before planning any travel in the near future. We suggest planning ahead of time and adding as much flexibility to your itinerary as possible to allow for changing guidance and safety protocols.
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Photos of Ikaria taken by Anita Rogers on a past visit
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Read the full blog post.
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