Post by Hestella on Mar 3, 2010 14:23:45 GMT -5
Kanakaredes savors her married life
By Carol Motsinger, USA TODAY
Melina Kanakaredes' husband really puts the "sweet" in college sweetheart.
The 40-year-old CSI: NY star's hubby of almost 14 years, Peter Constantinades, once made seven types of cheesecake to study for an exam at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
"I would invite all my friends, and it would be horrible. Some of the boys are worse than the girls, saying 'I can't eat this!' " Kanakaredes says with a laugh. "I'd say, 'Shut up and eat. I can't have all this great food in the house.' "
Kanakaredes may play fit crime fighter Detective Stella Bonasera on CBS, but her family's kitchen is full of rich food and richer memories.
Constantinades, who now focuses on real estate development, is a former restaurant consultant. He took the Culinary Institute of America program in the mid-'90s to "communicate better" with his chef clients. The family still owns Tria, a Greek- and Mediterranean-style restaurant in Powell, Ohio, and Constantinades never stopped "constantly cooking" at their New York and Los Angeles homes, Kanakaredes says.
He doesn't cook for just her and the couple's two children, Zoe, 7, and Karina Eleni, 4: He cooks for "an army," she says.
"Fortunately, we have a large Greek family, and they do tend to visit quite often," Kanakaredes says. "When 20 of them are here, it's great because they eat all the leftovers."
The couple's relatives also meet at Tria, near where most of the family lives, for celebrations such as baptisms.
During these parties, Kanakaredes' daughters grab tomatoes in the restaurant's kitchen, just like she would snack on hot-roasted nuts rolled in caramel at her family's candy shop as a child.
"That's the funny part: You'll see a 3-year-old grab a stuffed grape leaf from a tray. … It's not exactly 'pizza Friday,' " she says.
Kanakaredes strives to share stuffed grape leaves with her family every night at 6 — whether she's on set or at home.
"It's a wonderful time when you sit down around the table for dinner and discuss life," she says. "No matter where you are, it gives the semblance of normalcy to my crazy world. … It grounds us as a family."
Her husband makes sure that the couple, who met at Ohio State University in 1989, still embark on adventurous dinner dates. Constantinades chose an eatery for their first date by throwing a dart at a local restaurant guide map he mounted on a wall.
He loves to try new restaurants and orders "like five appetizers and two or three main courses just to taste them all," she says.
Kanakaredes manages to stay camera-ready-thin by eating only a bit of everything. Portion control is the trick, she says.
Her husband's experience in the kitchen taught her one thing: A little bit of everything, including heavy cream, is "way better than eating the diet stuff."
By Carol Motsinger, USA TODAY
Melina Kanakaredes' husband really puts the "sweet" in college sweetheart.
The 40-year-old CSI: NY star's hubby of almost 14 years, Peter Constantinades, once made seven types of cheesecake to study for an exam at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
"I would invite all my friends, and it would be horrible. Some of the boys are worse than the girls, saying 'I can't eat this!' " Kanakaredes says with a laugh. "I'd say, 'Shut up and eat. I can't have all this great food in the house.' "
Kanakaredes may play fit crime fighter Detective Stella Bonasera on CBS, but her family's kitchen is full of rich food and richer memories.
Constantinades, who now focuses on real estate development, is a former restaurant consultant. He took the Culinary Institute of America program in the mid-'90s to "communicate better" with his chef clients. The family still owns Tria, a Greek- and Mediterranean-style restaurant in Powell, Ohio, and Constantinades never stopped "constantly cooking" at their New York and Los Angeles homes, Kanakaredes says.
He doesn't cook for just her and the couple's two children, Zoe, 7, and Karina Eleni, 4: He cooks for "an army," she says.
"Fortunately, we have a large Greek family, and they do tend to visit quite often," Kanakaredes says. "When 20 of them are here, it's great because they eat all the leftovers."
The couple's relatives also meet at Tria, near where most of the family lives, for celebrations such as baptisms.
During these parties, Kanakaredes' daughters grab tomatoes in the restaurant's kitchen, just like she would snack on hot-roasted nuts rolled in caramel at her family's candy shop as a child.
"That's the funny part: You'll see a 3-year-old grab a stuffed grape leaf from a tray. … It's not exactly 'pizza Friday,' " she says.
Kanakaredes strives to share stuffed grape leaves with her family every night at 6 — whether she's on set or at home.
"It's a wonderful time when you sit down around the table for dinner and discuss life," she says. "No matter where you are, it gives the semblance of normalcy to my crazy world. … It grounds us as a family."
Her husband makes sure that the couple, who met at Ohio State University in 1989, still embark on adventurous dinner dates. Constantinades chose an eatery for their first date by throwing a dart at a local restaurant guide map he mounted on a wall.
He loves to try new restaurants and orders "like five appetizers and two or three main courses just to taste them all," she says.
Kanakaredes manages to stay camera-ready-thin by eating only a bit of everything. Portion control is the trick, she says.
Her husband's experience in the kitchen taught her one thing: A little bit of everything, including heavy cream, is "way better than eating the diet stuff."
I barely see them... 
