Yia Yia Maria Giannakos: A Life of Family, Greek Food & Olive Oil

A note about this tribute: I first wrote this article in 2015, while my grandmother, Maria Giannakos, was still alive. In the original piece, I shared her photograph at 105 years old. Yia Yia later passed away at the remarkable age of 112. I have returned to these words to honour her memory and to explain how our family's food traditions continue through Ilias and Sons. The photographs remain part of that original story.

“Health is the most important element in life”

As a kid, my father was always saying, “Health is the most important element in life.” Of course, being a kid and not knowing any better, I would argue that you could buy health if you had enough money.

Boy, was I wrong.

When I first wrote this article, I was a father of three young children. I was beginning to understand why my own father had been so driven to encourage a healthy diet. What once sounded like another parental lecture had become something much more personal: a lesson about how we care for ourselves and for the people we love.

That lesson is also why this article matters so much to me. It is not simply a list of extra virgin olive oil benefits. It is a tribute to my grandmother, our Yia Yia, Maria Giannakos, and to the Greek way of life that helped shape our family.

My grandmother, Yia Yia Maria Giannakos

When I wanted to write about longevity, I did not have to begin with an abstract idea. I could begin with Yia Yia. Her long life gave that word a face, a name and a place in our family.

It would be easy to turn her story into a slogan about olive oil. But that would make both her life and the lesson too small. My grandmother was not a product testimonial. She was my grandmother. The meaning of her story belongs first to the people who knew and loved her.

I said something important in the original article that I still want to preserve: I am not saying that drinking olive oil will make you live longer. No single food explains an entire life. What I wanted to share was the place of good food in our family's daily habits, and the care behind those habits.

Olive oil was part of our food, not a passing trend

Yia Yia and our family consumed extra virgin olive oil every day. We drizzled it over salads, freshly cooked vegetables and fish. We used it in marinades, dips and dressings. It belonged to the food we ate, rather than to a complicated set of rules about wellness.

Some people enjoy olive oil by the spoonful. In the original article, I wrote that I preferred to enjoy it in my food. That remains an important part of the message: a daily ritual should make sense to you. It does not have to look like somebody else's routine to be meaningful.

For our family, Greek extra virgin olive oil connects the everyday meal with our roots in Greece. A drizzle over vegetables is a small act, but small acts repeated over time become a way of life. The familiarity of the ingredient is part of its value, alongside its flavour and quality.

A Greek way of life, not a shortcut

The Mediterranean-style eating pattern I described in the original piece included vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish, nuts and olive oil. That wider picture matters. Olive oil belongs alongside the other foods on the plate, not in place of them.

To me, caring about health also means paying attention. It means asking what we are eating, choosing food we enjoy and making room for habits we can actually sustain. The strongest lesson from my father's words was not that every meal needs to be perfect. It was that health deserves a place among our priorities.

Yia Yia's story gives that lesson a personal meaning. It reminds me why food is never only about ingredients. In a family, it can also be a connection between generations: what we learned, what we carried with us and what we choose to pass on.

What I want to say about extra virgin olive oil and health today

Since co-founding Ilias and Sons, I have continued to learn about extra virgin olive oil, its quality and the research surrounding it. Returning to this article also means taking greater care with the difference between a family experience and a scientific conclusion.

The original version included broad claims about the heart, brain, vitamins and depression. I do not want unsupported percentages or promises of disease prevention to distract from this tribute. Nor do I want an old quotation or a story about a public figure to stand in for evidence.

For readers interested in the health discussion, our Health Facts page offers a place to continue exploring. Our 7Thirty high-phenolic Greek olive oil page explains more about that product's positioning. These resources are separate from Maria's story: her life is not clinical proof of a benefit, and our products are foods, not medicines.

When considering high-phenolic olive oil, look for relevant harvest and laboratory information. Colour, flavour and a compelling family story each have their place, but none should be used as a substitute for the evidence behind a specific claim.

How the tradition continues at Ilias and Sons

Our family connection to olive oil spans five generations of craftsmanship in Greece. Today, Ilias and Sons brings that connection to customers from our Ottawa-based business. We want our oils to be understood and enjoyed, not simply admired on a shelf.

Our Gourmet Greek Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Original Blend combines Athinolia and Koroneiki olives. Its fruity, grassy character and mild peppery finish make it an approachable companion for everyday meals. It is a natural place to begin when you want olive oil to become part of the way you cook.

7Thirty high-phenolic organic Greek extra virgin olive oil offers a different expression of that same commitment. Made from early-harvest Koroneiki olives from the Peloponnese, it has a bold, peppery character. Enjoy it as a finishing oil when you want its flavour to be part of the meal.

These products do not replace the tradition behind them. They are ways of continuing it. The connection is not a promise that a bottle can recreate my grandmother's life. It is the opportunity to bring thoughtful ingredients, Greek flavour and a little of our family's heritage into your own kitchen.

Learning more, without losing sight of the table

For a broader introduction to our high-phenolic olive oil philosophy, you can visit The Superfood of Superfoods. I hope that learning about olive oil leads back to something simple: enjoying it with food and understanding what you are buying.

A salad, cooked vegetables, fish, bread or a freshly prepared dressing can be a starting point. You do not need to borrow a dramatic wellness routine. Choose a flavour you appreciate, care for the oil properly and let it become part of the meals that suit your household.

For Yia Yia, and for the next generation

When I wrote about Maria while she was still alive, I wanted to share something I could see in my own family: the importance of food, health and the habits that connect them. Looking back, I also see how much of that article was about becoming a parent and finally understanding my father.

His words have stayed with me. So has the reason I wanted to tell my grandmother's story in the first place.

This tribute is for Yia Yia Maria Giannakos. It is also for the next generation, who will hear our advice, question it as I once did and perhaps understand it differently with time. If there is one thought I want them to carry forward, it is the one my father gave me: health is the most important element in life.

That is the heart of this story, and it is a value I want to carry into everything we do at Ilias and Sons.