THE FCSI INTERVIEW


The University of Ioannina (left) and Athens College (above) are among projects that make Kioulpapas proud


“Automation is a necessity. People should be thinkers, visionaries, and creators – accelerating what we invent”


Project pride


Kioulpapas’ XENEX SA has been responsible for some huge projects within Greece. Some of those he is most proud of are university campus foodservice facilities. In 1976, he introduced cook/ chill operations into two campuses of Athens College, Greece’s finest private college, revolutionizing their foodservice offering. “We created a new kitchen with blast chilling, serving food across seven days for 1,800 students and employees. This was a huge risk for me.” Another project he is particularly proud of is his work at University of Ioannina in Northern Greece in the 1980s. “We were feeding approximately


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8,000-10,000 students per day. The challenge was that there were some restrictions at the beginning of the project: we couldn't have the kitchen and the distribution of food on the same level. The architects asked me to study the building restrictions in the dining room and the facilities. It took two years of design drawings and meetings with public administrators at the Ministry of Education to discuss the budget, which in today's money, was about €2m; 40 years ago, that was big money. It took more than two years to convince them to give me the budget. The project was completed in the early 1990s. Even today, the conveyor tray systems we designed works well. The journey of the tray takes one and a half minutes. It is a miracle!” Today, while still overseeing a


plethora of projects, alongside his son, Emil, Kioulpapas still sees his aim as “always to be a pioneer”. He closely follows the use of robotics in foodservice. “We are facing a big problem. We're missing skilled labor,” he says. “Automation is a necessity. People should be thinkers, visionaries, and creators –


accelerating what we invent. They don't like to work with their hands anymore.” When not immersing himself in


studies of the future of the industry, Kioulpapas is happiest when surrounded by “his family, good wines, and food. I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to have joy around the table with my family and friends. I'm also fond of classical music and political history,” he says. He is fond of sharing his own history


and knowledge with his FCSI-member colleagues and those in the wider industry. He is especially proud to have been part of the Society's board that created FCSI Worldwide. “I want to spread my philosophy and my experience. It’s good for the FCSI and for the community. We are missing leadership in the world generally, so that sense of giving back and sharing knowledge is important. We all have to contribute. We can't be only takers. We must be also givers.” It doesn’t take long in Tassos Kioulpapas’ engaging company to learn that this philosophy and attitude will long-ensure he is considered one of ‘the best in the place’.


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