Leonidas Kestekides
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Leonidas Kestekides (born Istanbul) was a Greek chocolate manufacturer, founder of the famous Leonidas company in Belgium.
Leonidas is a chocolate maker based in Belgium, with an international presence. The company's focus is pralines (chocolate shells with soft fillings); it also sells marzipan, solid chocolates, and other confections.
Kestekides left Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the early 1900s, lived in Greece for a while and then went to Italy, where he became a wine merchant. He struggled financially, so he decided to move to New York, where he worked as a confectioner.
in 1910 he travelled to Belgium for the first time to attend the 1910 World Fair in Brussels as a member of the Greek delegation from the United States. He was awarded the bronze medal for his chocolate confectionery, and the gold medal for his patisserie. He returned to Belgium in 1913, attended the World Fair in Ghent, and moved permanently to Belgium.
Kestekides met a young woman from Brussels during his visit, and settled permanently in Belgium. He opened tea-rooms in Brussels, Ghent and Blankenberge, and the business expanded from there.
