Volta Magazine

Volta Magazine is among the first women's lifestyle magazines, published in Athens, Greece since 2009, addressed to upper class. In 2018, Volta Magazine started a bi-lingual edition that is distributed in selected locations in London. Volta Magazine is a quarterly magazine of popular culture, fashion, that features an exceptional woman on its cover with every issue. This article is about an event in honor of Leah.

Below is a translation of the interview without accompanying photography, but the original article in Greek can be read (along with images) on Volta Magazine’s website.

Christmas Butterflies by Ada Iliopoulou & Le soleil Foundation in honor of artist and activist Leah Wood

by Volta Magazine
December 20, 2024

The international cultural movement Le Soleil foundation and President Ada Iliopoulou organized one of their famous secret dinners in honor of British artist and activist Leah Wood, daughter of rock star Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones.

The art Christmas dinner took place at the fine dining restaurant Nyn Esti inside the Museum of Contemporary Art with the Rhodian head chef, Stamatis Misomike, who was inspired by the artist's works and designed an unreal menu full of butterfly details.

Last summer, Ada Iliopoulou surpassed herself by inviting huge personalities to Greece, such as Tosca Musk, sister of Trump tycoon and right-hand man Elon Musk, the Queen of Congo, Queen Diambi Kabatusuila and many others. One of her guests in Rhodes was British artist and activist Leah Wood, who inspired a series of butterflies from the Valley of the Butterflies and will present her work in 2025.

So 7 colorful butterflies came to Greece to pre-empt us for the 2025 exhibition.

The secret event had guests such as Petros Kokkalis who has done great work for the protection of the environment, from the shipping sector Irene Daifa, Danae Bezantakou, Makis Kasnakidis with Marilia Vazeou, the president of the Piraeus shipping club George Alexandratos, Marina Kintta, the publisher of shipping publications Dionysis Politis etc.

From the business and artistic world, Zeta Vomvogiannis-Graff who came directly from London, where she had met Leah with her mother, the legendary Greek-American businesswoman Lady Evangeline Gouletas who was for 10 years the first lady of New York with her then husband Governor Carey, Pantelis Kontogiannis – protagonist of the Hollywood film "Promachos-First line", Stratos Tzortzoglou with his wife Sofia Mariola, Dr. Antzi Margariti Andrews, the CEO of Point F Group S.A. Anna Stylianopoulou, the CEO of VK Nano Barbara Karagiozaki, Stergios Logothetidis, President and founder of OET – Organic Electronic Technologies Company, Thanasis Papapostolou and Lia Kalkasina, Mema Simonetatou, Marianna Psaraki-Valyraki, Domenica Daniel, Leila Neophytou, Despina Portokali, the famous musician and producer Tony Kontaxakis, and many others.

The music was curated by DJ Valentino who took a break from his new productions especially for the evening.

The evening started with a cocktail overlooking the illuminated Acropolis and a buffet that literally looked like a work of art, divided into seafood on rocks, flora and fauna, with blue crab doughnut, tomato jam and truffle cream, tartlet with eel and caramelized onion, bouquet of foliage with pistachio, rose of smoked cheese, fermented berries and zucchini. A real habitat with colorful flowers spread out on the buffet and on it you could see real butterflies flying in the air with butterflies edible with beef tartare and barrel feta.

The dinner was even more impressive. The tables had Christmas arrangements with bright red anthuriums, roses and tulips popping into the air through mistletoe and fir base. Inspired by Rhodes and the set up of the table with the red festive placemats Symi designed by Themis Z, which always accompanies the artistic hidden nights of Le Soleil foundation with its dishes. Everything was designed in such a way as to match the butterflies.

In addition, an impressive Christmas tree from OET Electronic Technologies: AgriVoltaics attracted attention by being created with integrated organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology, where both lights and ornaments are powered by OPV. The Christmas tree and ornaments were designed to collect energy from indoor or outdoor light, providing energy to the Christmas lights, creating a self-sustaining and energy-efficient display.

This eliminates the need for traditional energy sources and reduces environmental impact, offering a practical and innovative approach to holiday decoration.

Dinner started with a trolley with 4 different buns arriving at the tables to offer focaccia with tomato and onion, brioche flavored with hazelnut and soutzouki, crispy bread with olive and a breadstick with pesto made from vegetable peels, and fresh butter flavored with autumn leaves and kumquat.

The first dish did indeed impress when it arrived at the table accompanied by a pouch of aromatic towel containing hot roasted salt. One of the first ancient Greek techniques, as the imaginative chef explained.

This pouch had to be put on top of the raw amberjack and baked on one side. It was accompanied by pumpkin, persimmon and a sauce of roasted almond.

Guests could choose between meat and fish for the main course.

The "confit skate with flying angel wings" in mastic oil was accompanied by lettuce root and vine leaf sauce.

The meat was butterfly-shaped pheasant slices cooked in an autumn leaf salt crust accompanied by beets and a cranberry sauce in the soil of three peppers.

The dessert arrived in two impressive clay utensils. Paloni flavored with hibiscus and rose and inside yogurt mousse with berries marinated with olive oil. What impressed everyone was the utensil that made the dessert look like a mask or like a tree in the hollow of which was the white dessert. It was accompanied by pralines flavored with Greek coffee and cardamom and a praline flavored with honey and thyme.

At the end of the evening, all guests were given wonderful gifts from the sponsors of the hidden event. The gentlemen received elegant black bags with Richmond accessories, such as leather belts, caps, caps, gloves, t shirts. The ladies received Chiara Ferragni's brand new lipstick and lip gloss.

While an additional gift was the surprise of the evening, the expensive Greek nanotechnology cream of Nanotouche in Myrtilo of VK Nano that is already discussed abroad.

When Leah Wood returned to her NJV Athens Plaza hotel suite, other gifts awaited her, such as a bag by Themis Z, a butterfly specially created for her by the Rhodian designer Dora Kounaki of the famous jewelry house that celebrates 70 years of existence this year and a bracelet given to her by Ada Iliopoulou with a Sun reminiscent of the Le soleil foundation that invited the artist to Greece but enhances the work of Hope, reminding everywhere of the bright Light of our country.