Leo Christie, OAM, died on 28 May 2025 aged 91. Before anglicising his name, Leo was born Liandros Christodoulou, in Sydney on 21 June 1933. The son of Cleopatra Karayiannidis, and George Christodulou, he was raised among the milk bars of Sydney’s Greek migrant community with the help of his adored Aunt Stoula and Uncle George. It was a childhood that instilled a sense of community as he witnessed the resilience of those who had fled unrest to rebuild themselves in a new country.
A food enthusiast equipped with his mother’s Greek recipes, Leo joined the Escoffier Society in 1970.
Members included the likes of Sydney’s renowned food critic Leo Schofield. For two decades the group
cooked for each other and dined together. As he became increasingly aware of Sydney’s food culture, Leo turned an interest into a serious passion by becoming involved in his son Sam Christie’s eponymous
Longrain restaurant.
