NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Jan 28, 2014) - Celebrity Chef Maria Loi, owner of LOI Restaurant, New York, is pleased to announce her agent, Alan Morell, has sold The Original Greek Diet, a new diet book by Chef Maria Loi and Sarah Toland, to HarperCollins Publishers.

Grounded in the Mediterranean lifestyle and developed by world-renowned Greek Chef Maria Loi, The Original Greek Diet combines classic Mediterranean ingredients like olive oil, yogurt, and honey in delicious, healthy recipes that satisfy the soul and the palette. With The Original Greek Diet, you eat to enjoy yourself, just like the ancient Greek gods and goddesses, without starving, long, grueling hours at the gym, or restrictive plans eliminating carbs, dairy, caffeine, or alcohol. Structured around the 12 food pillars of the traditional Greek diet, The Original Greek Diet includes 100 healthy, authentic Greek recipes that use delicious unprocessed ingredients that will delight both amateur and experienced home cooks.

 "Sarah and I are all very excited to be published by HarperCollins and work with Lisa Sharkey (Senior Vice President of Creative Development), Amy Bendell (Editor), and their team," said Chef Maria Loi. "My agent, Alan Morell, personally nurtured the relationship between HarperCollins by working with Sarah and myself, along with the Loi team, my chef de cuisine Dara Davenport, senior dietician Georgia Giannopoulos, and two chefs from the Chef's Club of Greece, Kostantinos Vlachos and Giannis Tompas. This is one of many books we want to author in the U.S., and we already have plans for a developmental pilot, scheduled for this year -- a TV series concept I feel is a winner. We're also on course to market LOI commercial products on shopping channels, thanks to Alan's guidance."

"I worked with Lisa Sharkey and her talented team at HarperCollins for my client Dr. Bob Arnot's New York Times bestselling book, Aztec Diet, and I felt my clients Chef Maria Loi and Sarah Toland would be an ideal fit for Lisa and HarperCollins," said agent Alan Morell. "The book will be published under the prestigious William Morrow imprint, which guarantees the HarperCollins skilled sales team worldwide will help market the book, complementing our strategy for the broadcast piece for a Chef Maria Loi TV Series, as well as positioning LOI line of products on shopping channels to retail."

Chef Maria Loi is a former Public Affairs Specialist and Lobbyist. She has successfully undertaken projects for multinational conglomerates such as the energy giant Texaco; the telecommunication pioneer Nokia; ITT Sheraton; and Net Hold International.

A born businesswoman, Chef Maria Loi owns a gourmet restaurant in idyllic Nafpaktos, Greece, designs her own line of home electrical micro-appliances and dinnerware under her name brand, and is a founding partner in a clothing business representing international fashion firms. As a result of her innovative spirit and strong desire to explore new frontiers, Chef Maria Loi moved on from her exemplary lobbying career to pursue her real passion of cooking with enormous success.

As the ambassador of Greek Gastronomy, appointed by the Chef's Club of Greece, Chef Maria Loi writes and speaks publicly about Greek cuisine and culture. She moved to New York City and opened Loi Restaurant, her flagship eatery on the Upper West Side, garnering favorable reviews from New York Magazine, Zagat and the Michelin Guide, to name a few. She has appeared at food festivals such as Taste of the Nation, Aspen Food & Wine Festival, James Beard Chefs and Champagne, Meatball Madness, Soup'er Sandwich, Bid Against Hunger, Taste of the Upper West Side, and the New York Wine and Food Wine Festival. Some of her television appearances include Good Day New York with Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly, CBS Morning Show, CBS 2 with Tony Tantillo, Cooking Channel's Not My Mama's Meal with Bobby Deen, ABC's Good Morning America with Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos, NBC 4 New York The Greek Easter Special, CBS 2's The Couch with Alex Denis, and Food Network's Restaurant Divided.

Chef Maria Loi has been featured in countless articles in print and online media including the Oprah.com, People Magazine, Latina.com, and Mikasa.com. Last year she completed the filming of her new cooking series Cooking at Loi, currently airing on PBS nationwide. Chef Maria has performed multiple cooking demonstrations at Williams Sonoma, taught cooking classes at the legendary De Gustibus Cooking School at Macy's Herald Square, been a guest chef at the James Beard House, and most notably spent three days cooking at the White House in honor of Greek Independence.

Most recently, Chef Maria Loi spoke at Congress touting the benefits of a healthy Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. Currently Chef Maria Loi just finished writing her new book about the Original Greek Diet for Harper Collins publishing company. Her pasta line, Loi Pasta, is now available nationwide through Sysco Foods, and her new Greek product line will hit shelves this year.

 Chef Maria Loi is also deeply involved in philanthropic causes. She is one of the core founders of Elpida, a foundation for children stricken with cancer. Nowadays, as a founding member of a children's village in Greece, Chef Maria helps raise and care for the less-than-fortunate youth of the area. She also oversees a scholarship fund that helps underprivileged young adults receive a valuable college education at major universities in Europe and the United States. Chef Maria Loi also gets involved in fundraising for various worthy causes such as Volunteers of America, City Harvest, No Kid Hungry, C-CAP and the Center for Discovery, as well as countless local community projects.

About Sarah Toland:
Sarah Toland is a veteran health journalist and former Olympic-level athlete. She was the senior health editor of Men's Journal and has appeared regularly as an independent weight-loss expert for the Fox News Channel. She also served as the editor-in-chief of Inside Triathlon, an internationally syndicated health and fitness magazine, and has worked as a health and fitness reporter for The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Delicious Living!, and Alternative Medicine, among other national publications. While launching her career in journalism, Sarah ran professional for Nike, qualifying for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in both the 5K and 10K.

For further information, go to:
www.harpercollins.com
www.loirestaurant.com
www.creativemanagementpartners.com