In the world of gourmet cooking, Nicholas Poulmentis has made a name for himself among esteemed peers as well as a partner of Noema Group, which takes its name from the Greek word for ‘meaning’.

He means it when he’s in the kitchen, now stepping into the Kellari Taverna kitchen in midtown Manhattan and bringing with him more than 20 years of experience serving up Greek and Mediterranean-style food.

He studied at the S.T.E. Anavyssos, the leading culinary school in Greece, and at Le Gordon Bleu and was a guest chef at the White House in 2013 and 2015 among his noted stops, said Newsday in a report on his new gig.

He was a winner of the ‘Chopped’ cooking show high-pressure contest on TV, has appeared in many Food network shows and TBS Rat In the Kitchen. Poulmentis was born in New York City to Greek parents but left the United States when he was a year old for the Greek island of Kythira before returning to New York.

“Noema is … a Greek restaurant but one whose food and décor aim to transcend the expected,” said the report.