Which Greek chef's surname is used in Greece as a synonym for 'cookbook'?

The Greek chef whose surname is used in Greece as a synonym for “cookbook” is Nikolaos Tselementes.

Tselementes was a Sifnos-born chef and cookbook author who became one of the most influential figures in modern Greek cooking. His surname entered everyday Greek usage because of the extraordinary reach of his cookery books; calling a cookbook a “Tselementes” became a familiar shorthand.

He began publishing the magazine Cooking Guide in 1910, worked in hotels and restaurants, and studied cooking, pastry and dietetics in Vienna and the United States. In 1930 he published a major Greek guide to cooking and pastry, followed by a widely reprinted recipe book after returning to Greece in 1932.

He is also associated with bringing French-influenced techniques into Greek home cooking. Béchamel-based dishes, modern versions of moussaka and pastitsio, and other European preparations became more familiar through his work. The surname can also be used jokingly for someone who cooks exceptionally well, not only for a physical cookbook.