Vagus Culinary Studio

…..

Fourteen years ago, I left Greece and came to the Netherlands with nothing. I started from zero.

Twelve years ago, I had to do it all over again.

Five years ago, I built Vagus Culinary Studio from nothing. From an idea, from sacrifice, from endless hours of work, from belief when there was no certainty at all.

And today, everything is gone.

Not just money.
Not just equipment.
Not just things.

What hurts is seeing years of hard work, passion, sleepless nights, risk, love, and dedication reduced to ashes.

A life’s work.
A dream built by hand.
Gone in a moment.

But if life has taught me anything, it is this:
I know how to begin again.

I know what it means to stand in the ruins of what you built and still choose not to give up.
I know what it means to have nothing and still create something beautiful.
I know what it means to start from zero.

So that is what we will do.
Again.

We will rebuild.
We will rise.
We will create again.

Because at some point, starting from nothing stopped being a tragedy and became part of who I am.
And rising from the ashes stopped being a metaphor.

This time, it is literal.

My heart is with all our colleagues who have also suffered damage and loss.
We are not alone in this, and my thoughts are with everyone affected.

Everything happens for a reason, even when we do not understand it in the moment.
And sometimes the only thing you can do is refuse to stay broken, stand back up, and build something even better than before.

Cheers,
Evangelos

Mats at work.