We

Sakis Stamou

My mission is to educate and inspire people around the globe by bringing alchemy into modern life, transforming the human experience materially and spiritually.

My vision is a global hub of empowering, transformative healing arts: a movement that uplifts humanity, fosters growth and well-being, and leaves the world better than it found it.

Hello, and a warm welcome. I am Sakis Stamou: a cook by training, an herbalist by devotion, and a spagyric alchemist by initiation. A Pisces, I have always let intuition steer me, and it has steered me well: out of an engineering career, through the great kitchens of Greece and New York, and into the old healing arts I now practice and teach beside my wife, Dr. Carina Lopez.

The Geometry of a Beginning

From a young age I was drawn to ancient Greek philosophy, mathematics, geometry, and the Platonic solids. That fascination felt less like a pastime than an initiation into the mysteries of the universe, and it carried me, naturally enough, into civil engineering studies at the University of Thessaly in Volos, Greece.

The truth, though, showed itself early. I was spending more time at the farmer’s market than with my professors, lingering with growers and artisans over bright colors, fresh food, and personal stories. My heart was in the kitchen, not in blueprints and construction sites. After graduation I stood at the crossroads: the sensible engineering office, or the honest calling. Fate, fortune, and a little personal bravery decided it, and they carried me to the island of Ikaria.

Ikaria, the Crucible

Ikaria dissolved me and remade me. On the island where people famously forget to die, I shed rigid beliefs and remnants of ego, learned to let go of control, and came to love spontaneity and authenticity as teachers in their own right. For two summers I ran the kitchen at Carte Postale, a creative bistro café whose owner, Myrto, welcomed me in; the Lonely Planet editor called it a unique spot for “gourmet snacks & salads, evening risottos, and sensational cocktails.”

On one of the last days of the season, hitchhiking across the island, I was picked up by an Ikarian chef who taught at Le Monde, one of the most respected culinary schools in Athens. That roadside meeting became two years of formal training there, alongside my first post in an Athens fine-dining kitchen.

Athens: Where Food Met Medicine

In Athens my good friend Antonis, a teacher of homeopathy then studying at Akadimia, a school devoted to Ancient Greek Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine, opened a door I have never closed. Through him I began studying the theory of Traditional Hellenic Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine, together with holistic herbalism and Eastern dietetics.

The years that followed took me through the kitchens of top restaurants in Athens, Mykonos, and New York City. At the stove I refined my craft; in my free hours I sat in libraries with the Greek and Chinese herbals, folding the ancient wisdom of plant medicine into my love of food.

New York: Two Stars Meet

New York gave me the meeting of my life: my soulmate, Dr. Carina Lopez. We were both born under the Nakshatra of Ashwini, whose presiding deities are the Ashwini Kumaras, the twin physicians of the celestial gods; those born under this star are said to carry the healer’s gift innately. Our bond was immediate and deep, like two stars coming together in the sky. We explored the city’s secret corners, walked its plant gardens, and traded dreams in its cozy cafes, and our friendship grew into something neither of us could mistake.

Four months later, in a rush of love and romance, we married on Bow Bridge in Central Park. It was Saint John the Baptist’s Day, the day Greeks leap over fires, and that evening, in my mother-in-law’s backyard, we honored the tradition and jumped the flames together. The fire felt like a purification, and a seal upon a shared mission.

The Alchemist’s Path

Marriage and work began together. I started teaching Eastern dietetics, the art of using food as medicine, while apprenticing myself to the finest teachers I could find: Sajah Popham of the School of Evolutionary Herbalism; Demetra George and Christopher Warnock of the School of Renaissance Astrology in traditional astrology; and Todd Caldecott’s Food as Medicine and Phytomedica programs at the Dogwood School of Botanical Medicine. Among the American herbalists, Michael Tierra and Matthew Wood shaped me most; their books sit within arm’s reach to this day.

Then came 2017. Studying at the New York Public Library, I stumbled upon the website of a Swedish alchemist, Lisa Jeannin, and her Alchemillas Apotek. Lisa could not offer teachings herself, but she introduced me to one of my greatest mentors: Phoenix Aurelius, alchemist, researcher, and educator, who initiated me into the hermetic arts and Spagyria. From him I learned the foundational practices of the spagyric pharmacopoeia and the advanced craft of sophisticated preparations, and our members have received potent spagyric preparations from my laboratory ever since.

In 2023 I completed the Prima and Secunda classes of The Spagyricus Institute under Robert A. Bartlett, one of the most profound living teachers of practical alchemy. And since 2021 I have been a proud member of The Inner Garden, a fellowship founded in 2010 to practice and protect the Royal Art of traditional alchemy, where members sharpen and inspire one another.

Pelion, the Return

In 2020 we traded the beautiful chaos of New York for the calm of Mount Pelion, the mountain of the Centaurs, where we are raising our son and working from our small piece of paradise. We travel to share what we know through workshops, seminars, and retreats, and to keep learning at gatherings devoted to natural healing.

I remain a student first: always chasing the newest alchemical, culinary, and herbal discoveries while staying loyal to the ancient traditions that hold them. And when I am not looking after our members, you will find me playing with my son, an endless source of joy, or hiking, sailing, and gathering around a long table with my amazing wife, our family, and our friends.

This journey shaped who we are, and it fuels the essence of our work. We live by following our passions, embracing change, and finding joy in every moment. Thank you for being part of our story, and for letting us share a piece of our heart with you.